Facebook Videos Not Playing in Chrome, Firefox, Safari (SOLVED)

Facebook is home to a lot of videos. It has options for live broadcasts, watching videos in groups, and the live broadcast can be shared as a video once it has ended. Quite a few content creators from YouTube have Facebook pages that they share videos to. Instagram users who upload videos also have the option to share them to Facebook as well.

Altogether, it makes Facebook a center for a lot of videos. The Watch tab on the Facebook app can keep users occupied for a good hour.

Facebook videos not playing

Facebook supports video playback on desktop browsers just as well as it does on its mobile apps. That said, it can run into problems playing media. If you’re unable to play videos in your desktop browser, try the following basic checks and then move on to the fixes listed further below.

• If you have an ad-blocker installed, disable it. Facebook videos show ads and the ad-blocker may be blocking the video.
• Try opening the video in Incognito mode in your browser.
• Check if you can play videos in the mobile app on your phone. If not, Facebook may be partially blocked.
• Try using a VPN to play videos. If the videos play, Facebook is being partially blocked by your ISP.
• Restart the router at least once, and your system as well.

How to Fix Video Won’t Play (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)

If the video doesn’t play after running each of the basic checks above, try the fixes below.

1. Clear cache and cookies

Corrupt files in the cache or outdated cookies can prevent videos from playing. Clear the cache and cookies and the videos should play.

In Chrome:

1. Open a new tab.
2. Paste this chrome://settings/privacy in the URL bar and tap Enter.
3. Click Clear browsing data.
4. Select Cookies and site data, and Cached image and files.
5. Click Clear data.

In Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Paste this about:preferences#privacy in the URL bar and tap Enter.
3. Scroll down to Cookies and Site data.
4. Click Clear Data.
5. Select Cookies and Data and Cached web content.
6. Click Clear.

In Safari:

1. Open Safari.
2. Go to Safari>Preferences from the menu bar.
3. Go to the Privacy tab.
4. Click Manage Data.
5. Select Facebook from the list of domains.
6. Click Remove.

2. Disable add-ons/extensions

Add-ons and extensions, even if they aren’t ad-blockers, may prevent videos from playing. Disable them in the browser and try playing the videos.

In Chrome:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Paste this chrome://extensions/ in the URL bar and tap Enter.
3. Turn off the switch for all extensions.
4. Restart the browser.

In Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Paste this about:addons in the URL bar and tap Enter.
3. Disable all add-ons. 
4. Restart the browser.

In Safari:

1. Open Safari.
2. Go to Safari>Preferences from the menu bar.
3. Go to Extensions.
4. Select all extensions and disable or uninstall them.
5. Restart the browser.

3. Refresh Facebook session

Facebook is a website and a complex one at that. Users generally remain signed in to the site and that may cause problems.

1. Visit Facebook.
2. Click the dropdown arrow at the top right.
3. Select Logout.
4. Restart the browser and login again.

4. Disable hardware acceleration

Hardware acceleration may prevent videos from playing. Try turning it off.

In Chrome:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Paste this chrome://settings/system in the URL bar and tap Enter.
3. Turn the switch for Use hardware acceleration when available off.
4. Restart the browser.

In Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Paste this about:preferences#general in the URL bar and tap Enter.
3. Scroll down to the Performance section.
4. Disable Use recommended performance settings.
5. Disable Use hardware acceleration when available.
6. Restart the browser.

Hardware acceleration cannot be disable in Safari.

5. Check for browser updates

If your browser is not up to date, it may prevent websites from working correctly.

In Chrome:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Paste this chrome://settings/help in the URL bar and tap Enter.
3. Allow Chrome to check for updates.
4. Install available updates and restart the browser.

In Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Click the hamburger icon at the top right.
3. Select Help>About Firefox.
4. Allow Firefox to check for updates and install them.
5. Restart the browser.

Safari updates with macOS.

Conclusion

Facebook is built to run on modern browsers and on mobile browsers. If you’re having trouble with a media stream, check if Facebook is experiencing problems. If you’re unable to access videos on any and all platforms, it points to a problem with Facebook’s media streams. You may have to wait it out until it is resolved.

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Fatima Wahab

Fatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks

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