Discover why videos are not playing on your computer and learn how to troubleshoot and fix the issue. Find practical solutions to common video playback problems.
In the age of streaming platforms and online cinemas, PC users download movies and TV series less and less often. But those who like to watch in the original with subtitles or are going on the road with a laptop often download videos to their hard drive. And they often face the problem that the player does not play the video.
Why Are Videos Not Playing on My Computer?
There may be different reasons for this – from nonsense like an inappropriate file format to quite serious software errors, the solution to which will require going into the PC settings.
On Windows
Update codecs
Windows developers improve the system with each update and add new security protocols and protective functions. But with the multimedia part it is quite complicated. Fans of playing old games will understand us: before launching your favorite “Heroes 3” in their classic version, you need to install the appropriate versions of DirectX and Microsoft C++.
There is the same problem with video. New video formats often appear. They are lighter in weight and are processed faster, but not all players can run them. And if you use standard Windows Media, you know that it cannot include even half of the formats.
This requires codecs. These are essentially small programs that can compress and process media files of different formats. They exist for different versions, and some can process .avi, while others can process .m4v. So if the cause of the problem is that your player cannot read the video extension, try installing codecs. Most often, K-Lite Codec Pack is installed, which contains a set of programs for processing different video containers.
Install another player
Another option to solve the problem if codecs did not help is to change the player. Often the reason why the video does not play is Windows Media itself. Although this is a standard and good, but not the most functional method. In addition, it may not process all formats, as we wrote above, and even codecs may not save the situation.
All that remains here is to install a new player. And there are different options for them:
- KMPlayer – supports almost all existing video formats and handles even 8K resolution and 3D without any problems, and can also run unfinished files.
- GOM Player has a huge functionality and can automatically update existing codecs, and can also take frame-by-frame screenshots using a key combination.
- VLC Player is a powerful player that can open raw camera recordings, has video transcoding and online broadcasting functions.
Of course, you can install other players that are convenient for you. For example, if you often deal with videos shot on an iPhone, it makes sense to install QuickTime on your PC to watch them without any problems. And if you are looking for something light and simple, there is Media Player Classic.
Update your video card drivers
It is equally important to update the video card drivers if there are problems with video display. The situation here is the same as with codecs – Windows developers try to regularly release improvements, but you still need to update everything manually, since not all graphic adapters receive their patches. In addition, new software is released quite often. If you have an assistant from GeForce, then you probably often get notifications from it.
To check if your video card is working properly, you need to go to the device manager via the Start menu. After that, go to the video adapters section and check if there is a yellow icon next to the device. If there is, then an error has occurred and you need to urgently update the drivers.
You can download them from the official website of the developers. You can also download an assistant program that will remind you that it is time to update. For Nvidia, this is GeForce Experience, and for AMD, it is Radeon Software. If you regularly forget to install fresh updates, these programs will help you and remind you about the release of a new version of the driver.
In the browser
Here everything depends on several reasons:
- Your browser versions;
- Correct operation of Adobe Flash Player;
- JavaScript works;
- Access to sites.
For example, if YouTube doesn’t work for you, then the reason for this is not internal malfunctions, but its slowdown in Russia . But if you are in another country and the video hosting still doesn’t load, then you can try to fix it.
Update Flash Player
First of all, try updating Adobe Flash Player. Of course, browsers are now refusing to support it, but sometimes it is the solution to the problem, especially if you need a video from some old site with a strange player. You can download the update from third-party resources, since Adobe officially stopped supporting the utility back in 2020.
You can also try disabling hardware acceleration. To do this, you need to go to your browser settings:
- For Chrome and other Chromium-based utilities, paste this into the address bar: chrome://flags/#disable-accelerated-video-decode
- For Yandex you need to insert: browser://flags/#disable-accelerated-video-decode
Check extensions
It wouldn’t hurt to check your extensions. Many of them, especially proxies, can block websites, and you won’t be able to load videos, or even images. So take a look and clean up the excess.
Particular attention should be paid to utilities that are aimed at downloading videos from different sites. If you have not updated them for a long time, then errors in the code may interfere with the normal operation of web pages.
Check JavaScript
JavaScript itself is a programming language. It is actively used by developers when creating websites, and you can also disable the display of elements on it manually. This allows you to reduce the load on the network, but at the same time it can complicate the work of the site.
To fix possible JavaScript issues, check if it works. The path may be different for each browser, so let’s look at some popular options.
In Chrome and Chromium you need to do the following:
- Open your browser settings;
- Expand the “Privacy and Security” item;
- Go to “Site Settings”;
- In the site settings menu, find the line about JavaScript;
- Turn on “Allowed” if you turned it off.
In Opera and Opera GX the steps are:
- Open your browser settings;
- Go to the “Site Settings” section;
- Please enable JavaScript.
Yandex Browser is almost the same in steps:
- Open your browser settings;
- Find “Advanced site settings” in them and go to the section;
- Find the JavaScript line and enable it.
Firefox, also known as Mozilla, uses JavaScript by default, but you can also check if it works:
- Open Tools and go to browser settings;
- Click on the “Content” section;
- Check if JavaScript is enabled.
With Safari, everything is also quite simple:
- Open your browser settings;
- Go to the Security menu;
- In the Web Content section, enable JavaScript.
Microsoft Edge (Internet Explorer) is rarely used now, but you can still dig into it:
- Open Microsoft Edge settings;
- Go to the “Cookies and Site Permissions” section;
- Scroll down the page until you find the JavaScript label;
- Start executing JavaScript scripts.
Update or reinstall your browser
Well, the last option that might work is to update your browser version or download another one. For example, if you only use Chrome, try installing Opera, and so on. Maybe it’s just time for you to switch to new technologies.
On MacOS
There are also quite a few reasons why video does not play on a computer running MacOS. Let’s look at them all in order, especially since they are quite easy to solve.
First of all, outdated software . It can create many problems for the user, but the most important thing is that if you haven’t updated your media player, browser or OS itself for a long time, your device is less protected and may simply not support new formats. Therefore, regularly check for new patches for MacOS and components.
Not enough resources . Older iMac and Macbook models may also face performance issues. For example, working with 4K on older devices will not work. Add to this a small amount of RAM and the result is a bunch of problems. There are only two solutions here – reduce requests or buy a new PC model.
File damage . It’s simple here – frames could be damaged during loading or transfer. In this case, you need to send them to your PC using an alternative method or try to restore them manually using special programs.
We have already considered the situation with codecs and formats in the block about Windows. There is only one solution: install another media player. On MacOS there are quite a few alternatives to the standard utility.
If the problem occurs with loading videos in the browser, check the connection or the site’s operation in general. We have already written about YouTube above. It would also be a good idea to check if there are any strange extensions in the browser.
We’ve covered the main causes of video playback issues. Check everything on the list and fix the errors, and then everything should work.