Video Playback Issues?
Whilst it’s very rare, sometimes video playback issues will occur.
As there are a lot of factors that influence video playback, we’ve looked at the best advice from one of the big video hosting providers*.
Main Factors
The main factors to focus on are your browser, your network, and your device.
Try these six troubleshooting steps:
1. Try a Different Browser
Sometimes different browsers can cause problems. Switching browsers may help clear up an issue, or at least give you a sense for whether a certain problem is more widespread.
2. Clear Your Browser Cache
This step may seem simple, but it’s an amazing fix in a number of situations. Try clearing your browser’s cache and restarting your web browser. This is considered a recommended first step to troubleshooting playback issues.
You can also “hard refresh” a certain webpage to clear the cache for that single page. This is typically done by holding Shift and pressing refresh or reload.
- Chrome Chrome — > Clear Browsing Data or History — > Show Full History — > Clear Browsing Data …
- Safari Preferences — > Privacy — -> Remove All Browsing Data
- Firefox History — > Clear recent history
- Internet Explorer Tools — > Internet Options — > Browsing History
3. Check for Updates to your Browser or Device
It’s always a good idea to keep your software up to date. If you’re on an older version of a browser or operating system, there may be a bug that has been fixed with a more recent update. If a video is failing to play or consistently stuck buffering/loading, make sure you’re using the most up-to-date version of your browser or OS.
This is especially true on mobile devices, as the difference between versions can often have serious implications for certain functionality being supporting or not. For example, iOS only started supported silent autoplay as of iOS10.
4. Disable Browser Extensions or Plugins
Whether you’re using Extensions in Chrome or Safari, Firefox Addons, or any kind of browser plugin, these 3rd party programs can sometimes cause unexpected problems when watching videos. Some example issues include preventing video playback, subverting stats, or trying to download a video instead of play it.
The easiest way to test if a plugin is causing the problem: open an Incognito or Privacy browsing window. Every browser has some option for a “Private” mode which will disable any extensions/plugins automatically. If the problem goes away in that window, then it’s time to disable all your plugins and turn them back on one-by-one. As you re-enable each plugin, see if the problem returns. When it does, you know which plugin is causing the problem, and you will want to uninstall it, or set up an exception for pages with videos.
Here are some guides on managing plugins & addons for common browsers:
5. Check Your Internet Speed
Are you experiencing slow loading, or seeing a “Loading … ” message on your videos? The most common cause of this problem is that the viewer’s Internet connection speed is not fast enough to support video playback reliably. At least 0.768 megabits per second is needed for a smooth playback experience.
Check your internet speed. If your network is not up-to-par, contact your Internet provider.
6. Reset Your Internet Connection
Just like uploading, internet connection can affect playback. Try resetting your router and make sure you have a secure connection.
If you’ve tried all these steps and you’re still having issues, then please let us know via our Support page. In this case we’ll need far more technical details (such as device, browser, network type and so).
* Based on the video playback troubleshooting recommendations by Wistia