How to Fix “This Video File Cannot Be Played” Error?

Summary: When playing videos online, you may encounter an error, "This video file cannot be played.” In this post, we’ve mentioned the reasons that may result in this error. Also, we’ve discussed various ways to fix the error.

“When I attempted to play a video clip on Google Chrome recently, I received an error that said, “This video file cannot be played”. Is there a problem with the video file or my browser? Do I require a media player extension?”

It is a query posted on an online forum by a user who couldn’t play video files in Google’s Chrome web browser on his system. But not just Chrome; such an error can also occur in Mozilla, Safari, and any other browser. In addition, when streaming content through platforms like Netflix, YouTube, or Amazon Prime, you can face the “video file cannot be played” error. Before discussing the solutions to fix this error, let’s look at the reasons that may cause it.

You can face the “video can’t be played” error because of the following reasons:

How to Fix “This video file cannot be played” Error?

When trying to play a video, if you see a message that says “this video cannot be played”, “this video is unavailable in your country,” or “this video is inaccessible on this device,” here’s what you should do.

1. Refresh the website and reopen your browser

The first thing to do is refresh the website and reopen your browser. If the problem persists, try exiting your web browser and re-launch it. Now try to play the same video again to see if the warning still appears.

2. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Using a VPN is the best way to access video files unavailable in your region. Such software eliminates the barrier created by your IP address and allows you to view videos that aren’t accessible in your area. It shields your device’s IP address while assigning you a new one from another country.

3. Disable Hardware Acceleration Settings

Most machines have Hardware Acceleration functions that use a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to render videos on your device. It lowers the percentage of Central Processing Unit (CPU) used by your browser. Although it is generally useful, it may create issues such as the “video cannot be played”. Turning this function off might be a good way to eliminate the error.

Here’s how to disable the Hardware Acceleration features:

Image 1 – Open browser preferences and click on Settings
Image 2 – Disable the hardware acceleration option

4. Clear the Cache

A cache is a component in computing that saves data to serve new requests for that data more quickly. If your browser or computer’s cache has become damaged, your device may display the “video cannot be played” error.

You can resolve the problem by clearing the cache as follows:

Image 3 – Navigate to the Clear Browsing Data option in your browser’s settings
Image 4 – Select the appropriate options and click on the Clear Data button

5. Change the video quality

In some circumstances, changing the selected video quality may result in the “this video cannot be played in Chrome” error. For example, if your internet speed isn’t good enough for a high-definition (HD) movie or your hardware isn’t compatible, you won’t be able to play the video file. Thus, changing the video quality to a lower resolution is recommended.

This is how you can do it:

Image 5 – Change the video quality

6. Disable web browser extensions to improve performance

Often, users install web browser extensions to augment their web surfing experience. For instance, you might use extensions to check word count, internet speed, emoticons, etc. While most extensions work fine, sometimes, a couple of them may cause errors while trying to stream videos online.

You can resolve this by disabling all extensions in your web browser. Follow these steps:

Image 6 – Navigate to More tools and then Extensions in your web browser
Image 7 – Remove unwanted extensions

7. Reset your web browser to default settings

Your web browser’s settings or configuration may also affect the video’s visibility. Try resetting it to its default settings.

Note: Resetting it this way will delete all your previously installed extensions, bookmarks, history, and other data. You can use the sync feature to prevent these settings from being lost or you can take a backup.

To restore your browser’s default settings, follow these simple steps:

Image 8 – Reset browser default settings

8. Check that your Media Player supports the Video File Type

The media player you are using should support the file types. If the default media player does not support the file format, your files won’t play, and you will get an “Incompatible Video Codec Error’.

9. Download the Video to Your Device

You can also try downloading a video copy to your computer and watching it using a media player.

What to do if none of these fixes work?

 

If you have tried everything mentioned above but still have not overcome the “this video cannot be played” error, it indicates an issue with the video itself. In such a case, you can switch to another source for watching the video or download it on your system and then try watching it.

If, after downloading it too, it doesn’t play, we recommend using a professional video repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Video, to fix the errors within the file. Equipped with an intuitive interface and broad compatibility, this software can fix severely corrupted or damaged videos in just a few clicks. This is how you can repair a video using Stellar Repair for Video.

Image 9 – Add files to be repaired
Image 10 – Save repaired files to the desired location

Conclusion

The error “This video file cannot be played” may occur when watching geographically restricted content online or trying to access videos that haven’t been uploaded correctly. By implementing the methods outlined above, you can easily solve such errors.

 

Related Post

Exit mobile version