YouTube error · Common
YouTube video not playing — fix audio + video stutter
The video page loads but playback fails — the player shows a spinner forever, the video plays without audio, or playback stutters. Different from "Video unavailable" (the file is denied) — this is a delivery problem.
Why this happens
- Browser cache has stale player code.
- Hardware acceleration / GPU driver bug.
- Audio codec missing (rare; happens on some Linux distros).
- Network bandwidth dropped below playback bitrate.
- Browser extension blocking player JavaScript.
How to fix it
- 1
Try lowering the playback quality
Click the gear icon → Quality → 480p or 360p. If lower quality plays and 1080p doesn't, your bandwidth is the bottleneck.
- 2
Disable hardware acceleration in your browser
Chrome: Settings → System → Use hardware acceleration when available → off. Restart Chrome. Common fix on older or Linux machines.
- 3
Hard reload to clear cached player code
Cmd+Shift+R or Ctrl+F5. Bypasses the cache and pulls fresh JavaScript.
- 4
Update your browser to the latest version
YouTube's player uses recent web APIs. Older browsers can fail silently.
Frequently asked
Why does only the audio play?
Usually a video codec issue — the browser has the decoder but the GPU is failing to render it. Disable hardware acceleration and reload.