Up until now, your Facebook account is still capable of playing videos. However, just recently, you keep on getting the ”Facebook videos not playing” error. It happens to most of us. One second it’s all working and now you’re here to learn some methods to fix this error. You keep getting a black screen and nothing else.
Clicking doesn’t help. Everything that you’ve done until now didn’t fix the problem. Now what? What is the reason for Facebook videos not playing and how can you fix it?
Such questions are one of the most common there is when it comes to using Facebook, be it on your browser or through the Facebook app.
Fortunately, there are simple ways to fix this problem, and it doesn’t require you to put much effort into it either. Those solutions will be discussed later on in this article. However, before that, let’s not rush things and answer your first question before anything else.
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Why Are Facebook Videos Not Playing?Three General Solutions to Fix Facebook Videos Not PlayingHow to Fix Facebook Videos Not Playing Error on Facebook App (Android & iOS)How to Fix Facebook Videos Not Playing Error on Any DeviceConclusion
Why Are Facebook Videos Not Playing?
We all know just how prominent Facebook is around the world. In fact, it’s no understatement to say that everyone in the world knows what Facebook is.
As such, there rose many Facebook experts, be it with the marketing aspect of the technical stuff. And after numerous reports of Facebook videos not playing, it was only a matter of time before they decide to conduct research on why this is happening.
There are much data, but we’ll be dividing the results of their efforts into three, Facebook videos not playing on the browser, on the app, and lastly, the error that can happen in any device.
Facebook on Browser
Be it on Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or even Internet Explorer, this error can’t be escaped. You’ll encounter it at some point.
While you may not be able to avoid the inevitable, you can at least be aware of why it happened so fixing it, later on, can be easier. With that said, here’s why this error occurred on your browser.
- Corrupt cache. Sometimes, you’ll be sent to a website that may send a malicious file that can corrupt your cache. There are also other causes. Regardless, a corrupt cache will lead to a decrease in loading speed that will eventually disable you from viewing Facebook videos.
- Improper settings. Some browsers can limit the functionalities of other websites. For example, it may disable plugins, which has a lot to do with playing videos. As such, having configurations that are incorrect may lead to Facebook videos not playing.
- Flash Content is disabled. Certain sites rely on Flash Content to show different types of content, as the name suggests. One of the most reliant type of content to flash is videos. That’s why disabling the Flash Content feature will lead to the error.
- Browser launch unsuccessful. By now, you should already have an encounter with the error that says your browser didn’t launch properly. This can affect the loading times which, in turn, will hinder videos from loading normally.
These are the common causes of Facebook videos to not play on browser. Now we got to the case of videos from the Facebook app not playing.
Facebook App
As you may already know, Facebook on the browser which is accessible through facebook.com and the Facebook app has a lot of differences.
One such difference is the cause of any errors that may happen. So now we head to the causes of Facebook videos not playing on your mobile device:
- Not enough space. Your phone’s storage is no longer capable of housing any more data from Facebook videos due to insufficient storage space.
- Corrupt storage. The same with having not enough space, if your storage is corrupted, it won’t be capable of housing Facebook video data.
- Facebook app settings were changed. Just as the configurations of your browser can cause the error to occur, the same goes with the Facebook app’s settings.
- Problem with the app. The app may also be the one responsible for your suffering rather than the videos themselves.
Lastly, we go to the universal cause of Facebook videos not playing, which can both happen to computer and mobile device users.
Facebook Videos Not Playing in Any Device
While some issues can only happen to your PC, and others only happen to mobile devices, there are some that can happen in both. That’s what we’ll talk about next:
- The video has been removed. If you think there’s no problem whatsoever in your device, then the video must have been removed by the owner, or at least it was encrypted so only chosen users can view it.
- Network problems. The most basic cause of problems on the internet is the fact that your network isn’t strong enough to accommodate any services online.
Although there are many reasons as to why are Facebook videos not playing on your device, there are many solutions to this problem.
