For an immersive, larger-than-life viewing experience, “HDR” aka High Dynamic Range comes into the picture. Being optimized for cinematic quality, support for the wider color gamut, and the ability to seamlessly achieve higher peak brightness topped by greater contrast and detail, it’s the go-to destination for a full-on home theater experience. That’s the reason why most streaming platforms like Netflix and YouTube provide HDR playback.
Unfortunately, for a large number of PC folks, Windows 11 is not playing YouTube HDR videos. While some have reported that the video-sharing platform fails to get along with the HDR content, others have complained about the frustrating distortion that ruins the playtime. Worse, for a handful of PC owners, YouTube crashes out mid-way while streaming an HDR flick. If your video streaming is also marred by any of these antagonists, you’ve landed at the right guide to bringing the life-like streaming back into action again. Keep reading to…
Best Tips to Fix Windows 11 Not Playing HDR Videos
So, what’s hurting the HDR playback on YouTube? To put it straight, there are a number of reasons why this issue crops up including incompatibility, misconfigurations, and the presence of conflicting elements.
Have a quick look at these 12 major reasons why Windows 11 may not play YouTube HDR videos:
- Browser not supported
- Outdated GPU driver
- Incorrect display settings
- Non-HDR monitor
- HDR not enabled
- YouTube settings misconfigured
- Outdated Windows version
- Faulty HDMI cable
- Low internet speed
- Power-saving mode
- Browser extensions conflicting
- Corrupted cache files
Now that you have discovered the culprits that tend to hurt the HDR playback on YouTube, let’s look for ways to resolve the issue – sooner rather than later.
1. Ensure Your Monitor Supports HDR
It’s worth pointing out that the YouTube HDR requires an HDR-compatible monitor. That means, if your monitor is not in line with this important requirement, you can’t play HDR content on your PC.
- To do so, launch the Settings (Win + I) app on your PC > System > Display.
- Check if HDR is listed under “Display capabilities.”
2. Force Kill Your Browser
Should the YouTube video streaming happen to be the byproduct of a random glitch related to your browser, you can get over the line by just force-killing the browser.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up the Task Manager > Right-click on your browser in the left sidebar and hit the End task button at the top.
3. Restart Your PC
Can’t play HDR content even after you have force-quitted the browser? Reboot your PC to flush out the temporary files that might be at loggerheads with the video streaming platform.
4. Enable HDR in Windows 11
Note that the HDR playback requires HDR to be active in Windows settings. Therefore, make sure to tick off this pivotal requirement as well.
- Go to Settings app on your PC > System > Display.
- Now, click Use HDR or Play streaming HDR video toggle to turn it on. If it’s already active, turn it off and restart your PC.
- After your PC has rebooted, head back into the Display section and reactivate the HDR.
5. Verify HDMI/DisplayPort Connection
It’s no secret that HDR warrants high-bandwidth connections like HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.4. Thus, I would recommend you verify the HDMI/DisplayPort connection. If needed, be sure to replace it with a certified high-speed cable.
If your cable is not in line with the requirement, check out these 3 notable contenders –
6. Sign Out OF YouTube and Sign Back In
Many a time, you can resolve common YouTube issues by just signing out of the platform and signing back in. Hit your profile at the top right > Sign Out > relaunch the browser and sign back in.
7. Switch to Another HDR Streaming Platform
No luck as yet? Should the issue continue to plague your YouTube video streaming, it would be apt to verify whether or not HDR works with other services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
- Launch Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or whichever video-streaming platform is available to you.
- Play any video that supports HDR. If you are able to play the video without any glitches, the problem is with YouTube and not your Windows device.
8. Update Graphics Drivers
Your outdated drivers might not be in complete compliance with the HDR decoding.
- Open Device Manager (Win + X) on your PC and expand Display adapters.
- Right-click on your GPU > Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
9. Reinstall Graphics Drivers
Should the issue continue to haunt your PC, preventing you from playing the YouTube HDR video, try reinstalling the graphics driver.
- Head over to Device Manager > expand Display adapters and then right-click on your GPU.
- Now, choose Uninstall device in the menu and confirm the action.
10. Check YouTube Playback Settings
It’s also important to mention that HDR videos require choosing the right resolution and format on YouTube.
- To do so, play your favorite YouTube video.
- After that, click the Settings (gear) icon and choose Quality.
- Then, you have to select the desired resolution with “HDR” next to it.
11. Use an HDR-Compatible Browser
Bear in mind that not all browsers are compatible with HDR playback on YouTube. For the best experience, I would recommend you use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome (the latest version).
