Contents
1. What Caused VLC Not Playing Videos
2. Fix Corrupted Video
3. Install the Latest VLC
4. Clear Cache in VLC
5. Find Another Media Player
6. FAQs

4 Best Ways to Fix VLC Not Playing YouTube Videos in 2024

Jordan ScottJordan ScottUpdated on Sep 19, 2024Video Repair

VLC Media Player is a free, open-source, and cross-platform media player software and streaming server developed by the VideoLAN project. It can be used to play most multimedia files and formats, not only local videos but also YouTube videos. It's so powerful, but even so, sometimes it can have errors that prevent it from playing videos. This article will analyze some possible reasons why VLC won't play your YouTube videos and provide 4 ways to make your videos playable. Read on if you are interested!

Fix Vlc Not Playing Youtube Videos

Table of contents

Part 1. What Caused VLC Not Playing YouTube Videos Part 2. Fix Corrupted Video Files Part 3. Install the Latest VLC Part 4. Clear Cache in VLC Part 5. Find Another Media Player Part 6. FAQs

Part 1. What Caused VLC Not Playing Videos

There are various reasons why VLC Media Player does not play YouTube videos. Here we list some of the most probable reasons for your reference:

• Corrupted Video Files.

Sometimes, YouTube videos won't play in VLC, maybe because the video itself was corrupted during downloading or decoding.

• Outdated VLC Media Player.

Older versions of the VLC Media Player may not be compatible with the latest YouTube video formats. Besides, it may have some bugs that have not been modified, causing software glitches and videos not playing correctly.

• Cache in VLC Media Player.

VLC Media Player caches some content to ensure it can continue playing even if the network connection is interrupted. However, as you use it for a longer period, the cache of files will grow. If there is a problem with any of these files, VLC may get an error when playing the YouTube video.

• Problems of VLC itself.

If you've tried the above solutions but they don't work, something is likely wrong with VLC itself. You can try another media player to play the video.

Part 2. Fix Corrupted Video

One feasible way to fix the VLC Media Player not playing YouTube videos is to use a video repair tool. Here, we strongly recommend AnyMP4 Video Repair, a video repair software that supports both Windows and Mac. Moreover, it can easily repair corrupted MP4/MOV/SGP and more different types of videos, with a 99.99% success rate, making it a reliable choice.

Below are the simple steps for you to follow.

1.

Click the Free Download button below to install AnyMP4 Video Repair. After completing the installation, run it on your computer.

Free Download Free Download
2.

Click the red + button to upload the corrupted video file, and click the blue + button to add the sample video. Then, click the Repair button after finishing uploading.

Note: The repair effect will be better if the sample video is in the same format as the damaged video and is saved or from the same device.

Upload Corrupted And Sample Video To Repair
3.

After the fix is completed, you can click the Preview button to check the repaired effect of your YouTube video. If you are satisfied, you can click Save to store it.

Preview And Save Repaired Youtube Video

Now, you can try to play the fixed video file in your VLC player to see if the problem is fixed.

In short, AnyMP4 Video Repair is a great tool. Its intuitive interface and straightforward operation help you fix corrupted YouTube or other videos efficiently.

Part 3. Install the Latest VLC

As mentioned above, using an older version may cause problems playing YouTube or other videos. So, checking for software updates is one of the most basic and easy ways to fix VLC not playing YouTube videos.

Here's how to update VLC:

Open VLC at the top sidebar > Click the Help and Check for Updates > Click Yes to download and install the latest VLC > Restart the VLC Media Player to check if it works well.

INSTAL 1

Part 4. Clear Cache in VLC

Many problems with VLC are due to cache corruption. Deleting VLC's cache resets the data storage, allowing the software to run more efficiently and reducing video-playing problems.

Follow these simple steps of two methods to delete the cache in VLC:

For Windows version:

Method 1: Open the shortcut with the Windows computer's Start menu > Press All Programs and choose VideoLAN > Select Reset option to reset VLC Media Player cache files.

Method 2: Open Windows Explorer > Type %APPDATA% into the address bar, press enter> Find the VLC folder, and delete it.

Clear Cache In Vlc To Fix Not Playing Youtube Videos

Part 5. Find Another Media Player

If you have tried the above methods but VLC still can't play the video, you can also consider finding alternative media players such as Blu-ray Master Free Blu-ray Player. This player is available for Windows and MacOS and is a free Blu-ray player that can play 2D/3D/DVD movies without losing quality. Furthermore, it supports playing videos in many common formats, including MP4, MPG, AVI, WMV, etc., so you can use it to play YouTube videos or videos from other platforms without format barriers.

Part 6. FAQs

1. Why is my VLC only playing the audio but not the video?

If your VLC only plays the audio but not the video, it may be because the video codec has been lost. You can solve this by playing it on another free video player, such as the Blu-ray Master Media Player mentioned above.

2. Can VLC play any video?

VLC is an open-source, cross-platform multimedia player that can play almost all videos. However, some rare and proprietary formats may not be compatible. In this case, you can consider using the Blu-ray Master Media Player mentioned above.

3. Why is VLC not detecting video?

Because VLC's permissions have changed, it may not be able to detect video files. To resolve this issue, you can find applications to change the file access permissions.

Conclusion

This article suggests four possible reasons why VLC cannot play YouTube videos and proposes solutions to this problem based on these reasons. In addition, two tools, AnyMP4 Video Repair and Blu-ray Master Media Player, are respectively mentioned in Part Two and Part Five of the article. These two tools can help you to solve the problem of VLC not playing YouTube videos. It is believed that you will be satisfied after using them! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave us messages in the comment section.

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