Check VLC Version and YouTube URL
If you are experiencing an issue with VLC not playing YouTube videos, there are a couple of things that could be causing the problem. First, you may need to check your VLC version to ensure that it is up to date. Second, you may need to double-check the YouTube URL that you are attempting to play. Both factors can contribute to why VLC is not playing YouTube videos.
The first step in troubleshooting this issue is to check your VLC version. If your VLC version is outdated or incompatible with YouTube, it may struggle to playback YouTube videos. Ensure that you have the latest version of the media player installed on your computer. If you are unsure what version you have installed, you can check this information quickly. Open VLC, click on the Help menu, and select About VLC. You will see the VLC version appear on the screen. If there is a more recent version available, the media player will red-flag it. Click on the Download button and follow the prompts to install the new version.
Another potential issue that could prevent VLC from playing YouTube videos is the URL. Ensure that the URL you are copy-pasting into VLC is correct and that it is not broken. Sometimes, the problem can be as simple as a typo or an additional space in the URL. Check the YouTube URL to ensure that it is valid and functioning correctly.
In addition to this, ensure that the URL begins with “http://” or “https://”. Sometimes, the URL may be missing these prefixes, which are critical for a media player like VLC to recognize it as valid. Another thing to check is if the URL only has the domain name without the additional video identifier. If you don’t use the full URL, it won’t properly link to the video, so ensure that the correct link is copy-pasted on VLC.
Moreover, check the YouTube video’s embedding status. You need to guarantee that the video is not packaged inside a restricted website (including adult sites or websites where viewers need to log in to see the video). Such sites also send different data to VLC than YouTube, which may cause VLC to misinterpret the data and fail to play the video.
As always, some reasons may cause YouTube to stop VLC from playing the video. Connectivity problems, video issues, compatibility issues, or YouTube server crashes could be the cause. In such cases, knowing how to check your VLC version and YouTube URL can save you from wasting time and losing patience with VLC.
Overall, checking your VLC version and YouTube URL are simple yet vital steps to ensure that VLC plays YouTube videos without any problems.
Ensure Internet Settings are Correct
If you’re having trouble playing YouTube videos on VLC, one of the top culprits could be your internet settings. Before we proceed, it’s important to note that VLC is not a web browser and it doesn’t play online videos like YouTube the same way as your browser does. VLC relies on its own built-in media player to run, and it requires you to enable certain internet protocols to stream YouTube videos.
The first thing you should check is whether your internet settings such as your firewall and proxy settings may be blocking VLC from connecting to the internet. If your settings are not configured properly, VLC may not be able to receive data packets from YouTube, thereby causing the playback error.
Here’s how to ensure your internet settings are correct:
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1. Disable Firewall or Add an Exception for VLC:
Your firewall’s job is to prevent unauthorized access to your computer by blocking incoming connections. However, it can sometimes interfere with legitimate traffic, making it difficult for VLC to communicate with YouTube’s servers. If your firewall is preventing VLC from accessing the internet, you’ll need to either turn it off completely or add an exception for VLC.
To turn off the firewall, go to your Windows Control Panel, find the Firewall section, and turn off the Windows Firewall. Alternatively, you can add an exception for VLC by going to the firewall settings and selecting the option to allow an app through the firewall.
2. Check Your Proxy Settings:
Proxy settings are important if you’re using an internet connection that requires you to connect through a proxy server. If your proxy settings are incorrect, VLC may not be able to connect to the internet, resulting in playback errors.
To check your proxy settings, go to your Network settings in the Control Panel and click on Internet Options. Under the Connections tab, click on the LAN settings button and make sure that the option to Use a proxy server for your LAN is not enabled. If it is, make sure to enter the correct proxy server address and port in the designated fields.
3. Update Your Browser’s Plug-ins:
The VLC player uses browser plug-ins in order to access online videos. If you’re having issues with playing videos from YouTube, you may need to update your browser’s plug-ins to the latest version. Check to make sure your browser’s plug-ins are current and download the latest version if necessary.
By ensuring that your internet settings are correct, you can help alleviate some of the most common playback issues when using VLC to stream YouTube videos. If your problems persist even after making these changes, there could be another underlying cause to the issues.
Clear VLC Cache and Preferences
If VLC is not playing YouTube videos, it might be due to cache and preferences issues. It is highly recommended that you clear VLC cache and preferences to fix any issues that might have arisen as a result of corrupt cache files or incompatible preferences. Clearing VLC cache and preferences is not hard or complicated. It involves simple steps that you can follow even if you are not tech-savvy. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
Step 1: Close VLC
The first step to clearing VLC cache and preferences is to exit the application. This ensures that your files are not corrupt. After exiting VLC, you should wait a few minutes before proceeding to the next step. This is important because it gives your system ample time to release any cache files that it might have stored. If you do not wait for a few minutes, you might delete your files before they are released, which can lead to data loss or corruption.
