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There are many out there who prefer the Chrome browser over the available others. There are many perfectly viable reasons why you might have that preference. When compared to options like Internet Explorer, there’s no denying that Chrome is often a favorite for those who have the choice.
However, even this great browser can sometimes have problems. For example, you may sometimes find that YouTube isn’t quite working correctly when you’re trying to use it on Chrome. Don’t fear! There are options out there to allow you to get the issue solved without too much of a hassle.
Read on and you’ll learn what you need to do to fix YouTube on Chrome!
Table of Contents
Having Problems With YouTube?
You’re tuning in to watch your favorite YouTuber, only to find that YouTube simply won’t work. While this can be a frustrating problem, it’s also one that can have a number of solutions. Follow along and try the following methods out.
Fixing YouTube on Chrome
There are three main methods that you can try out while you’re working to resolve your issues with YouTube on Chrome. The good news is, most of them are relatively simple, giving you an easy place to start from. Check YouTube after each one to see if the problem is solved.
Related Reading: What is Google Chrome Helper?
Try Restarting Chrome
Sometimes all you need to do is shut down your browser and then restart it to solve the problem. If this solution works for you, then it’s all the better because it’s an incredibly easy solution to make use of when you need it.
Step 1
Close down your Chrome browser. This includes all the tabs you may have opened.
Step 2
Start Chrome up again, but wait before you restore all of the tabs you may have had up previously. Instead, check YouTube to see if it will work.
Step 3
If the previous steps didn’t work, you might have to attempt force-quitting the browser. On Mac, all you need to do is press Command, Option and Escape all at the same time. A menu should pop up listing all of the applications you can choose to quit. From here, click on “Chrome” and select “Force Quit.”
If you’re using Windows, you can press CTRL, ALT and DEL simultaneously. On the menu that pops up, select the Task Manager. From there, you can right-click on Chrome and select “End Task.”
Step 4
If you’re still having problems, you might need to make sure that your Chrome browser is completely updated. To do this, you just need to click on the three dots you’ll find in the upper right corner. This will open up the overflow menu.
From there you can click on Help and About Google Chrome. You’ll be able to check for updates here. If your Chrome is in need of one, go ahead and complete the update. If not, it’s time to try the next method.
Clearing Out Cookies
In some cases, cookies and other data that have been cached may be causing problems in your browser, resulting in problems with YouTube. When this happens, you’ll need to take a moment to clear out the cookies and files that may be causing the issue.
Follow these steps to get the cookies cleared out.
Step 1
First, you’ll need to get to the right menu. When you pull up Chrome, you’ll find a series of three dots in the top right corner. Start by selecting the dots, and then clicking on settings. From there, scroll down until you see “advanced” on the settings page. Click on that option, and you will see a section that says, “Clear Browsing Data.” Select this option.
Step 2
Next, you’ll want to adjust the choices so that only “Cookies” and “Cached Images/Files” have check marks in them.
Step 3
Now, you’ll want to select “Clear Data” and allow the browser to work. This might take a brief second, or a minute depending on how much data is being cleared out.
Step 4
When the deletion is finished, shut down Chrome and restart it, then check YouTube again.
Checking Out JavaScript and Acceleration
Under typical circumstances, the hardware acceleration used in Chrome is quite helpful. However, if you’ve tried all of the other methods and found that they haven’t helped, turning it off might be the solution to your problem.
Step 1
Much like with the cookies, you’ll need to get into your Chrome advanced settings in order to have access to your hardware acceleration and JavaScript. To get there, select the triple dots in the upper right, and go to “Settings.” Then scroll down to “advanced” and select that.
Step 2
Under “System,” you’ll find an option to use hardware acceleration. Just click on the slider to the right in order to turn it off.
Step 3
Next, you’ll want to turn on JavaScript. On your advanced page, scroll up to “privacy and security.” Here, you’ll see an option that says, “Site settings.” Click on the arrow next to that choice.
On the menu that pops up, you’ll see “JavaScript.” Click on the slider and set it to “allowed” if it isn’t already.
Step 4
Restart your chrome browser and check YouTube.
Other Options to Try Out
If you’re still having problems with YouTube running on Chrome, there are a couple more options you can use to locate the problem. This includes extensions that may be running in your browser as well as restarting your computer. The good news is that checking for them is quite easy.
Restarting Your Computer
Restarting your computer is an easy, but not tasteful, option. Just open up your start menu and select restart. Allow your computer to shut down and reboot, then test YouTube again.
Testing Incognito Mode
You can also try using incognito mode, which stops extensions and cookies from being used or taking up space. If you find that YouTube works while you’re incognito, then the problem is likely due to problematic Chrome extensions that you can disable to solve the problem.
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