How to Troubleshoot When YouTube is Not Working

Is YouTube not working? Don’t worry! There are some methods you can use to troubleshoot when YouTube is not working!

Troubleshooting measures when YouTube is not working:

• Check if YouTube is down
• Close and re-open the YouTube app
• Look for any app updates
• Clear the YouTube app’s cache and data
• Check your internet connection
• A network may be blocking YouTube
• Sync the time and date
• Update the video drivers
• Restart your device

These are a couple of troubleshooting measures that you may need to endure if you’re experiencing YouTube issues. Some of the tutorials below might fall differently depending on the device you’re using.

How to troubleshoot when YouTube is not working

With over 2 billion daily users worldwide, Youtube is by far one of the more famous and widely used video streaming platforms in the world. In fact, it might even beat Netflix and other popular streaming services, for the sole reason that it is free to the public. In fact, it is even safer than Dailymotion to a huge extent.

However, even though its popularity and free streaming content can score a large audience, all big platforms encounter issues. In this case, it’s YouTube. This guide will show you how to troubleshoot when YouTube is not working, using a couple of methods. Let’s first start with:

Check if YouTube is down

First and foremost, the easiest way to see if YouTube is not working, is to check and see whether it is down. Every site or app has its outages or drawbacks. So, before going through the rest of the guide on how to troubleshoot when YouTube is not working, first check to see if the site is down. This will spare you a lot of wasted time.

You could type on Google “Is YouTube Down?” and see what the results are like, but alternately, there are two good websites that can easily solve that for you. One is Downdetector and the other is Outage.Report.

When you click on the Downdetector youtube status page, you should automatically see a page showing you how many reports have been lodged over a certain span of time, like so:

As mentioned above, you can also check it’s status on the outage.report page for YouTube. Here’s what it looks like:

These will show you an abridged insight of where all YouTube is down. If, however, you don’t get the results you’d like, take a look at the alternative YouTube troubleshooting measures below.

Close and re-open the YouTube app or website

Depending largely on whether you’re using the YouTube app or website, you could try troubleshooting it by simply closing YouTube and restarting it again. For starters, if YouTube is not working on your Android or iOS app, you will need to go through your settings and force close it. Simply dismissing it will not shut the app.

The same is the case when you’re using the YouTube website. Just minimizing the screen won’t do much, the website is still running in the background. Click on the “X” on the top-right of the screen to properly shut YouTube.

Now that you’ve closed YouTube, restart it again to see if it works. If not, you can clear the app’s data or cache as mentioned in the point below.

Look for any app updates

Older versions of apps are always vulnerable to take longer to function. Maybe the YouTube version you’re using is a little outdated. Check to see if there are any updates. Other than updating the app, check to see if your device itself or the browser you’re using needs any updates or fixes. Sometimes the problem lies there.

Clear the YouTube app’s cache and data

If updating YouTube still does not work for you, then maybe you should move on to clear the YouTube app’s cache and data! Clearing your cache on the YouTube site will temporarily delete any data related to your past history and deleting the app’s data on your smartphone or tab will take off all data or any personal settings you may have created on it.

This step might seem obsolete at first, but it allows the users to start fresh. Sometimes leaving on trails of cache or app data can come with vulnerabilities that might restrict the app from working. Clear it up and start anew!

To clear YouTube data or cache from your Android app:

• Click on “Settings” and then on “Apps” or “Manage Apps.”
• Click on “YouTube” and then “Storage.”
• Now, either click on “Clear cache” or “Clear data.”

To clear YouTube data or cache from your iOS app the best way is by deleting the app and reinstalling it.

Check your internet connection

If YouTube is still not working, try checking your internet connection. Sometimes an issue as small as poor internet connection could be the main reason why YouTube is not working. On the contrary, it’s also quite easy to troubleshoot. If you’re using the YouTube app on your phone, simply check to see if the WiFi connection on the top bar of your device is working.

It also depends on whether you’re getting cellular connections. Similarly, check the status of the internet on your windows to see if it’s working or not. Either turn off and on the WiFi, or restart your router. Then, open YouTube again to see if it’s working. You can also turn off and on the WiFi from the “Settings” app.

However, if you’re using cellular data, check to see if it’s properly connected or even on. Here’s how:

• Go to the “Settings” app
• Then to “Network & Internet.”
• Click on “Mobile Network.”
• Enable the “Mobile data” option
• Also, just in case you’re on the go or travelling, make sure you enable the “use data while roaming” option.

A network may be blocking YouTube

The laws on what you can or cannot access online are different in various countries, and sometimes also depend on other factors. With that said, there are times when schools or other institutes block access to certain social media platforms, and that also includes YouTube.

So, if you’re wondering why YouTube is not working, it could be due to a network blocking it. Either speak to your service provider or use a VPN to help lift the block. iProVPN, with its AES 256-bit encryption and other security features, can help users stay anonymous online along with unblocking most platforms.

Sync the time and date

It might seem odd, but the wrong date and time could also prevent a certain app from functioning efficiently. Because YouTube is often blocked in some countries, having the wrong date, time and other factors doesn’t help either. Here’s how you can sync the time and date on the following:

On Android:

• Launch the “Settings” app.
• Click on “System” and then on “Date & time.”
• Enable the “Use network-provided time.”
• And then enable “Use network-provided time zone.”

On Windows:

• Launch the “Settings” app.
• Click on “Time & Language”and then on “Date & time” that you’ll find on the left-side column.
• Enable “Set time automatically” and then “Set time zone automatically.”

Update the video drivers

Other than the outdated app and device updates, there are other updates that might be needed in order for YouTube to start working again. This time, make it a point to see if your Video Drivers are updated. An outdated video driver or a graphics processing unit restricts any kind of videos from playing. You could try updating them to see if the issue lies there. Here’s how:

• Press down on the “Windows” and X key
• Click on “Device Manager.”
• Double-click on “Display Adapters”

• Right-click on your graphics driver
• Either click on “Properties” and then on “Update Driver” or directly on “Update Driver.” This depends on what option you get.

• Now, click on “Search automatically for updated driver software” and follow through with the remaining instructions.

Restart your device

Restarting your device is a simpler measure on how to troubleshoot when YouTube is not working. The option might seem odd, but it’s sometimes the best and easiest fix to the most detrimental issues. Close your YouTube app, turn off and restart your device and then check to see if YouTube is working.

To conclude

You now know how to troubleshoot when YouTube is not working! If any of the troubleshooting measures mentioned on the list above do not work for you, it’s about time you contact YouTube customer services directly and place your inquiries. Other than that, if YouTube is not working due to geo-restrictions, then iProVPN can help you with that!

Other than that, there are always YouTube alternatives that you can consider.