Some Simple Fixes for ‘Video is Not Playing on OneDrive’

Read time 11 minutes

OneDrive stands as a top-tier cloud storage solution from Microsoft, facilitating the storage of images, documents, music, and videos. Notably, it provides the capability to directly play videos within the platform, eliminating the need to download shared videos to your local storage for playback.

Despite its various features and benefits, numerous users have voiced concerns regarding the suboptimal playback performance of videos on OneDrive. If you find yourself facing this issue, this informative guide offers valuable insights to resolve problems such as “Videos not playing on OneDrive” or encountering the message “The video couldn’t be played. Ensure your connection to a Wi-Fi or mobile network is stable.”

Reasons for Video Not Playing on OneDrive Issue

Here are the common reasons for Video not playing on OneDrive.

• The Internet connection is experiencing an issue.
• Playback problems can occur due to cookies and cache.
• Video format presents an issue.
• Outdated audio and video drivers on the computer.
• Viewing the video is problematic on OneDrive or outdated browsers.
• The computer lacks the necessary graphics cards and processors to play 4K UHD content.
• OneDrive prevents video playback due to DRM protection.
• Your computer or network is unable to play the high-quality video.

In this article, we aim to provide insights into the factors contributing to this problem and offer straightforward troubleshooting solutions.

Methods to Fix OneDrive Videos not Playing

Common reasons for videos not playing in OneDrive include unsupported file formats, a weak internet connection, or the lack of compatible codecs in the media player.

No matter the cause of videos not functioning correctly in OneDrive, you can employ the following approaches to ensure uninterrupted video playback. Before proceeding, make sure you’ve already conducted initial checks, such as verifying a stable internet connection, updating your sound and video drivers, ensuring compatibility with your processor and graphics card, and attempting playback on an alternate media player.
Having gained a comprehensive understanding of the underlying reasons and challenges associated with the OneDrive media player’s inability to play videos, we will now delve into the most suitable solutions.

Method 1: Change the Video Format to a Supported Format

OneDrive provides the capability to upload and save video files in various formats; however, it’s important to note that not all video formats are supported for playback. It does offer playback support for several common video formats, including but not limited to MP4, WMV, M4A, M4V, WMA, AVI, MOV, SMI, M4A, ADTS, ASF, and 3GP, with MP4 being among the most widely utilized. Consequently, it is advisable to verify the format of your video and, if necessary, convert it into one of the aforementioned file formats in order to enable playback on OneDrive.

In our opinion, we would recommend you convert your video to MP4 file format, as that is one of the most accessible and easy to convert file formats.

Method 2: Remove DRM

OneDrive does not support the playback of videos encrypted with DRM (Digital Rights Management) keys. Therefore, please verify whether your video file has DRM protection applied. If it is protected, you will need to remove the DRM protection before attempting to play the video on OneDrive.

To check DRM protection on your files, follow the below steps:

1. Open the video folder in File Explorer.
2. Right-click on the specific video and select Properties.



3. Click the Details tab on the Properties window.



4. Now, scroll down to the protected category. If the video is protected with any keys, then its status will be Yes.

To remove the DRM protection, you can use the third-party software, and then play your video within OneDrive.

Method 3: Check the Internet Connection

To fix the Video is Not Playing on OneDrive issue, you need to check your internet connection. To troubleshoot your internet connection, you need to follow the steps below.
For Windows:

1. In the Search field, type up Settings and tap on it.



2. Click on Network & Internet and open the Status tab to check your network status.



3. In case, the problem exists with your network, click on the tab Network Troubleshooter to fix the issue.

For Mac:

1. Navigate to System Preferences.



2. Tap on the option Network Adapter to check your network status.
3. A window displays three options namely Connected, Not Configured & Not Connected. With these options, you can look out for internet issues on your Mac.

OneDrive video playback problems can occasionally stem from cache and cookies, as well as specific browser extensions or add-ons. While cache and cookies facilitate website access and application loading, they can also be culprits behind video playback disruptions.

1. Launch Google Chrome and tap on the three dots appearing on the top-right corner of your screen.
2. Expand the option, More Tools.



3. Now tap on Clear browsing data.



4. From the tab Basic, choose the Time Range “All Time.”



5. Checkmark the options Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.



6. Checkmark the options Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.



7. Lastly, click on Clear Data.

Note: Furthermore, you can play videos in incognito mode or private mode so that your browser does not save any browsing information, cookies, or website data.

Method 4: Update your Browser & OneDrive

Videos may not play on outdated browsers and apps. Thus, you should ensure that you are using an updated browser and app.

1. Launch Google Chrome and tap on the three dots appearing on the top-right corner of your screen. Tap on the Help menu.



2. Click on the option About Google Chrome.



3. Chrome will now check for the latest updates. In case an updated version exists, you need to install the latest version.



4. At last, you have to exit the Chrome browser and launch again.

Use a Different Media Player

It’s conceivable that the media player in use may lack the required codec. If video playback proves problematic, consider employing an alternative player or installing a codec package. This codec package includes support for various video formats, ensuring compatibility with widely-used media players such as Winamp, Cloud Media Player, VLC, Windows Media Player, and more.

Method 6: Repair Corrupt Videos with a Video Repair tool

If the above methods are unable to fix your problem, then the only solution left is using third-party software.

When selecting video repair software, the optimal choice is undoubtedly this product, a highly effective utility crafted to rectify a wide range of video formats. Numerous software review platforms have acclaimed it as the best video repair software citing its exceptional functionality and seamless repair procedures. Furthermore, its user interface boasts remarkable user-friendliness. To gain a deeper understanding of its operation, let’s delve into the software’s working process.

1. Run the tool and from the home screen, click the “+” icon to upload the corrupt video file.
2. Choose your corrupt video files and click OK.
3. To start the repair process, click Repair Files option.
4. Browse a safe folder location.
5. At the Repairing Process window, you can see the successful result of repair process. Click Close.

And that’s how you can quickly repair a corrupt video file with this utility.

Conclusion

Utilizing OneDrive represents an excellent approach to cloud-based data storage and security. Nonetheless, when individuals encounter difficulties playing shared videos, it can lead to doubts regarding OneDrive’s functionality. It’s important to recognize that not every feature can be consolidated into a single platform. Therefore, alternative methods are available to address and play videos that have become corrupted and are no longer playable on OneDrive. In this article, we explore potential techniques for repairing such videos, culminating in the recommendation of “Kernel Video Repair” as the ultimate automated solution for