- Enabling hardware acceleration can get rid of lag from YouTube videos.
- If you have a low-end computer, reduce the resolution of the video.
- Close background apps to free up RAM if the lag persists.
Basic Fixes
- Use a reliable Wi-Fi network: It goes without saying that you need a fast and reliable network connection to play YouTube videos.
- Close unwanted browser tabs: If your computer is running low on RAM, limit the number of tabs you open in your browser.
- Restart your browser and computer: A simple restart can go a long way in fixing several issues.
- Turn off VPN or proxy: Using a VPN or proxy can lead to YouTube videos buffering so it’s best to avoid them.
- Clear browsing data, cache, and cookies: Accumulated cache and cookies can slow down your browsing experience. So, it’s best to clear the cache on Chrome or Firefox regularly.
- Free up RAM: You can avoid YouTube lagging issues by clearing up RAM on your system .
Fix 1: Enable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration lets browsers render videos using the GPU instead of the CPU on your computer. Here’s how to enable it.
Step 1: Open your browser. Click on the hamburger menu at the top-right corner and choose Settings .
Step 2: Choose General in the left pane and scroll down to Performance . Uncheck Use recommended performance settings .
Step 3: Now, select the checkbox next to Use hardware acceleration when available .
Fix 2: Reduce the Video Quality
Changing the video quality on YouTube can result in lower bandwidth usage leading to smooth playback. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: While playing a video, click on the gear icon at the bottom-right corner of the playback window. Select Quality .
Step 2: Choose a lower resolution from the list, like 720p or 480p.
Fix 3: Update Your Browser
Updating your browser can fix software glitches leading to YouTube playback issues.
Step 1: Open your browser, click the hamburger menu at the top-right corner, and choose Help .
Step 2: Select About browser .
With this, your browser will check for updates and automatically update to the latest version.
Fix 4: Disable Extensions
Extensions can add interesting features to your browser, but they can also hog up resources. So, try removing extensions from Chrome or the browser of your choice.
Step 1: Open Firefox and click on the hamburger menu at the top-right corner. Choose Add-ons and themes .
Step 2: Select Extensions from the sidebar. Then, toggle off all extensions.
Fix 5: Reset Chrome Flags
Chrome flags are experimental features that can cause issues when enabled. Hence, it is a good idea to reset them.
Step 1: Open Chrome and type Chrome://flags in the address bar before hitting Enter .
Step 2: Choose Reset all at the top-right corner of the page.
Step 3: Click on Relaunch to confirm the changes. This will restart Chrome, so ensure you save your tasks before proceeding.
Fix 6: Update Windows Graphics Driver
Updating the graphics driver on your PC ensures seamless video rendering. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Open Search on your PC. Type Device Manager and hit Enter .
Step 2: Click the arrow next to Display adapters . Now, right-click the driver and choose Update driver .
Step 3: You can choose between:
- Search automatically for drivers: With this, Windows will automatically find and install suitable drivers.
- Browse my computer for drivers: If you have a driver stored locally, choose this option.
Step 4: Choose Search for updated drivers on Windows Update .
Step 5: Hit Check for Updates . Click on Download & install all if updates are available.
