Fix: Facebook Videos not Playing in Chrome

Facebook is a great Social Media Networking site and has more than a billion users. One reason for its popularity is the ability to share and view an endless stream of videos. However, quite recently a lot of reports have been coming in where Google Chrome (one of the most used browsers) is facing trouble while loading Facebook Videos. Either the videos keep buffering or don’t load at all.

What Prevents Chrome from Playing Videos on Facebook?

After receiving numerous reports from multiple users we decided to investigate the issue and scribbled together a guide by implementing which the issue went away for most of our users. Also, we looked into the reasons due to which this error is triggered and listed them below.

• Corrupt Cache: Important data and launch configurations are cached by the browser and websites to decrease loading times and provide a better experience. However, over time this cache might get corrupted due to which it might interfere with important elements of the website.
• Invalid Configurations: Sometimes, certain settings might be configured to disable Chrome from playing videos. Either you might have configured these settings or a third party plugin/add-on might have changed them.
• Disabled Flash Content: In some cases the “Flash Content” from certain sites is disabled. Facebook might be one of those sites. Disabling the “Flash Content” can sometimes prevent videos from playing as certain sites require Adobe Flash Player to be enabled in order to play videos.
• Launched Improperly: It is possible that Chrome wasn’t launched properly due to which certain elements of the browser are not working properly. Due to which it is facing issues while streaming videos on certain sites.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the nature of the problem, we will move on towards the solution. Make sure to implement these solutions in the specific order in which they are presented to avoid any conflicts.

Solution 1: Restarting Chrome

In some cases, it is possible that the application might not have loaded properly due to an interruption during the launching process. Therefore, in this step, we will be restarting Chrome to make sure that it is launched properly.

1. Click on the “X” mark in the top right corner to close chrome or type in “chrome://restart” in the address bar and press Enter.
2. Open Facebook, view a video and check to see if the issue persists.

Solution 2: Deleting Cache/Cookies

It is possible that the cache or cookies stored by the application/website might be interfering with certain elements of Chrome or Facebook. Therefore, in this step, we will be clearing all the search history entirely. For that:

1. Click on the “menu” button in the top right corner and select “Settings“.
2. Inside settings, scroll down to the bottom and click on the “Advanced” options.
3. Under the “Privacy & Security” heading, click on the “Clear Browsing Data” option.
4. Click on the “Advanced” tab and select the first five options.
5. Click on the “Time Range” dropdown and select “All Time” from it.
6. Click on the “Clear Data” option and select “Yes” in the prompt.
7. Open Facebook and log in with your credentials.
8. Try to play a video and check to see if the issue persists.

Solution 3: Enabling Flash Content

If Flash content has been disabled for Facebook, then it is possible that the videos might not play properly, Therefore, in this step, we will be enabling flash content for Facebook. For that:

1. Open the “Facebook” site and log in with your credentials.
2. Click on the “Lock” sign in the top left corner at the start of the “Address” bar.
3. Select the “Site Settings” option and click on the “Flash” Dropdown.
4. Select “Allow” from the list and restart “Chrome“.
5. Open Facebook, log in with your credentials and check to see if the issue persists.

Solution 4: Resetting Chrome

If the issue persists after trying all of the above solutions then the only possible fix for it could be resetting it the browser to its default settings. Therefore, in this step, we will be resetting Chrome. For that:

1. Open Chrome and click on the “Three dots” in the upper right–hand corner.
2. Select “Settings” from the list of options.
3. Scroll down and click on the “Advanced” option and scroll further down to the bottom.
4. Under the “Reset and Clean Up” heading, click on the “Restore Settings to Their Original Defaults” option.
5. Click on the “Reset Settings” option in the prompt.
6. Restart Chrome and open the Facebook site.
7. Check to see if the issue persists.