Step 2: Locate VLC Cache and Preference Folder
After exiting VLC, you should proceed to locate the VLC cache and preference folder. To do this, you can use the search function on your computer. Simply type “VLC” into the search bar, and hit enter. This should bring up the VLC application folder, which contains the cache and preference files. Once you have located the folder, you should proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Delete Cache and Preferences
The next step is to delete the cache and preference files. To do this, you should select all the files in the folder, right-click, and select “Delete”. This will delete all the cache and preference files from your system. It is important to note that you should not delete the entire VLC folder, as this will also delete important system files required for the application to run. Deleting cache and preference files only deletes temporary files, configurations, and customized settings.
Step 4: Restart VLC
After deleting the cache and preference files, you should close the folder and restart VLC. This will create new cache and preference files, which will have no corruption or compatibility issues. When VLC restarts, it might take a few seconds to load, depending on the size and complexity of the files it has to load. Once VLC loads, you should test if it plays YouTube videos smoothly. If it does, then the cache and preferences were the issue. If it still does not play YouTube videos, you should try the other fixes that we have highlighted in this article.
Conclusion
If VLC is not playing YouTube videos smoothly, you should not panic. There are simple steps that you can follow to fix the issue. Clearing VLC cache and preferences is one of those steps.
By following the above detailed guide, you can easily clear VLC cache and preferences. Clearing cache and preferences can help your VLC to function smoothly and efficiently.
Disable Hardware Acceleration
If you are having trouble playing YouTube videos on VLC, you may want to consider disabling the hardware acceleration feature. Hardware acceleration is a feature that allows VLC to use your computer’s graphics card to play videos more smoothly. However, this feature may cause issues with YouTube videos. Here are the steps to disabling hardware acceleration in VLC:
Step 1: Open VLC and go to Tools > Preferences.
Step 2: Click on the Input/Codecs tab on the left-hand side.
Step 3: Under the Codec section, find the option for Hardware-accelerated decoding and change it to Disable.
Step 4: Click the Save button at the bottom of the Preferences window for the changes to take effect.
By disabling hardware acceleration, you are telling VLC to use your computer’s CPU to decode the video instead of the graphics card. This may cause a slight decrease in performance, but it should fix any issues you were having with YouTube videos.
If you have an older computer or a slower CPU, disabling hardware acceleration may cause some videos to stutter or become choppy. If this is the case, you can try re-enabling hardware acceleration and see if it improves the situation. However, if you have a newer computer with a decent CPU, you should not notice any performance issues.
It is also worth noting that disabling hardware acceleration may not fix all VLC playback issues with YouTube videos. If you are still having trouble, you may want to try some of the other solutions discussed in this article.
Overall, disabling hardware acceleration in VLC is a simple but effective way to fix playback issues with YouTube videos. If you are experiencing problems with VLC and YouTube, give this solution a try and see if it works for you.
Reinstall VLC or Update Codecs
If VLC is not playing YouTube videos, there are a few things that you can try to fix the problem. The first thing you can do is to reinstall VLC, which can help to fix any issues with the program that may be causing the problem.
To reinstall VLC, you will need to first download the latest version of the program from the official website. Once you have downloaded the setup file, run it and follow the prompts to install the program. Make sure to select the option to remove the old version of VLC if it is already installed on your computer.
If reinstalling VLC does not fix the problem, you can try updating the codecs that are used by the program. Codecs are small programs that are responsible for converting video and audio files into a format that can be played on your computer. If the codecs are outdated or missing, VLC may not be able to play YouTube videos properly.
To update the codecs for VLC, you will need to first download the K-Lite Codec Pack, which includes a wide range of codecs for different video and audio formats. Once you have downloaded the codec pack, run the setup file and follow the prompts to install it on your computer.
After installing the codec pack, open VLC and go to the Tools menu. From there, select Preferences and then click on the Input/Codecs tab. In the Codecs section, you should see an option to Use system codecs. Make sure that this option is checked, and then click on the Save button to apply the changes.
If updating the codecs does not fix the problem, there may be other issues with your computer or internet connection that are preventing VLC from playing YouTube videos. You can try resetting your internet connection, clearing your browser cache and cookies, or disabling any firewall or antivirus software that may be blocking the program.
Overall, if VLC is not playing YouTube videos, there are several things that you can try to fix the problem. Reinstalling VLC and updating the codecs are two of the most common solutions, but there may be other issues that are causing the problem as well. With some troubleshooting and patience, you should be able to get VLC working properly so that you can enjoy your favorite YouTube videos without any issues.