There are a few common reasons why you may be having issues watching videos on Facebook:
Your internet connection is slow or unstable
The most likely culprit is an unreliable internet connection. Streaming video requires a fairly fast and consistent broadband connection. If your internet is slow or keeps cutting out, Facebook videos will buffer slowly or not play at all.
Try testing your internet speed to see if you are getting your full bandwidth potential. Speeds below 5Mbps can cause buffering issues. Also check if other devices on your network are consuming bandwidth in the background. Make sure you are not downloading large files or many devices are not streaming video at the same time.
If your Wi-Fi signal is weak, try moving closer to your router or connect via ethernet instead. Faulty network equipment, interference from other devices, distance from the router, and network congestion can all impact your connection quality.
Restarting your router and modem may also help resolve temporary internet problems. Check with your ISP if issues persist in case there are network outages in your area.
The Facebook app needs updating
If your Facebook app is out of date, it may have bugs or compatibility issues that prevent videos from loading properly. Make sure you are running the latest version of the Facebook app for your device.
On your phone, open the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) and search for Facebook. If an update is available, install it and then try watching videos again.
On your computer, click on the Help menu while logged into Facebook and choose App Updates. Install any pending updates. You can also try manually refreshing the page to force an update check.
Facebook is having server issues
Sometimes video failures are on Facebook’s end, not yours! Server outages, bugs, or maintenance can cause sitewide problems loading videos.
Check the Facebook status page or Downdetector to see if other users are reporting problems. Widespread issues are usually resolved within a few hours.
You may also encounter loading errors for a specific video if that content has been removed for copyright violations or other reasons. Trying watching a different video to see if the problem persists.
Your browser is outdated
An older, unsupported web browser can sometimes struggle to play videos properly. Facebook’s video player relies on up-to-date browser technology for smooth playback.
Make sure you have installed the latest version of your browser, like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. Older browsers may lack features or compatibility to handle Facebook’s videos.
Clearing your browser’s cache and cookies can also help resolve any software conflicts. Rebooting your computer ensures a clean slate for your browser and network services.
Flash is required for certain videos
Facebook relies heavily on HTML5 for video, but some older content still uses the outdated Adobe Flash Player plugin. Your browser may prompt you to activate Flash when required.
If Flash is already enabled but videos still won’t play, make sure your Flash plugin is up to date. On Chrome, visit chrome://components and update if prompted. On Firefox, visit about:addons.
Note that Chrome, Firefox, and most other modern browsers are phasing out Flash support entirely. Old legacy content requiring Flash will no longer work at all.
Your ad blocker is preventing videos from loading
Many ad blocker browser extensions like uBlock Origin work by blocking resources from third-party domains. This can inadvertently block Facebook videos as well.
Try whitelisting Facebook.com in your ad blocker’s filter list or disabling it entirely to see if that fixes the issue.
Privacy extensions like Ghostery and Privacy Badger can also sometimes interfere with videos, so temporarily disable them as well if problems persist.
Your browser security settings are too strict
Browser extensions like NoScript that block JavaScript can prevent videos from loading. Scripts are required for the video player logic to work.
Make sure facebook.com or *.facebook.com domains are whitelisted to allow scripts to run. Strict HTTPS-only modes in browsers can also cause mixed-content errors on videos.
Try disabling your security extensions entirely as a test. If that fixes it, gradually re-enable them while whitelisting Facebook to isolate the problem.
You have viewing restrictions enabled
Check your Facebook account settings to see if you have any age restrictions or limitations enabled that may be blocking videos.
Under Settings -> Account Settings, see if “Limit Past Posts” is checked. This omits some content from your feed timeline. Try unchecking it.
Also check under Privacy Settings -> Content Viewing. Make sure viewing restrictions like “Limit Older Posts” are not enabled, which can filter out videos.
The video format is not supported
Facebook supports the most common video types like MP4, WebM, and OGG out of the box. But some users upload videos in less common or outdated formats that may not play properly.
See if you can recreate the issue by trying other videos. If most work fine except for one specific video, it is likely a formatting issue with that video itself rather than a problem on your end.
You can also try downloading the video directly rather than streaming it. This avoids relying on your browser’s built-in playback support. Drag the video to your desktop to save a copy locally.
Your browser storage is full
Your web browser caches video files and data to speed up loading times. If your browser’s storage is completely full, it may have trouble buffering or saving video datastreams.
Try clearing your browser cache and cookies to free up space. Also close down any other browser tabs and windows you aren’t actively using to maximize available resources.
Hardware acceleration is disabled
Your operating system uses your GPU hardware tohelp process and display video. If hardware acceleration is disabled, it puts all the load on your CPU, which can choke on HD videos.
On Windows, make sure your graphics drivers are up to date. On Mac, go to System Preferences -> Energy Saver and make sure the “Automatic graphics switching” setting is enabled.
In your browser settings, make sure “Use hardware acceleration when available” is enabled. On Firefox, this is under Settings -> General -> Performance.
Problems on mobile devices
On top of the other issues mentioned, mobile devices can have additional quirks affecting video playback:
- Check you have sufficient storage space available. Video buffers require free space.
- Restart your device if you haven’t in awhile. Memory issues can build up over time.
- Disable battery saver modes, which restrict background processes.
- Close down other apps to prioritize bandwidth for Facebook.
- Temporarily switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data to rule out connectivity problems.
- Update to the latest OS version if updates are pending.
Conclusion
With so many moving parts like browsers, GPUs, connectivity, and file formats, video streaming can break down in places. But methodically ruling out potential causes can get to the bottom of Facebook video problems.
Start with the basics like app and browser updates, then move to network tests and resource monitors. There are also advanced diagnostics like debug modes and developer consoles in most browsers if needed. But typically, it just takes some tweaks and fresh installs to get Facebook videos working again.