I'm having trouble watching YouTube on my PC.
I'm having trouble watching YouTube on my PC.
I’ve reached my limit in trying to stream YouTube on my PC. Frequencies keep dropping every few seconds to a minute, and videos only play at the lowest resolutions (240P-360P). Above that, they freeze completely. The problem appears to lie in the download process—when the progress bar disappears, playback stops entirely. To note, I’m on a 1G FIOS connection and typically experience speeds around 800Mbps to 700Mbps, but I’ve tested Wi-Fi, switching through a switch to my modem, and even plugging directly into the modem. I’ve tried almost every possible fix online, from changing browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Opera, Brave) to disabling unnecessary drivers, enabling safe mode, updating everything, running system repairs, and clearing cache. I’ve also disabled hardware acceleration, adjusted audio settings, and removed old data. Now I’m stuck with no clear solution and feel like I might need to replace my PC entirely for YouTube. This situation is really frustrating.
Have you considered going back to Windows 10 or trying a bootable Linux installation, such as Linux Mint, to test the system? This could help confirm if the problem lies with the operating system rather than hardware.
I’d just reinstall Windows 10. Windows 11 is meant for users with 12th generation Intel; otherwise, stick with Windows 10. Everyone else should go with Windows 10 if you’re on Windows—it’s not worth risking your system like a test subject for Windows 11. Microsoft hasn’t shown any effort to guarantee stability, especially with hardware updates.
This kind of skepticism doesn<|pad|>, it doesn’t help much. Your opinions aren’t the issue here and aren’t assisting you. Restarting your OS is perfectly acceptable, and a fresh Windows 11 install certainly won’t block YouTube. This point was similar back in October but it’s starting to feel repetitive. @matuchoo—have you upgraded to 11? If yes, that’s probably the reason. A clean install is usually best, so creating a bootable USB and installing new Windows is a solid approach. You’ve already tried your best with what’s available. Unlike the advice above, this isn’t a fundamental flaw in Windows 11—it might relate to older software conflicts. If you’re aiming for version 10, that’s fine too, but I’ve seen cases where Windows 11 itself isn’t the problem. It could be another program you’ve added.