Recently, many Chrome users have reported YouTube video lagging issues. According to the users, YouTube videos are constantly lagging on Chrome browser.

YouTube videos lagging on Chrome may be a sign of a few problems, as there are several reasons behind the issues.

Why Does YouTube Keep Lagging on Chrome?

YouTube videos may lag on Chrome due to slow internet, server-side problems, problems with your GPU unit, an outdated graphics card, or many apps running in the background.

There’s no specific reason for YouTube videos lagging on Chrome. Many things contribute to such issues, such as slow internet and browser cache data corruption. Below, we have mentioned some key reasons for YouTube Videos Lagging on Chrome.

• Slow Internet Connection.
• YouTube’s servers are down.
• Outdated display & audio drivers.
• Corrupted Browser Cache.
• Outdated version of Chrome browser.
• Insufficient free RAM resources.

These are some prominent reasons for problems like YouTube Lagging on Chrome on Windows. Let’s know the troubleshooting tips.

How to Fix YouTube Video Lagging on Chrome

If YouTube lagging on your Google Chrome browser, you should do these troubleshooting to get it fixed. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Reload the YouTube Video Page

Before anything else, you should refresh the webpage. It’s possible that the YouTube website hasn’t loaded properly, causing the problem.

So, switch to the Chrome tab playing the YouTube video and then reload it. If the video still lags, follow the next method.

2. Make sure the Video is Okay

Sometimes, the video appears lagging because it’s shot at very low frame rates. The video you are watching may be shot with a very low-end camera; hence the actual video is lagging.

You can try playing a different video to confirm whether the video is okay. If no lag appears in other videos, it’s sure that the video you are trying to watch is shot in low quality.

3. Check your Internet Connection

Like every other video streaming site, YouTube also depends on your internet connection to stream the video. If you have a slow internet connection or it isn’t stable, you can experience delays.

So, it’s best to confirm whether your internet connection is working and free from connection leaks.

You can visit fast.com or any other speedtest website to check the current speed of your internet. If the internet is working, follow the next methods.

4. Check If YouTube is Down

Server outages are among the most common problems, and they can also happen with YouTube. When the servers are down, you may experience problems viewing videos.

Even YouTube’s mobile app will fail to function properly. You need to check YouTube’s server status to confirm whether you are the only one facing the problem.

If the servers are down worldwide, you can only wait until they are restored and become functional. Meanwhile, you can watch videos online using YouTube alternatives.

5. Disable Hardware Acceleration in Chrome

Hardware Acceleration improves the performance of certain graphical features. When this feature is turned on, Google Chrome uses your GPU to play the video, releasing the load from RAM.

While the hardware acceleration feature is useful, it can sometimes create problems with video playback. Many users have claimed to fix YouTube lagging on Chrome by turning off the hardware acceleration feature; you can try doing it as well.

1. Click on the three dots in the top right corner.

2. On the Chrome menu, select Settings.

3. On the Chrome Settings, click on the System on the left pane.

4. On the next screen, turn off the toggle for Use hardware acceleration when available option.

Now, restart your browser. This is how you can fix YouTube lagging on Chrome for Windows issues.

6. Remove unnecessary Chrome Extensions

Malicious extensions often run in the background and consume your data, thus slowing down the overall internet speed.

It’s best to track all extensions installed on your Google Chrome browser. You can try removing the recently installed Chrome extensions. Otherwise, keep disabling the extensions one by one until you find one that conflicts with YouTube video playback.

1. Click on the three dots at the top right corner of the Chrome browser.

2. On the menu that appears, select Extensions > Manage Extensions.

3. On the extensions screen, turn off the extensions you rarely or no longer use.

You need to keep disabling extensions one by one and playing the video. If one of your extensions creates a problem, you can disable or remove it from your web browser.

7. Check Your RAM Resources

If there’s no GPU on your computer/laptop, the Chrome browser will use your RAM resources to play the videos and lack of RAM resources can trigger YouTube video lagging issues.

So, you need to open the Task Manager and check whether you have sufficient RAM to play a video. If RAM resources are insufficient, you can try closing the RAM-hogging processes from the task manager.

After freeing up the RAM, open the Google Chrome browser and play the video, which was previously lagging. The video should play without any lag now.

8. Chrome Close Tabs Consuming more RAM & CPU

Google Chrome has a hidden task manager that shows which tabs are consuming more RAM and CPU resources. You can use the Chrome Task Manager to find the resource-hogging processes and temporarily close them.

We have shared a detailed guide on how to use Google Chrome’s built-in task manager. Make sure to go through the steps to use Chrome’s built-in task manager & kill processes.

9. Reset the Chrome Flags

Google Chrome allows you to enable/disable experimental features. You may have modified certain experimental browser features, triggering problems with YouTube video playback.

It’s important to note that experimental features are not publicly released, and they may have bugs & glitches that could affect the browser’s performance.

Since it’s impossible to recall all Chrome flags you have changed, the best you can do is reset all Chrome Flags to default. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Open Chrome browser. On the address bar, type chrome://flags, and press Enter.

 

2. On the Chrome experiments page, click the Reset All button.

10. Update Chrome Browser

Keeping the browser up-to-date is very important for achieving the much-needed stability and performance. Also, timely updates ensure better features and proper security.

Updating the Chrome browser will also rule out bugs and glitches that may be causing problems with YouTube video playback.

Navigate to the three dots > Help > About Google Chrome. Reaching the About Chrome screen will automatically update the browser to the latest version.

11. Update Your Drivers

Outdated graphics and audio drivers may also cause YouTube videos to lag on Chrome browsers. Updating the Windows Graphics Drivers will allow your PC to process graphics more efficiently.

The easiest way to update all installed drivers is to update Windows to the latest version because Windows 10/11 automatically updates your device drivers during system updates.

You can also manually update the drivers on your Windows 11; follow our guide – How to Update Drivers in Windows.

12. Reset Chrome browser to Default

If nothing worked in your favor to fix YouTube Videos Lagging on Chrome for Windows, the only remaining option is to reset the Chrome browser to default.

However, before you reset your Chrome browser, remember that resetting will disable all extensions, clear temporary data, new tab pages, etc. So, if you can compromise on these things, here are the steps to reset your Chrome browser.

• Open Chrome browser, click on three dots > Settings.
• On the Settings, switch to the Reset Settings tab.
• On the right side, click on Restore Settings to their original defaults.
• Now, on the Reset Settings confirmation prompt, click on the Reset Settings button.

These are some of the easy and working methods to fix YouTube videos lagging on the Chrome browser for Windows. If you have followed all the methods, the problem is likely already fixed. If your YouTube video no longer lags, let us know which method worked for you in the comments below.