8 ways to fix the “Media Could Not Be Loaded” in Chrome

Are videos not loading up in Google Chrome? TheGhanaTech.com will be showing you how you can easily fix Media Could Not Be Loaded in google chrome. It isn’t uncommon for browsers to stall at times when opening a specific website, rendering an image, or playing a video.

A common error one may see during video playback in the Chrome browser is “The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported”. The error stems from your browser rather than the website where you’re trying to watch the video.

8 ways to fix the “Media Could Not Be Loaded” in Chrome

1. Rule Out Internet Issues

First, rule out internet issues. Try playing anything else on the same browser to see if it works. In cases where the culprit is the internet, restarting the router, reconnecting the internet, or contacting the ISP for major connectivity issues will fix the problem.

2. Refresh the Webpage

Refresh the webpage where you’re seeing this error. Give the video a fresh start after refreshing. If the error persists after refreshing the webpage and restarting the video, it may be more severe and require further investigation. Continue with the rest of the fixes in that case.

3. Change Your DNS Server

You may also encounter the “the media could not be loaded” error because of restrictions from your ISP. This is more likely to happen if you’re using Wi-Fi in a library or college, where administrators might have imposed restrictions.

4. Update Chrome

An outdated browser can often lead to the issue in question. Consequently, if you keep the Chrome auto-update setting disabled, it might be time to activate it and update your browser manually.

5. Disable or Enable Your VPN

Even though VPNs protect your privacy, they can sometimes impede your browsing experience. So, if you’re accessing the video while the VPN is enabled on your browser, disable it. This fix also works the other way around, so you can access the video by using a VPN if you weren’t using one before.

Sometimes, access to specific media embeds is restricted from certain locations. Using a VPN connection will eliminate this possibility. When disabling or enabling the VPN fails to fix the problem, it’s time to clear the browser’s cache and history.

6. Clear Your Browser’s Cache and History

The cached data speeds up the loading of webpages by storing some on-site elements from the previous visit. However, it piles up when left unchecked and adversely impacts browser performance. Hence, it is imperative to clear the cache to prevent cache inference.

7. Reset Chrome

If none of the above fixes work, it’s best to reset Chrome. It will revert all the changes you’ve made to the settings so far, eliminating the possibility that customizing them is causing the problem. It will, however, revert all customizations, so you’ll have to start setting up the browser from scratch. Be aware of that risk before you reset it.

8. Reinstall Chrome

Even though resetting the browser will give it a fresh start, reinstalling it will nullify the possibility of restrictions on both the browser and the OS side. But before you do that, uninstall it properly.