Videos not playing on Mac

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Jun 26, 2023
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There are plenty of reasons why videos won’t play on Mac, but the good news is that most of them can be fixed easily. Whether you’re watching videos online or locally on your computer, the solution is often straightforward. 

YouTube not working on Mac can be frustrating, so if that’s what you’re using to view a video but can’t get it to play, then there are a few easy ways to solve the difficulties. Below, we have described several methods in detail that you can try to fix problems if your videos are not playing on macOS.

Videos won’t play on Mac: proven ways to fix the issue

First, let’s take a look at what you need to do if a video you’ve downloaded on your Mac doesn’t work. Here are two solutions:

Download video again

In most cases, if a video you’ve downloaded doesn’t play, then it’s because it’s corrupted or damaged, or it hasn’t been fully downloaded because of an unstable internet connection. When either of these things happen, we recommend redownloading the video from the same or different source. 

Use alternative video player

Another reason why your Mac won’t play videos could be because the media player you use doesn’t support the file format it’s in. For example, if you try to play a video using QuickTime Player in a format it doesn’t support, then the problem lies with the software you’re using.

The best solution in this case is to use a different video player. Elmedia is an excellent alternative that supports many different formats right out of the box.

Online videos not playing on macOS: ways to fix the problem

Now let’s talk about why you might be having trouble playing online videos on your Mac. Whether you’re using Safari, Chrome, or Firefox, there are a number of reasons why videos may not be playing smoothly. 

Let’s take a look at why your browser won’t play videos on YouTube and other streaming sites.

Open video in a private window

One of the easiest ways to get an online video to play is to open it in incognito mode or a private window. Almost every browser has this feature. It essentially stops the browser from recording your online activities, so when you play a video in this mode, there’s a good chance it’ll play since there are no cookies or extensions interfering with the playback.

Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to do this in Safari:

1. To open a new private window in Safari on your Mac, go to File > New Private Window in the menu bar. Alternatively, press the Command + Shift + N keys simultaneously. This will open a new Safari window.

New Private Window Option in the File menu of the Safari browser

2. In the new private window, open the link to the video you want to play.

3. Since you’re in incognito mode, the video will begin to play without any problems.

Keep in mind that it may not always work, but it’s worth giving it a try because of how easy this method is to follow.

Enable JavaScript in the Browser

Another reason why the video might not be working is that JavaScript isn’t enabled in your browser. It’s a programming language that most videos on the Internet need to work properly.

Here’s how you can enable JavaScript in Safari:

1. Open Safari and in the menu bar, go to Safari > Settings.

Settings of the Safari browser

2. Head over to the “Security” section in the settings.

The Safari browser security settings pop-up window

3. Make sure the checkbox next to Web content is checked. This will enable JavaScript.

4. Restart the Safari browser to apply the changes.

Refresh Your Browser

If the video still won’t play and it keeps buffering, then it’s time to either refresh the web page or force quit the browser.

To reload a page in Safari, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the tab where you have the video opened. In the menu bar, go to View > Reload Page.

The Reload Page option in the Safari browser

2. You can also press the keys Command + R to refresh the page.

If Safari fails to refresh the page, then you may have to force quit it. Here’s how to do that:

  1. Click on Safari in the menu bar and then select Quit. You can also press Option + Command + Esc on your keyboard simultaneously to close the browser. Alternatively, click on the Apple icon in the menu bar and choose Force Quit.
  2. A small window will open up that will show a list of apps that are currently open. Choose Safari and click on Force Quit to close it.
Choose the Safari from the list of apps that are currently running on your macOS and click on the Force Quit button

Clear Browser Cache

By clearing the cache, you’ll be removing any saved data in your browser that could be causing issues with video playback or website functionality.

In Safari, this is how you clear the cache:

1. Go to Safari > Settings > Advanced.

The Advanced Settings menu of the Safari browser

2. Check the box that says “Show features for web developers.”

3. In the menu bar, click on Develop and then select Empty Caches.

4. Another way to empty caches and clear cookies is to go to the Privacy section in the browser’s settings.

The Privacy Settings of the Safari browser

5. Click on Manage Website Data.

6. Then click on Remove All to clear both cookies and caches.

Browser Extensions

Sometimes browser extensions that you have installed may prevent online videos from working on your Mac. Here’s how you can disable them in Safari:

1. In the menu bar, go to Safari > Settings > Extensions.

The Safari browser Extensions pop-up window

2. Select the extensions which you suspect are the reason behind your video not working.

3. On the right side of the screen, click on Uninstall beneath the extension.

If there are no extensions installed in your Safari browser, then move on to the next step.

Scan your Mac OS for Malware

Malware and viruses can prevent videos from playing smoothly on Mac. Using CleanMyMac, you can get rid of any malware that’s infected your computer and easily play any video you want.

Use the the Malware Removal option in the sidebar of the application

Here’s how to scan your Mac for malware:

1. Open CleanMyMac on your computer. 

2. In the sidebar, click on Malware Removal under the “Protection” section.

3. Click on the Scan button and wait for it to finish scanning your computer.

4. After it’s finished scanning, you’ll be able to remove any malware it’s found.

YouTube not Playing Videos on Mac

If you’re encountering issues while trying to play YouTube videos, we recommend trying any of the above options. 

In addition, you may want to try using a VPN. YouTube has a number of geo-restrictions, which means that some videos can only be played in certain countries. A VPN changes your IP address and lets you access YouTube via servers from a different country, making it possible to watch videos that would otherwise be restricted. 

If YouTube stopped playing videos while you were using a VPN, then try connecting to a different server. 

Closing words

Videos not playing on Mac is a common issue that you can easily solve by following the solutions we have mentioned above. Note that if a video is heavily corrupted, then there’s very little chance you’ll be able to play it. However, if you stick to the tips we have shared in this article, then it shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Using an advanced media player can save you a lot of trouble as not only will it provide tons of different features, but also make sure that you can play videos of any file format. One player that’s capable of handling a large number of formats is Elmedia. With its user-friendly interface and ability to play hundreds of formats, you’ll never run into compatibility issues again.