11 Best Ways to Fix YouTube Lag in Google Chrome

Are you facing YouTube freezing issues in Google Chrome? Too much lag when playing videos? Don’t worry, this guide will help you fix it.

In this reading, we have listed the best ways to fix “YouTube keeps lagging on Chrome”. Meanwhile, you can also learn how to fix 404 Not Found error in Chrome.

Also read | 4 Ways to Send Web Page Links from Google Chrome to All Your Devices

How to Fix YouTube Lag in Google Chrome

Disable and re-enable hardware acceleration in Chrome

Google Chrome uses the hardware acceleration feature to handle resource-intensive graphical tasks like video playback, games, etc. A problem with this feature can lead to YouTube stuttering issues. To fix this issue, you need to manually disable and re-enable this feature.

1. Open a new tab in Google Chrome and click the three dots icon in the top right corner to open the browser settings.

2. On the left sidebar, expand the “Advanced” option and click “System” to configure it.

3. Then turn off the “Use hardware acceleration when available” feature and turn it back on.

Clear cache and cookies to fix YouTube lag

Sometimes, excessive accumulation of temporary cache files and cookies causes YouTube video playback issues in Google Chrome. 

To fix this problem, you need to clear all related caches and cookies in your browser. Follow these simple steps to clear caches and cookies in Google Chrome.

Adjust YouTube video quality

Sometimes the system’s hardware is not enough to play high-quality YouTube videos. In such a situation, you will most likely experience a delay when playing higher resolution YouTube videos. 

To fix this problem, you must switch the video resolution and see if the issue is resolved.

1. Open the desired YouTube video in Google Chrome and click the gear icon on the video playback toolbar.

2. Then click the “Quality” option to adjust the resolution of the current YouTube video.

3. Also, switch to a lower video resolution if the currently playing video is slow.

4. Play the video to see if the issue is resolved.

Reset Google Chrome Flags

Chrome Flags are experimental features that Google is constantly testing to provide users with a personalized experience. 

An issue with these flags can sometimes cause stuttering when playing YouTube videos. To fix this issue, you need to manually reset all Chrome flags. Follow these steps for an easy fix.

1. Open a new tab in Google Chrome and enter chrome://flags/ in the URL bar.

2. Then click the “Reset All” button to reset all existing flags in the browser.

Disable installed extensions in Google Chrome

If you’ve recently encountered a YouTube video lag issue, it may have been caused by your recently installed extension. 

To prevent this problem from occurring, you should disable all Chrome extensions and check if the issue is resolved.

Ensure a stable internet connection

If you are connected to an unstable/slow internet connection, then most likely you will experience YouTube lag issue in your browser. 

Follow these simple steps to measure the speed of your internet connection and determine its stability.

1. Open a new tab in your Chrome browser and access the Almost site to measure your internet connection speed.

2. Depending on different video resolutions, the required internet speed according to Google is as follows:

Update your system’s graphics drivers to fix YouTube lag

If you haven’t updated your system’s graphics drivers in a while, you may experience freezing issues when playing YouTube videos. 

To fix this issue, you need to manually update your outdated/outdated graphics driver using the Device Manager utility.

1. Press the Windows key and search for the Device Manager tool to open it.

2. Next, expand Display Adapters in the Device Manager window and right-click on your system’s graphics driver to update it.

3. Follow the instructions on the screen to update the graphics driver online.

Disable active VPNs

If you use a virtual private network (VPN) while browsing the Internet, you may sometimes experience network lag issues when connecting to an unstable server. 

As a result, you will encounter YouTube lag issue in Google Chrome browser. Follow the steps below to disable an active VPN.

1. Click on the installed VPN app/extension and look for the “Disable” option to disable it.

2. Reload the web page to fix YouTube stuttering issues.

Close extra tabs in Google Chrome

If you are watching YouTube videos with multiple tabs open in Google Chrome, then you are likely to experience lag issues due to increased RAM consumption on your system. 

To fix this problem, you need to close all other tabs in your browser to ensure that the video plays without delay.

Update Chrome to the latest version

An existing bug in the Google Chrome browser can also cause delays when playing YouTube videos. To fix this issue, you need to update your browser to the latest version available. Follow these steps for an easy fix.

1. Click the three dots icon on the top right corner and click “Settings” to set up Google Chrome.

2. Then click on the “About Chrome” option on the left sidebar so that the browser can check and automatically update itself to the latest version.

Bonus Tip: Restart Google Chrome

If you are still unable to fix the YouTube lag issue in Chrome browser, try resetting it.

1. Open the Chrome browser settings by clicking the three dots icon in the upper right corner.

2. Next, click the Advanced button and select the Reset and Wipe option from the left sidebar.

3. Next, click Restore settings to original defaults.

So, that’s all the 11 best ways to fix YouTube lag in Google Chrome. If this short read has helped you successfully fix your YouTube stuttering issues, please click the “Like” button and share this read with your loved ones to help them. Stay tuned for more informative troubleshooting guides

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