Have you ever been watching a video on a Safari browser or YouTube only for it to stop playing suddenly? It’s one of the most frustrating things that can happen when you are using your Mac. A lot of Mac users experience this issue from time to time. However, they don’t know how to solve it. In this article, I shall share with you the common causes of this problem, effective solutions, and a couple of tips that will help you avoid this issue in the long run.
What is happening when videos are not playing?
If you play high-quality videos in different file formats regularly, there’s a high possibility that the video file will get corrupted. While the reasons that cause this issue vary, the result will be the same. Here are a few common signs that show that videos will not play on your Mac:
- Slow response – If a video is taking more than ten seconds to play on your computer, there is a high possibility that your video file is corrupted and needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
- No output after clicking the video file – When a video file is corrupted, you are not likely to get a response. Even after clicking the file several times, it will not open the default media player.
- Error popping on the screen – When you try to open the media file, you’ll get the error message – ‘can’t open the media file.’ In most cases, it means that a part of the video file is corrupted or missing.
- Audio misalignment – Slight distortion of video and audio of the file is one of the early signs of a video file format that is corrupted.
- Missing segments of a video file – If the video file fast forwards abruptly to the middle of the movie, there is a problem with your file.
As you have seen, there are a lot of things that happen when a video won’t play. In most instances, when no videos will play on my mac, it’s usually because the files have been corrupted. Why do video files get corrupted? It happens when some important segments get lost accidentally thus making it difficult for your Mac to read and understand the video file. If you notice video not working on Mac, you should consider using Setapp. You can also clear your browser cache if YouTube stopped playing videos to start watching videos online. Some of the common causes of a corrupted video file include:
- Irregular editing leading to error
- The video hasn’t been fully downloaded due to a poor internet connection
- Damaged header
- Abrupt power loss
- The process of transfer, conversion, and compression of software can lead to corrupted or low-quality video files
Safari won’t play videos
When videos won’t play on your Mac, there are usually two aspects. The causes of a video not playing on your computer are not similar to them not playing on your browser. I am going to help you understand why videos won’t play on the Mac browser or Chrome.
Technology is advancing rapidly every day. And this has led to better and more complex websites thus enabling this situation to arise. Back in the day, most websites used CSS and HTML together with interactive features from JavaScript. Today, most websites are generated automatically and have scripts that record what you do. Plus, when users use ad blockers, websites don’t get to work at their fullest capacity. Videos not playing on chrome or video unavailable youtube are common signs of a corrupted file. Reviewing video playback settings on the iphone and watching safari videos on how to make a video clear will go a long way in ensuring that you have an amazing user experience. If you are wondering why videos not playing on Mac, here are a few effective solutions that you can use:
1. Ensure JavaScript is enabled
When you are having issues with playing videos on your browser, one of the things that you should do is ensure that you haven’t disabled JavaScript accidentally. JavaScript is a popular interaction language that happens between browsers. It has the power to influence video playback on various online platforms. To enable JavaScript, follow these steps:
- Click on Safari browser
- Choose the Preferences option
- Open the “Security” tab and enable JavaScript
- If you are using Chrome or Firefox, you can follow this process.
2. Analyze Browser Extension
While this might sound like an unlikely scenario, the browser extension can be the cause of this problem. Sometimes, browsers prevent videos from playing unintentionally or misbehaving. Since most users don’t pay attention to this area, it often leads to bigger problems in the long run. If you have not looked at your extension for some time, this is the right time to do so. By disabling the extensions, you might solve this issue. To do this, here are a few steps that you should follow:
- Click on Safari browser
- Choose the Preferences option
- Click on the ‘Extension’ tab
- Disable every extension and restart the browser
If the video plays, it shows that the extensions were causing the problem. Repeat this procedure as you enable one extension at a time. In the end, you’ll know which extension is causing the issue. You can request an update or keep the extension turned off.
3. Clear Cache on Browser
Every change that you make to the browser doesn’t get saved immediately. Also, the websites you’ve visited recently have been saved in the form of cached memory locally. You can refresh these websites manually by clearing cached files on your browser. Here are the steps that you should follow to do this:
- Open the browser on your computer
- Choose the Preferences option
- Click on the ‘Preferences’ option on the menu
- Choose the ‘Advanced’ option and click on the checkbox ‘Show Develop menu in the menu bar
- Click on the ‘Develop’ menu and choose the shortcut option + ⌘ + E
- Pick empty caches and restart your browser
Conclusion
Videos not playing on Mac is a common issue that most users experience frequently. If the videos aren’t playing on the Mac system or browser, the solution is different in each case. Using the solutions that we have shared with you in this post will not only help you resolve this issue but also have a great time using your device.