12. Update the browser to ensure compatibility
If you haven’t updated your Chrome/Edge browser for a long time, there is a decent chance that the outdated version of the browser is unable to get along with the latest HDR content on YouTube.
Update Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- After that, select Help > About Google Chrome.
- Chrome will automatically check for updates.
- If an update is available, it will begin downloading.
- Once the update is complete, click Relaunch to apply it.
Update Microsoft Edge
- Open Microsoft Edge on your PC and click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Go to Settings > About Microsoft Edge.
- Edge will automatically check for updates.
- If an update is available, it will download and install automatically.
- Relaunch Edge to complete the update process.
13. Adjust Monitor Color Settings
Wrongly configured monitor color settings may impact HDR playback.
- Go to your monitor’s OSD menu (take the help of the user manual).
- Click the Color Settings and make sure that HDR or wide color gamut is active.
14. Enable Hardware Acceleration in Browser
Hardware decoding is well-known for enhancing HDR video playback.
- Open Edge/Chrome > Menu button at the top right > Settings > triple-line icon at the top left > System.
- Now, look for the hardware/graphics acceleration feature and enable it.
15. Enable HDR in GPU Software
Be fully aware of the fact that the GPU control panels might override HDR settings and prevent your PC from playing HDR videos. Therefore, be sure to enable the HDR in GPU software.
- To do so, launch NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software.
- Then, you need to enable HDR in Display Settings under “Color Management.”
16. Check YouTube Video Compatibility
Keep in mind that certain videos labeled as HDR may not be encoded correctly. Hence, it would be apt to take a close look at your YouTube video compatibility.
- Make sure that the video has mentioned “HDR” in its title or description.
- Alternatively, it would also be a good idea to test the verified HDR content on YouTube.
17. Check YouTube Servers
If YouTube is down or encountering server issues, it will behave weirdly. So, go to the Downdetector website > type YouTube in the text field and press Enter to see whether or not the video-sharing platform is live and kicking as usual.
18. Disable Power Saving Mode
As power-saving settings tend to restrict HDR brightness and color accuracy, try turning off the power-saving mode on your Windows device.
- Go to Settings on your Windows 11 device > System > Power & Battery.
- Next, you have to set the power mode to Best performance.
19. Adjust YouTube Playback Speed
For a smooth video streaming experience, YouTube automatically defaults to lower quality for buffering.
- Therefore, dive into YouTube video settings.
- Next up, you have to manually fine-tune the playback resolution to 4K HDR or higher.
20. Update Windows
Be warned that the bugs in older builds could be spoiling your HDR playback, hurting it to the point where it refuses to kick in.
- On your Windows 11 device, open Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
21. Reset Display Calibration
Ill-fated display calibration could be at variance with the HDR playback on your PC.
- Navigate to the Color Management setting from the Control Panel.
- Next up, reset to the default color profile and reboot your PC.
22. Disable Night Light
Night Light is designed to filter out blue light in order to safeguard your eyes from harmful light. If this visual feature is in action, it might be distorting the HDR visuals on your device.
- Open Settings and head into System > Display.
- Disable the Night light and restart your PC.
- Fire up YouTube again and play an HDR-supported video to figure out if the problem has been sorted out.
23. Disable Browser Extensions
It’s always advisable to keep a close eye on the malicious extensions as they might be interfering with HDR playback.
- Open your browser and navigate to the Extensions section.
- Now, either disable all the redundant extensions or remove them all.
- Next, relaunch the browser and test the HDR playback.
24. Check GPU HDR Settings
Keep track of the HDR settings in the GPU driver as they could be conflicting with Windows settings.
- Open the GPU control panel on your Windows device.
- Next up, you need to verify or turn on HDR under Video Playback settings.
25. Change Streaming Quality in YouTube Settings
Tweak the streaming quality in the YouTube settings to ensure that the video-sharing platform has not gone back to the default quality settings prioritising SDR over HDR.
- Open YouTube on your PC > Click on your profile at the top-right > Settings > Playback and Performance.
- Now, select “Always choose the best quality”.
25. Reinstall the Browser
Can’t yet stream the HDR content on YouTube? No worries! It wouldn’t be wrong to blame the corrupted browser files for the disruption of the HDR playback. To circumvent this obstacle, reinstalling the browser would be the right way to go.
- To reinstall the Edge/Chrome or any other browser on your PC, go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
- Locate the browser and click on the triple-dot icon next to it > Uninstall.
- After that, head over to the official website and reinstall the latest version of the browser.
Wrapping up…
That’s about it! I hope your HDR playback has returned to form and so has your infinite binge-watching. Now, share your feedback and the tips that have restored your playtime.
