Why Is YouTube So Slow

YouTube has simply just become part of our daily lives. With the current pandemic situation where most of us are just holed-in in our homes, YouTube now goes hand-in-hand with everything we do. We watch a YouTube video or two when we wake up, before going to bed, we play songs in the background as we work, we play a YouTube video whenever we feel like we could use some entertainment or information.

That’s why we just can’t stand it when YouTube runs slow, and we can’t watch or listen to our go-to YouTube videos. It is like a good part of our day gets canceled when this happens. We may have become independent on YouTube to some extent, but what can we do?

Whatever the reason for your YouTube to be so slow, whether it be a bad internet connection, a stuffed internet browser cache, or overloaded servers, there is a corresponding solution to each reason why YouTube loads slow. This short read hopes to tackle these reasons, so you could enjoy your YouTube videos whenever you want to.

When you’re finished, take a look at our other YouTube guides:

How to Fix YouTube Loading Slow Issue?

We must get to the root of why your YouTube is slow. There are more than a few causes of YouTube slow video loading. Here is a list of why YouTube slows down. Refer to this list to deduce what is causing your YouTube to be slower than normal. To pinpoint a cause will lead you closer to solving the issue and will hopefully get you back to using a YouTube app that plays all the videos that you love.

We have to discuss and address the possible causes of why your YouTube is very slow to get back, your YouTube that plays all your favorite videos smoothly.

A list of possible causes of why your YouTube is so slow and how to fix them:

  • A full browser or app cache
  • Outdated Flash player
  • Slow internet connection
  • The device could not handle video playback quality
  • Overloaded YouTube servers
  • Buggy YouTube updates
  • Outdated graphics card driver

A full browser or app cache

An issue that can both affect computers and mobile devices. Clear your internet browser or your YouTube app cache. Preloaded files and cookies might just be clogging your device’s storage, causing YouTube to slow down. Be sure to clear your cache every so often to have YouTube running at optimum speeds.

How to fix this on a computer

  • Open your internet browser.
  • Open History. Select and Click “Clear Browsing History”
  • Check if YouTube is back to normal.

How to fix this on a mobile device

  • Go to your phone Settings and click on Apps Storage.
  • Look for the YouTube app.  
  • Once in the YouTube App info, tap “Storage” and then select “Clear cache.”
  • Note that this process may vary for different phones but will have the same general steps in clearing your YouTube cache.

Outdated Flash player

An outdated Adobe Flash player may be causing your YouTube to slow down if you are using Windows 10. To fix this, just update your Adobe Flash player. 

How to update Adobe Flash

  • Go to the Adobe Flash website.
  • Download and install the latest version of Adobe Flash player.
  • Uncheck any optional promotional offers by Adobe lest you want to install the McAfee antivirus bundles.
  • Check if YouTube is back to normal. 

Slow internet connection

Your internet service provider’s internet speeds could fluctuate and slow down every once and a while causing YouTube to load videos very slowly.

How to fix slow internet connection

  • Do a diagnostic online speed test.
  • If results are less than ideal, call your internet service provider to fix the issue.
  • Make sure that no freeloaders are mooching off your Wi-Fi.
  • Cover these two bases and secure optimum speeds for your internet connection.

The device could not handle video playback quality 

It could be that you play YouTube videos in a resolution that your mobile device or PC could not handle.

How to fix this issue

  • If your mobile device could not handle HD settings when playing videos on YouTube, you will have to view each video in lower resolution settings.
  • When watching a YouTube video, click on the Gear icon just underneath the playback bar.
  • Click on quality and choose the resolution settings that will let you watch the YouTube video.
  • You might need to do this for each video you are to watch on your older devices.

Overloaded YouTube servers

A region’s server could be overloaded with tasks due to millions of YouTube users using YouTube all at the same time. You might want to just wait this out for a bit.

How to fix this issue

  • This will need some time and a little patience from you. You might have a slower time using YouTube during peak hours because of the sheer number of YouTube users using the platform.
  • Try accessing YouTube during non-peak hours to have a better chance of watching YouTube videos without any hassle.
  • Try reporting the issue. Whenever YouTube can’t properly play a video, YouTube allows you to report the issue to them. Hopefully, reporting will give you back to your normal YouTube.

Buggy YouTube updates

Not all updates are compatible with all devices and device brands. Some may work for the more mainstream device brands but might be slow and buggy for other lesser brands.

How to fix buggy YouTube updates

  • Sometimes YouTube updates are made to optimize viewing only for a few device brands. If your more obscure mobile device falls victim to this, report the issue to YouTube.
  • Revert to original YouTube by uninstalling all YouTube updates on your device.

Outdated graphics card driver

You should update your hardware drivers once in a while to make sure that your computer is running in tip-top shape. Sometimes, this YouTube slow loading issue is due to outdated graphics card drivers. 

How to update graphics card

  • Go to Device Manager>>Display adapters>>right-click on your graphics card and click “update driver.”
  • Select “Search automatically for drivers”
  • Follow on-screen instructions until your driver is updated.

Conclusion

There could be more than one reason why your YouTube plays very slow. With the list of solutions provided above and a little thoroughness, you will be able to get back to your usual YouTube viewing habits. Just be sure to be more proactive next time and be sure to regularly update and maintain whatever keeps your YouTube running fast and smooth.

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