As a video-sharing platform, YouTube has long been an ultimate destination. Regardless of whether you are on macOS, Android, Linux, or Windows, it’s hard to look beyond Google’s famed video-sharing platform. With an ever-growing library of exciting videos from a wide range of genres, it’s designed to cater to a variety of tastes – from curiosity to fun.
Recently, a large number of PC users have taken to several forums to complain about YouTube malfunctioning on Windows 11. While some have reported that YouTube videos tend to get stuck while loading on their Windows devices, others have stated that they are unable to open the video-sharing website in their browsers. Worse, a good many have rued about the random crashing as soon as they attempt to play a video on YouTube.
Whatever issue seems to have gatecrashed your watch party or taken the scene away from your binge-watching, this most exhaustive troubleshooting guide on the given topic has answered all your questions. Containing thoroughly tested 25 solutions to resolve all sorts of YouTube issues in Microsoft Edge/Google Chrome on Windows PC, this guide has got you fully covered. Keep reading to…
Best Tips & Tricks to Fix YouTube Not Working in Edge/Chrome on Windows 11 (2025)
So, what has led to YouTube crashing, freezing, sluggishness, or loading problems on your PC? Been there and done that, I have jotted down some of the major antagonists that often come in the way. They are –
- Sluggish internet connection
- Outdated browsers
- Damaged browser
- Massive pileup of cache and cookies
- Corrupted system files
- Out-of-date graphics drivers
- Excessive usage of resources by your browser
- Random windows glitch
- Malicious software bug
- Decluttered YouTube
- Misconfigurations
- Faulty browser extensions
Keeping these nefarious culprits in mind, I have suggested reliable ways to get rid of the problem and restore YouTube to its original state. So, take on each of the recommended solutions and check if your videos have started playing like ever before.
1. Check Your Internet Connection
To get started, make sure your Wi-Fi speed is up to the mark. If it’s moving slowly at a tepid speed, fixing it will likely bring your YouTube videos back on track.
- Bring up the Quick Settings panel (Win+A) > head into the Wi-Fi menu and turn off/on the Wi-Fi.
- Additionally, reboot your router by unplugging it for 30/40 seconds and plugging it back in.
- You can also take advantage of a speed test tool (like Speedtest.net) to find out if your internet speed is fine fettle. Bear in mind that if your internet speed is hovering below the 2 Mbps mark, YouTube will fail to kick in – let alone stream your high-quality videos.
2. Restart Your Browser
At times, fixing YouTube requires just rebooting your browser. Therefore, give it a go and figure out if you have sorted out the issue.
- Use the Alt + F4 keyboard shortcut to close all Edge tabs.
- To close all Chrome tabs, press Ctrl+Shift+Q.
- After that, restart your browser and head over to YouTube.
3. Force-Quit Your Browser
Should YouTube remain dysfunctional on your Windows device, force-kill the browser and make sure to disable all the unnecessary services/processes.
- Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc to fire up the Task Manager > Select Chrome/Edge in the left sidebar and hit End task at the top to force quit the browser.
- Additionally, be sure to turn off all the redundant services to free up memory.
4. Update Your Browser
By keeping your browser updated, you can avoid the most common issues. If your PC is dealing with an out-of-date browser, you don’t need to look anywhere else to spot the devil of this whole chaos.
- To update Chrome, open the browser > Hit the three dots in the top-right corner of the user interface and go to Help > About Google Chrome.
- To update Edge, launch the browser > click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the screen > Help and Feedback > About Microsoft Edge.
5. Restart Your PC
If a random Windows glitch is impacting YouTube, restarting your PC will likely troubleshoot the problem. For folks who are unaware, it’s worth reiterating that rebooting clears temporary memory (RAM) and fixes minor system glitches.
6. Disable YouTube Restriction Mode
“Restriction Mode” filters out explicit or offensive content so that parents can create a safe viewing experience for their little ones. While it’s a useful feature, you should make sure to turn it off – especially when you want to watch all sorts of content without any blockage at all.
- Visit YouTube in your browser and hit your profile at the top right > Restricted Mode > disable the toggle for “Activate Restricted Mode”.
7. Adjust Date and Time Settings
Believe it or not, the wrongly configured date and time settings disrupt a number of functions. So, be sure to fine-tune your date and time settings on your PC.
- Head into the Settings app on your Windows device > Time & Language > Date & Time.
- Now, activate Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically.
- Reboot your PC to help it apply the changes effectively.
8. Disable VPN/Proxy Settings
Find out if your VPN service or proxy server is derailing your YouTube time. As they have the old habit of meddling with a browser, turn them off – for now. Disable both VPN and Proxy and check if YouTube streaming is back to normal.
- Open Settings on your PC > Choose Network & Internet > VPN/Proxy.
9. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Though there is no denying the advantage that “hardware acceleration” brings to the table, in some cases, it tends to trigger unexpected issues once in a while.
- In Chrome, head over to Settings > Advanced > System.
- Disable the toggle for “Use graphics acceleration when available”.
- Relaunch the browser.
- In Edge, navigate to Settings > System and Performance.
- Disable the switch for Use hardware acceleration when available and restart the browser.
10. Play YouTube Videos in Incognito Mode
Should the problem persist, why not try launching YouTube in incognito mode? For those unfamiliar, this mode is designed to let you browse the web by safeguarding your personal information. When activated, it prevents the browser from saving your browsing data.
- On your PC, launch Chrome or Edge on your computer > press Ctrl + Shift + N to trigger incognito mode.
