Why is my YouTube playing only audio and not video?

Many YouTube users have experienced an issue where videos will only play the audio while the video itself remains black or frozen. This can occur across various devices and platforms including mobile, desktop browsers, smart TVs and more. While frustrating, the good news is this problem can often be easily fixed with some simple troubleshooting. This guide will provide an overview of the common causes of YouTube playing audio but not video and actionable solutions to get videos back up and running properly.

Video Player Issues

One common reason YouTube videos may only play audio is due to problems with the video player itself. The YouTube video player relies on several components working together smoothly to play the audio and video of a YouTube video.

Some common video player issues include:

Corrupted video files – The video file itself may have errors that prevent the player from properly decoding and playing it.
Codec incompatibility – The video player may not support the audio/video codec used to encode the YouTube video.
Player bugs – Bugs or glitches in the YouTube player software itself can also lead to audio only playback.

Decoding errors – Errors in decoding and rendering the audio/video streams can result in audio playing but not video.
Buffer issues – Slow internet connections can cause buffering issues, leading to audio portions loading but not video.

If you are experiencing the problem across multiple videos, it likely indicates an underlying issue with the video player or your device’s compatibility. Trying to use a different device or web browser can help determine if it’s a player-specific issue.

Internet Connectivity

A slow or unstable internet connection is one of the most common reasons why YouTube videos may only play the audio and not the video. Streaming video requires a fast and consistent internet connection to download and buffer the video data without interruptions. According to this Reddit thread, YouTube requires at least 5 Mbps download speeds for smooth playback of 720p video and 25 Mbps for 1080p or 4K video. If your internet connection drops below these speeds, YouTube may only load the audio track and not the video to prevent constant buffering and interruptions.

Try testing your internet speeds using a tool like Speedtest.net to see if your connection meets the minimum requirements. An inconsistent or unstable connection can also cause buffering issues, even if your average speed is sufficient. Checking for interruptions or latency spikes during a speed test can help identify connection problems. If your internet is too slow or temperamental for streaming, lowering the video quality settings in YouTube may help reduce buffering and allow the video to load properly.

Browser Settings

Sometimes the issue is related to your browser’s configuration or settings. For example, on Chrome you may have enabled a setting like hardware acceleration that can interfere with video playback on YouTube.

Make sure your browser is updated to the latest version. Older browsers may have compatibility issues with the YouTube video player. On Chrome, go to Settings > Help > About Google Chrome to check your version and update if needed.

Also check your browser extensions and add-ons. Some ad blockers and privacy extensions are known to block YouTube videos. Try disabling your extensions one by one to isolate the problem. You can also try launching an incognito window which disables extensions, and see if YouTube videos play properly in that window.

Additionally, clear your browser’s cache and cookies for the YouTube site. Cache and cookie data can get corrupted over time and lead to video playback issues. On Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear browsing data and select cookies and cached images/files related to YouTube.

Make sure your browser does not have YouTube set to “block,” which prevents videos from loading. On Chrome, check Settings > Site Settings > JavaScript > Blocked to see if youtube.com is on the blocked list.

Extensions and Add-Ons

Some browser extensions are designed to modify the YouTube interface and functionality, which can inadvertently cause issues with video playback. Extensions that remove elements of the YouTube page for a distraction-free viewing experience may interfere with the video player.

For example, extensions like DF Tube and Unhook remove recommendations and comments to minimize distractions. However, excessive modifications to the page can sometimes break features like video playback.

Try disabling all browser extensions temporarily. If YouTube videos start working normally, an extension is likely causing the “audio only” issue.

Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration allows your graphics card’s GPU to process video decoding rather than the computer’s CPU. This typically improves video playback performance. However, issues with graphics card drivers can sometimes cause problems with hardware acceleration and result in YouTube playing only audio.

As explained on Reddit and in Chrome support forums, enabling hardware acceleration has caused YouTube videos to show as a black box or white screen while only the audio plays [1] [2]. This indicates a compatibility issue between Chrome and the graphics drivers.

To resolve, first try updating your graphics card drivers to the latest available version. If the problem persists, you can disable hardware acceleration in Chrome as a workaround. This will shift video processing back to your CPU, often restoring proper video playback. Directions for turning off hardware acceleration can be found here [3].

Site Cookies

One potential cause of YouTube only playing audio is missing or corrupted cookies. YouTube uses cookies to store information like your video preferences, login details, and more. If these cookies get deleted or become corrupt, it can cause issues with loading videos properly.

Specifically, the lack of YouTube cookies can prevent the site from loading the visual components of videos, while still allowing the audio to play. This leaves you with a black screen and only audio coming through.

Some common reasons for missing YouTube cookies include:

Clearing your cookies/cache in your browser settings
Using privacy extensions that block cookies

Enabling the “Block third-party cookies” setting in your browser

To resolve this, try allowing cookies from youtube.com, clearing your cache/cookies and reloading YouTube, or disabling any extensions that may block cookies. Enabling cookies again should allow videos to load properly with both audio and video.

Site Caching

Sometimes only the audio plays on YouTube because an older cached version of the video is being loaded instead of the newest version. This can happen if your browser or YouTube app has cached an outdated version of the video that for some reason only contained the audio track.

Clearing your browser cache and YouTube app cache can resolve this by forcing the loading of the newest version of the video. On desktop browsers like Chrome, you can clear cache in the settings or by using keyboard shortcuts. On mobile, you can clear the YouTube app cache in your phone’s app settings. This clears out any old cached video files.[1][2]

After clearing cache, loading the video again should pull the newest version with both audio and video playing as expected. Site caching issues tend to occur most often on mobile, so be sure to check the YouTube app cache on your phone if you notice videos playing audio only.

Account Settings

One common reason for YouTube only playing audio is having Restricted Mode enabled in your account settings. Restricted Mode helps filter out potentially mature content. When enabled, it can limit videos to only audio playback.

To check if Restricted Mode is enabled:

On the YouTube app, tap your profile picture in the top right corner
Go to Settings > General

Look for “Restricted Mode” and make sure it is toggled off

If Restricted Mode is on, toggle it off and try playing videos again. They should now play with both audio and video.

Restricted Mode can also sometimes be turned on by your network administrator if you are accessing YouTube through a school or work network. In this case, you would need to contact the network administrator to have Restricted Mode disabled.

As noted in Google’s YouTube help article, Restricted Mode aims to filter out mature content, but won’t block all videos. Some videos may still play as audio only.

Troubleshooting Steps

If you are only getting audio and no video when playing YouTube videos, here are some troubleshooting steps to try:

Check your internet connection and restart your router/modem. YouTube requires a stable broadband connection to stream videos properly.
Make sure your browser is up to date and restart it. Older browsers may have compatibility issues with YouTube.

Try disabling any browser extensions and add-ons to see if they are causing an issue.
Enable hardware acceleration in your browser settings if it is disabled. This allows your GPU to help process videos.
Clear your browser cookies and cache to eliminate any corrupted data.

Try another web browser or device to determine if the issue is specific to your setup.
Check for any system software, graphics driver, codec, or Flash updates to install.
Adjust your default YouTube player resolution in account settings. Sometimes auto HD causes problems.

As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall your browser or do a clean reinstall of your graphics drivers.

Following these steps should help resolve any software, connectivity or configuration issues that may be preventing YouTube from playing videos properly. If the problem persists, your hardware may need troubleshooting.