With that said, we’ll be discussing these solutions starting from the error on your browser, on the app, and on both.
The most common cause of Facebook videos not playing is that on browsers such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and more. The good news is that these browsers are working for the betterment of their services, thus coming up with ways to prevent such errors.
Three General Solutions to Fix Facebook Videos Not Playing
Regardless, it still doesn’t change the fact that such errors are inevitable. You’d have to deal with a deal at some point, so why not learn how to fix it as soon as possible?
So in this section, we’ll be discussing how to fix on the browser. For time’s sake, we’ll only be discussing how to reset Google Chrome. Without further ado, let’s start with the easiest solution.
There are 3 simple solutions to fix when Facebook videos are not playing:
- Resetting browser
- Deleting cache/cookies
- Enabling flash content to play Facebook videos
1. Resetting Browser
Obviously, the first solution you’ll think of when you see Facebook videos not playing is restarting your browser. However, the method we’ll be talking about is different from that.
Resetting your browser means restoring it to its default settings. Here’s how you can do it:
- Launch the Google Chrome browser.
- Click on the vertically-aligned three dots in the top-right corner of the Chrome window.
- Upon clicking, select the Settings from the menu that you’ll get.
- Scroll down until you see an option that says Advanced.
- Click on this option and the window will extend further down to reveal new sets of options.
- Again, scroll down until you hit the bottom and see the Reset and clean up
- Click on the first option which should say, Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Upon getting a prompt menu, select the Reset Settings
- Close Google Chrome and re-launch the browser.
- Check if the Facebook videos not playing error still continues.
Remember that upon clicking Reset Settings, it would take some time since Chrome is erasing some data. Regardless, it might not work for you, so let’s head on to our next option.
2. Deleting Cache/Cookies
There are times when you’ll get a prompt that redirects you to a certain website or application.
This website will sometimes have some cookies or cache, which when sent to you will interfere with playing media files. Thus, it leads to Facebook videos not playing.
That’s why to avoid such cases, you’ll have to try deleting or erasing the cache or cookies completely since you don’t know exactly which of them is the root of the problem.
To do this, you’ll have to follow these steps:
- Open your Google Chrome
- Click on the Menu button represented by three vertical dots in the top-right corner of your window.
- Click on Settings.
- Under the first section, Privacy and Security, select Clear browsing data at the end of the list.
- You’ll be shown a prompt which should be the configuration of the Clear browsing data. Click on the Advanced
- Make sure the first four options are selected, namely (1) Browsing history, (2) Download history, (3) Cookies and other site data, and (4) Cached images and files.
- In the Time Range menu, select All Time.
- Click the Clear Data In some cases, you’ll have to click Yes to confirm the command.
Again, this process will take some time. All you have to do, however, is wait. After that, you’re free to try out the videos you want to play.
Now we go to the last method to fix Facebook videos not playing on browsers.
3. Enabling Flash Content
Flash content is one of the many requirements for media files to work on a browser. Thus, disabling such a feature might be the cause of Facebook videos not playing.
Compared to the previous two options, this one’s a bit easier to execute. Here are the steps to do this:
- Open the Google Chrome
- Go to the Facebook website using the link you usually input.
- Log in with your Facebook credentials.
- At the upper-left corner of the Chrome window, click on the Lock
- Click on Site Settings.
- You will be taken to another tab which should show you a list of options. From it, find Flash.
- Click the dropdown menu beside it.
- Select Allow.
- Restart your Google Chrome browser.
At the end of this section, you’ve got hold of three solutions for fixing Facebook videos not playing on your browser. Now we got to how to fix it if it happens on your Facebook app.
How to Fix Facebook Videos Not Playing Error on Facebook App (Android & iOS)
If you thought Facebook videos not playing only happens on browsers like Google Chrome, then you’re wrong. It actually happens more often than you think.
In fact, it also happens on your mobile devices. For that reason, we’ll be talking about how to fix it in case it happens on the Facebook app. Again, let’s start with the easiest one.