- Now, head over to YouTube and play a video.
- If you are able to stream a video without facing any roadblocks, your extensions or cached files are at fault.
11. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
If you haven’t cleaned up your browser for a while, it wouldn’t be wrong to blame the browser cache and cookies. If the pileup of the cached files is at fault, cleaning them up will likely restore the full functionality of YouTube.
- On your PC, open Chrome or Edge > menu icon at the top right > Settings > menu button at the top left > Privacy and security.
- Now, go ahead and clear the entire cluster of cache and cookies.
12. Sign Out of YouTube and Sign Back In
On some occasions, fixing the ill-functioning YouTube is just about signing out of your account and signing back in.
- Click on your profile at the top right corner of the screen > hit “Sign Out” in the menu and confirm.
- Relaunch the browser and sign back in using your Google account and password.
13. Disable All Browser Extensions
Ill-fated browser extensions could be at variance with YouTube, resulting in issues like endless loading or unexpected crashing.
- In Chrome, paste chrome://extensions/ in the address bar > make sure to disable all extensions. If you don’t use certain extensions, remove them from the browser.
- In Edge, navigate to Settings > Extensions > Now, turn off every single extension.
- If you no longer use specific ones, be sure to get rid of them.
14. Check YouTube’s Server Status
Is YouTub down or going through a server issue? If that’s the case, you can’t help but wait until Google resolves the server issues.
- Open a browser on your device and visit DownDetector.
- Type “YouTube” in the text field and press enter to check if the YouTube servers are down.
15. Why Not Try Another Browser?
To check whether or not the issue is with your browser, try a different browser such as Brave, Opera, or Firefox. If you are able to access and use YouTube in any of these browsers, Chrome/Edge is at fault.
16. Update Windows
The malfunctioning of YouTube might be the byproduct of a Windows bug as well. To flush out the bug and prevent it from harming your video streaming experience, update the software.
- Open Settings on your computer > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Download and install any pending updates.
- If needed, restart your PC as well.
17. Flush DNS Cache
Do not overlook the corrupted DNS cache as it’s no less responsible for creating chaos, causing browsers to misbehave.
- On your PC, launch the Command Prompt as an Administrator.
- Now, input ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
- It will immediately wipe out the corrupted DNS entries, facilitating a strong and stable connection to YouTube.
18. Update Your Graphics Driver
An out-of-date graphics driver could be a frontrunner for the YouTube problem on your PC.
- Launch the Device Manager on your PC and expand the Display adapters section.
- Now, right-click on your graphics card and choose Update driver.
- When prompted, select “Search automatically for updated drivers” and proceed to install the latest version of the graphics card on your Windows device.
19. Reinstall Your Graphics Driver
If updating hasn’t yielded the desired result, reinstall your graphics driver.
- Open Device Manager on your computer and expand > Display adapters.
- Right-click your graphics card and choose Uninstall device.
- Restart your PC so that it can install the latest version of the graphic driver.
20. Reset Network Settings
If your Windows device is faced with persistent network-related glitches, it may severely hamper the performance of Edge/Chrome or any other browser, making life difficult for YouTube.
- On your Windows device, launch the Settings app > and go to Network & Internet> Advanced network settings > Network reset.
- Click on “Reset now” and confirm the action.
- Now, reboot your device and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network.
21. Check Firewall and Antivirus
Your firewall or antivirus program might be interfering with YouTube, either blocking its path entirely or giving it very little space to work. In such a situation, it would be apt to temporarily disable your firewall or antivirus program and find out they are hindering YouTube. If you don’t want to completely disable your Firewall, make YouTube an exception in the settings so that it can continue to work without any disturbance.
- Open the Settings app on your PC > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection and then make the needed changes.
22. Repair Your Browser
Windows 11 offers a reliable way to repair damaged apps or the ones that aren’t running at their best. We are going to use this very feature to repair the ill-fated browser.
- Go to the Settings app > Apps > Installed Apps > Scroll down to find Chrome/Edge > Triple-dot icon right next to the browser icon > Advanced Options > Repair.
23. Reinstall Your Browser
A fresh installation often proves to be the most effective remedy for apps that seem to be embroiled in too many issues.
- Head over to the Settings app > Apps > Installed Apps > Scroll down to find Chrome/Edge > ellipsis icon > Uninstall and confirm.
- Now, reinstall the browser.
24. Reset Your Browser
At times, misconfigurations also play their part in making a browser behave abnormally. The right way to eliminate the wrong configurations is to reset the entire settings to the default state.
- To reset Chrome, open the browser and go to the menu icon at the top right > Settings > triple-lines icon at the top left > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults.
- To reset Edge, open the browser > menu button at the top right > Settings > triple-lines icon at the upper left > Reset settings > Reset settings to default values.
25. Use YouTube Desktop App or PWA
Still unable to play YouTube videos on your PC? No worries! Consider using YouTube desktop app or PWA (progressive web app) as it offers a more personalized experience.
- Open YouTube and hit the three dots in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select the “More Tools” option and choose Create shortcut.
- After that, activate “Open as window” and make the shortcut.
- If you need more controls, why not try using apps like “myTube!” and FreeTube as they are designed to provide a full-fledged desktop YouTube experience.
Wrapping up…
There you have it! I hope your YouTube is back to its best and so has your fun-loving video streaming experience. But before you dive into a long binge-watching spree, make sure to share your feedback and the tips that have brought the beloved video-streaming platform back into form again on your Windows device.
