How to fix it when Facebook videos are not playing

Streaming video has become a common convenience, but as with most technologies, it is not flawless. Everything from bad internet to a system-wide glitch can prevent you from watching something. So how do you fix it when Facebook videos aren't playing?

Why aren't videos playing on Facebook?

As with most video playback problems, there are several things that can cause problems:

• Your current internet or cellular connection may be turned off or too slow
• The application may be out of date
• Your current web browser may need to download an update
• Other processes running on your computer or mobile device may cause memory or playback problems
• Your Facebook cache may be overflowing
• The video itself may be corrupted and not playable
• Facebook video settings may affect video playback

How to fix videos that are not playing on Facebook

In most cases, restoring Facebook videos will be a relatively simple matter. The hardest part is usually figuring out which approach is necessary.

1. Test other videos on Facebook to see if the problem is limited to only the one you tried to watch first. This may mean that a particular video is causing the problem. If this is the case, you must notify the original author. If it turns out that the problem is with the video, they may be able to adjust the publishing settings or re-upload the video.

   
   

2. Carefully check your internet (or cellular data transmission) to make sure you have a strong connection. You may need to turn on cellular data transmission on your smartphone or restart your router/modem. It is unlikely that you will be able to browse Facebook without noticing a connection problem, but it is a possibility.

   
   

3. Try restarting the device. Restarting your device depends on the platform you are using: Windows (reboot your Windows PC), Mac (reboot your Mac), Android (reboot your Android phone) or iOS (reboot your iPhone). Sometimes a reboot is enough.

   
   

4. Check if your Facebook mobile app is the current version, and if not, update the app. Updating your app depends on the platform you are using: Android (Update Android apps) or iOS (Update iOS apps). An outdated app can cause other problems besides video playback.

   
   

5. Open Facebook in a different web browser. If your browser is using an older version or is just too old in general, this can lead to all sorts of display and navigation problems on the site.

   
   
   

6. If the problem is that your web browser is out of date, you may need to update it. How to update your web browser depends on which site you are suing: Firefox (how to update Firefox), Chrome (how to update Chrome) or Safari (how to update Safari).

   
   

7. On a PC or Mac, go to Settings and privacy > Settings > Videos and adjust the video playback settings. Depending on your configuration, they may limit how videos are displayed.

   
   

8. On your iOS device, open the Facebook app and select Menu > Settings and privacy > Settings > Voiceless vowel. On an Android device, go to Menu > Settings and privacy > Settings > Profile settings > Media and contacts. Check that your video playback settings don't interfere with your Internet connection (or anything else) and change them if necessary. These settings will have a greater impact on your mobile device, as they are more directly related to the speed and strength of your Internet connection and mobile data allowances.

   
   

9. Try clearing Facebook's cache. If the cache is too full, it can cause various performance problems, so it's a good idea to do this from time to time, even if there are no problems.

   
   

10. If you are still having problems with video playback, try contacting Facebook directly. It's unlikely, but the problem may lie entirely on Facebook's side, in which case all you can really do is make sure someone is informed. After that, all that's left to do is wait for things to clear up.