1. Reboot Your Device
Rebooting had been one of the most popular solutions for all kinds of problems. Of course, this also applies to Facebook videos not playing.
However, you will have to do something first, and that is by Force stopping your Facebook app. You can do this by going to Settings, proceeding to Applications, selecting Facebook, and tapping Force Stop.
Obviously, you don’t need help knowing how to reboot your device so we’ll leave it at that. Now the only thing left to do is check if Facebook videos are now working.
2. Update Your Facebook App
Although it doesn’t make sense initially, you’ll find that there are many problems that get fixed by simply updating the app in question.
Facebook isn’t an exception. Although it was working before, it might not be if there was an update that was recently released.
Thus, you’d have to either update or re-install the Facebook app. You can do this by following these steps:
- Go to Google Play.
- Search for Facebook in the search bar.
- Tap on the Facebook app option.
- You can either choose Update or Uninstall, but make sure you install it again if you choose the latter.
Now check if the problem of Facebook videos not playing still persists. If it does, then proceed to other options.
3. Make Enough Room
Facebook videos, just like any other files, consume some space on your phone’s internal storage. Thus, Facebook videos not playing may be the cause of not enough room.
So what you have to do is make some room on your phone’s storage. Here’s how you can do this:
- Go to the Settings
- Go to General.
- Tap on Storage.
This will give you a graph of how much space there is on your phone. If you can see that there is not enough space, then all you have to do is delete some files to compensate.
Just like before, make sure to check if the problem still persists. If it does, then continue reading for more solutions to Facebook videos not playing.
4. Format Storage (Android Only)
As previously said, storage has a lot to do with Facebook videos not playing. Since the SD card is still storage, it goes to say that you’ll have to make some room in your SD card as well.
It’s worth noting that this option is only for Android users only. This is because iOS devices don’t typically have SD card slots. Without further ado, here’s how you can format storage:
- Insert your SD card on your Android device.
- Go to the Settings.
- Tap on General.
- Select Storage.
- Select the SD card
- Tap on Format SD card.
Wait for the process to complete, then check if the problem still persists. This should do the trick if the previous solutions didn’t work. However, if it did not, then there are only a few explanations for this.
How to Fix Facebook Videos Not Playing Error on Any Device
As we’ve mentioned earlier, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to fix the problem with the solutions we’ve discussed up until now.
However, this only leads us to a few explanations. In this section, we’ll be discussing these and how you can fix Facebook videos not playing according to these explanations.
1. Reset Your Internet Connection
By now, you should already know that Facebook requires you to have an internet connection. Having a slow internet will lead to slow loading speed, and having a fast internet will lead to fast loading speed.
Put simply, it’s proportional. However, in some cases, it’s not. Having an unstable internet connection can actually lead to Facebook videos not playing.
So to fix this, you’ll need to follow these steps:
- Turn off your phone or computer.
- Go to your modem and unplug it.
- Wait for a few minutes.
- Plug the modem again and wait until all of the lights ceases to blink.
- Turn on your phone or computer.
- Check if the problem still persists.
If you’ve done this and to no avail, then you might want to proceed reading the last option.
2. The Video Has Been Removed for Some Reason
In the worst-case scenario, you won’t be able to fix Facebook videos not playing whatever you do. This is because a certain video was removed for some reason.
However, do not worry because it won’t affect other videos. It would only take effect on the specific video that isn’t working recently.
If you want to avoid such cases, then we recommend that you download the video immediately, if not, you won’t be able to see it in the exact same way again.
Conclusion
There are lots of problems that occur on Facebook. Facebook videos not playing is only one of them. But it’s important to remember that this situation is only natural.
After all, you’ll have to travel to the future to be able to see a flawless app or website. Regardless, there are many solutions to every problem, and we’ve just discussed a few of them.
At this point, you’ll be able to fix Facebook videos not playing anytime you encounter it. Take note, however, that you’ll have to be cautious when executing these solutions.
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