After a Windows 10 update, you might face video streaming problems on Windows 10. When you play YouTube or Netflix, the video might get stuck or you can’t turn the full-screen mode on or there might be only the picture but no sound.
You may encounter Windows 10 video streaming problems due to various reasons. The possible causes behind this issue and the solutions to fix video streaming problems are discussed below. Keep on reading this article to know the ways to get rid of the streaming issue and apply them accordingly to your system.
Why The Windows 10 Video Streaming Problems Occur?
Video Streaming issues may occur because of several factors. It includes internet speed, a problem with the video file or video player, and even graphics driver. Possible reasons are listed below. Read them to know why you are getting slow video streaming in Windows 10.
- Slow or unstable internet connections sometimes cause video streaming issues. Whether it is Wired connection or wireless, you always need high-speed internet in order to stream videos online.
- If the configuration of your media player is not supported, you will have the streaming issue on Windows 10.
- The browser you are using to stream video can be the cause behind such an error. When your browser is not well-configured to handle the video streaming, you will experience lags or loading errors.
- Certain problems with the video file type result in an error while trying to play it. The quality of the video also affects in the video stream.
- Another reason behind such an issue is the website you use to stream videos.
- Outdated or incompatible drivers can cause video streaming issues.
This streaming issue is most likely fixable by following some methods and applying them properly on your PC. These possible solutions are discussed below.
What Should You Do To Fix Streaming Problems?
Now it is time for some effective solutions, which include general troubleshooting and some major changes. All of these methods are discussed below. By applying these steps, you will be able to solve your problem related to video streaming. Before you lose your patience, let’s jump into the solutions.
Solution 1: Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection
You should start with some general troubleshooting processes. Ensure that there is no server problem with your internet connection and the settings are well-configured. If the network connection is not a problem, and still your video keeps buffering, check the format of the video whether it is playable or not.
Some video formats are not supported by different video players in default. You should check the settings of the video player and ensure that all the formats are checked to play with the video player you use. Also, try changing the video quality which sometimes works to fix the video streaming issues.
If there is no improvement, you need to follow a few more solutions to get rid of such an issue.
Solution 2: Check For Pending Driver Updates
Sometimes when you have a pending driver update, the video streaming issue appears as a result. The display driver is possibly corrupted or outdated. You should check if the video stream continues in safe mode.
To do so, reboot your computer in safe mode first and then try updating your driver from the Device Manager.
If you don’t know the process to enter in Safe mode, check How to reboot your computer in safe mode.
Solution 3: Reinstall Generic Drivers
It is always highly recommended to keep your drivers up to date. Unsupported or corrupted drivers cause several issues and slow video streaming in Windows 10 is one of them.
You can reinstall display drivers by searching automatically where Windows will search for missing drivers and install the latest version. Another way is by installing the driver manually where you have to download the driver from the manufacturer’s website and install it manually.
To perform the reinstalling of the generic driver, click on how to install a driver using Device Manager.
After the re-installation is finished, check whether the problem still continues.
Solution 4: Turn Off Windows Firewall Temporarily
If you use more than one antivirus program installed on your computer, the conflict between them sometimes block your access for streaming videos. In such a case, you need to turn off all antivirus programs and firewall to check if the streaming issue continues.
Read here how to turn off Windows Firewall permanent or temporarily and return to your streaming video after turning them off to ensure that the problem is resolved.
Solution 5: Disable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration boosts your computer’s performance, but it also causes some major issues that make applications unstable. You should change this setting and then return to the streaming to check if the problem is solved.
If you are using an online video streaming application to stream videos, find the ‘Enable hardware acceleration’ option from the settings and make sure to disable it.
In case you use browsers to stream video, you should open your browser’s settings option by clicking on the hamburger menu or three-dot menu and selecting the Settings. In the Settings option, scroll down and click on Advanced to expand the section. Here you can find “Use hardware acceleration when available” option. Turn this option off by disabling the toggle button or removing the check-mark next to it depending on the browser’s UI.
Finally, Restart your browser and check whether the problem is fixed.
Solution 6: Update Windows 10
If the problem still persists, you should try updating your Windows version. To find if there is any update pending for your Windows, follow these steps:
- Press Win + I key to open the Settings app.
- Select the Update and Security option.
- Under the Windows Update section, click on the Check for Update button.
- It will start scanning for the latest update for your Windows version.
- If any latest update found, it will prompt you to install.
- Click on the Install Now button to start the installation.
- Restart your computer when the installation is finished.
Now check if updating Windows makes any improvement towards the video streaming issues.
Solution 7: Clear Browser Cache
An issue with your browser cache sometimes creates an error and you might encounter choppy streaming video on windows 10. To obsolete such a possibility, you need to clear the browsing data and cache on a regular basis.
To clear the cache files, follow the instructions below:
- Open your browser first. Here Google Chrome is used as an example.
- In Google Chrome, click on the three-dot icon at the top right corner.
- Select the Settings option.
- Scroll down and expand the Advanced menu.
- Here you will find the Clear browsing data Click on it.
- Set the Time range– All time and make sure that the Password and other sign-in data, Autofill form data is not selected.
- Finally, click on the Clear data button to remove all browsing data and cache files.
After removing all cache data, relaunch Google Chrome and check if the problem still continues while streaming online videos.
Solution 8: Update The Video Player You Use
If you are using an outdated video player, some compatibility issue appears while streaming online videos. To avoid Windows 10 video streaming problems, make sure that you have entire video streaming products up-to-date.
Check all the streaming apps and media players you use for video streaming. If you notice any pending update, install the update at the earliest.
It is also important to install the correct version app on your operating system to fix slow video streaming in Windows 10.
Solution 9: Enable The Use Of Software Rendering
When you are having a video streaming problem while using the Internet Explorer browser, you should enable the software rendering instead of GPU rendering. To enable that option, follow these steps provided below:
- Click on the Start icon and type Internet options.
- Click on the Internet options from the search result.
- Navigate to the Advanced tab and locate the Accelerated Graphics section.
- Under the Accelerated Graphics section, enable the checkbox beside the Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering option.
- Click on the Apply and OK button to save the changes.
Close Internet Explorer and relaunch to check if the video streaming problem still exists.
Solution 10: Perform Clean Boot
If the Windows 10 video streaming problems still continue, you should perform a clean boot to bring up the root cause behind the streaming issue. For a clean boot, you should have permission to log on as an administrator. Follow the instructions below to start up with a clean boot:
- Press Win + R and type msconfig in the search box.
- Hit the Enter button from the keyboard and the System Configuration window opens.
- Shift right to the Services tab and enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.
- Click on the Disable all button.
After following all the instructions above, reboot your computer and check if the Windows 10 video streaming problems are removed.
Solution 11: Run Video Playback Troubleshooter
If you can’t stream online video after following all the provided solutions above, you may try to run the video playback troubleshooter to figure out the reasons for streaming issues and fix them. You can run the troubleshooter by following these steps:
- Click on the Start icon and type Settings in the search box.
- Select the Settings app from search results.
- Click on the Update & Security option.
- Move to the Troubleshoot tab, scroll down and choose the video playback option.
- Click on the Run Troubleshooter button.
- Windows will start scanning for problems automatically.
- After finishing the process, Click on Apply Fix to fix the issues found.
Now check if the problem regarding video streaming is fixed.
Conclusion
Now you know about Windows 10 video streaming problems in detail and also the solutions to fix streaming problems. If you found this article helpful, let us know by commenting below. If you still have queries regarding slow video streaming in Windows 10, feel free to ask here.
