Fix Video Not Playing Issue | Try These Working Methods

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Summary: After your check video format compatibility, update your device, media player, or browser, delete cache and temporary files, install missing codecs, or try another media player to fix video not playing issues. If they won’t fix, repair a video file using VLC Media Player, FFmpeg commands, or a dedicated video repair tool, and make it playable again.

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Are you stuck with video not playing issues repeatedly across major devices like PC, mobile, smart TV, or browsers? It is a common yet frustrating situation during playback. Be it a presentation, a meeting video, family moments, or a downloaded movie playback disruption is a real nightmare. When your video file unexpectedly refuses to play, issues like:

Unable to play video
Black screen during playback
Endless Video buffer or loading
Flickering or lagging playback
Audio without video is the real sign

Don’t just sit back if you’re unable to play videos; fix this out immediately for a smooth playback experience. Here we’ll assist you with primary reasons and proven troubleshooting methods.

How to Troubleshoot Video Not Playing Issue in Phone, Browser or Media Player

Here, we have categorized the most useful fixes for ‘video is not playing’ issues based on the platform where you’re experiencing the problem.

If You’re Facing Video is Not Playing Issues on Your Phone

Be it an Android device or iPhone, you may face video not playing issues often during playback on your phone.

Causes: Damaged app cache, outdated software or video player, insufficient storage space, & unsupported video formats are the main reasons if video is not playing on phone.

How to Fix Video Not Playing on Phone

If the video format is compatible with your device or video player, then move to these fixes for resolution:

Immediately update and restart your device
Check update for your video player
Delete app cache data from ‘Settings’
Maintain enough free storage space (UFS & eMMC)

If You’re Facing Video Not Playing Issues in Browsers

Be it Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari, if you used to play videos in browsers, you may also face video is not playing issues often.

Causes: Damaged cache files, corrupted browser extensions, disabled JavaScript or hardware acceleration, outdated browser, or spotty internet are the real root causes when you are unable to play video smoothly.

How to Fix Video is Not Playing Issues in Browsers

Check internet speed
Then, update the browser
Reinstall your browser
Delete browser cache and cookies
Turn off script / ad blockers or privacy tools

If You’re Facing Video Not Playing Issues in Media Player

On the PC, media players often refuse to play video files. Some error messages, like Can’t Play This Video, Unsupported File Format, Unable to Play Video etc., may occur during playback.

Causes: Outdated media players, missing codecs, unsupported file formats, or a corrupted video file lead to the ‘unable to play video’ issue.

How to Fix Can’t Play Video Issue in Media Player

Use updated media players
Install required codec packs
Update system graphics driver
Remove bad sectors from storage devices
Use a different media player
Repair the damaged video

How to Repair Corrupted Video Files Effectively

After trying the above methods, if you’re still unable to play videos or your video file has issues, you must repair video files. Here is how to do this:

Method 1: Use VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player also repairs videos and helps to fix video not playing issues. For that, follow these steps:

In your PC, select damaged video files.
Change file format to .avi via Rename.
Open VLC, tap on Tools and go to Preferences.
Select Input/Codecs and click Browse, then add your recently renamed (.avi) video files.
After that, select Always fix in the Damaged or incomplete AVI file and click Save.

Your video file will be repaired after a while.

Setback you may face with VLC:

Primarily supports .avi format for repair.
Large video repair processes may suffer.
Fails to fix severely corrupted video files.

Method 2: Use FFmpeg Commands

FFmpeg command also helps you out to repair video files easily, only if you’re quite familiar with the command line interface. Here are the commands to execute:

For minor issues:

ffmpeg -err_detect ignore_err -i input.mp4 -c copy output.mp4

For severe issues:

ffmpeg -i input.WebM -c:v libvpx-vp9 -crf 30 -b:v 0 -c:a libopus output_fixed.mp4

Method 3: Use a Dedicated Video Repair Solution

When VLC and FFmpeg feel insufficient solutions, use a dedicated video repair tool. With Kernel Video Repair, you can easily repair damaged video files, even multiple at once. It fixes video problems ranging from error messages like, Unable to play, Can’t play this video, etc. to issues like file header, metadata, file structure, choppy, slowed, black, grainy, distorted videos, etc.

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Get Your Videos Playing Again With the Right Fix

Now you are well through with the basic fixes for video not playing issues. Whether you’re unable to video file in mobile, browser, or media player, you have enough troubleshooting ways. However, if the file has corruption or damage issues, you must repair them using VLC, FFmpeg, or Kernel Video Repair based on the corruption level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is my video not playing?

A: Videos may have playback issues due to corrupted video files, unsupported file formats, missing codecs, outdated media players, cache issues, device storage limitations, etc.

Q: I recently faced ‘Could not play video there was a problem trying to load the video.’ What should I do to fix it?

A: To fix ‘Could not play video there was a problem trying to load the video’:
1. Try to replay the video file.
2. Delete cache data
3. Update your browser or media player.
4. Disable hardware acceleration.

Q: Why are videos not playing in my phone’s gallery?

A: Maybe you have an outdated gallery application, or you’ve interrupted the video download or transfer.