Twitch keeps Buffering, Freezing, Pausing, Refreshing or Lagging [Fixed]

Here is a full guide to fixing freezing, buffering, and lagging issues on Twitch. Twitch is one of the most famous streaming platforms used by millions of users, especially gamers. While it works smoothly for most people, there are some users who have reportedly encountered freezing, buffering, and lag issues on Twitch that hinders that hinder their overall streaming experience. If you are one of those facing the same problem, this guide will help you. In this post, we are going to mention multiple working solutions that will help you get rid of all these issues on Twitch.

Before discussing the main solutions, let us try to understand what exactly causes these issues on Twitch.

What causes freezing, buffering, or lag issues on Twitch?

Here are some of the common causes of freezing, buffering, or lagging issues on Twitch:

• One of the primary reasons for buffering issues on Twitch is weak internet or some other network issue. So, make sure you are well connected to a high-speed and stable internet connection to avoid these issues on Twitch.
• If you are using Twitch in a web browser, the problem might be caused due to an outdated or corrupted browser cache. So, try clearing up the browser cache to get rid of these issues.
• Some problematic extensions in your browser can also cause freezing issues on Twitch. You can try disabling such extensions to counter the problem.
• Your antivirus can be another culprit for the same. Hence, try disabling your antivirus and see if the error is fixed.
• Corrupted DNS cache or some DNS server issues can be another cause for lagging or buffering issues on Twitch. If the scenario applies, you can try flushing DNS and switching the DNS server to fix the problem.

Now that you know the scenarios causing the problem, you can try a suitable fix to resolve these issues on Twitch.

Fix Twitch keeps Buffering or Freezing

Here are the fixes that you can try to resolve Twitch freezing, buffering, and lag issues on your Windows PC:

1. Check your internet connection.
2. Switch the web browser.
3. Clear browser cache.
4. Disable hardware acceleration.
5. Disable unnecessary browser extensions.
6. Disable Antivirus.
7. Flush your DNS.
8. Switch to a public DNS server.
9. Close unnecessary background apps.

Let us discuss the above solutions in detail now!

1] Check your internet connection

Most of the time, the buffering and lagging issues are caused due to a weak internet connection. So, the first thing you should try is to check your internet connection and make sure you are connected to stable and reliable internet.

You should check your internet speed and see if it is fast enough. If you are on low-speed internet, you are likely to experience buffering and lagging issues on Twitch. So, maybe you should try upgrading your internet plan.

If you are facing some network issues, you can power cycle your router and modem. For that, unplug your router and leave it disconnected for at least about 30 seconds. After that, plug in your networking device and connect your PC to the internet. See if this fixes the buffering, freezing, or lagging issues on Twitch.

Another thing you can try is to disconnect other devices that are connected to the same internet. This will make sure that you are able to use the internet with high bandwidth.

If this doesn’t fix the problem for you, move on to the next potential fix.

See: Fix Twitch error 5000 Content not available.

2] Switch the web browser

You can also try switching your web browser to use Twitch and see if it still freezes or not. In case if it works fine in some other web browser, there might be some issues with your web browser that are causing the issue. If it doesn’t resolve the issue, you can try some other fix from the guide.

3] Clear browser cache

Some affected users have reportedly fixed the Twitch buffering and lagging issues by clearing the browser cache. The older and corrupted cache can cause buffering and other issues on Twitch and otherwise. So, you can try deleting the older cache in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or some other web browser and see if the problem is fixed now.

Read: Twitch not working on Chrome in Windows 11/10.

4] Disable hardware acceleration

You might be experiencing buffering issues on Twitch if the hardware acceleration feature is enabled in your browser. In that case, you can try to disable this feature to resolve the problem. If you use Google Chrome, you can follow the below steps to disable hardware acceleration:

1. Firstly, click on the three-dot menu and select the Settings option.
2. Now, click on the Advanced > System section.
3. Then, disable the option named Use hardware acceleration when available.

In a similar manner, you can disable hardware acceleration in Firefox and Microsoft Edge. See if this fixes the issues for you.

See: Fix Twitch 3000 Media resource decoding error.

5] Disable unnecessary browser extensions

The freezing issues with Twitch might be caused due to problematic or suspicious extensions installed in your web browser. Some affected users have reportedly fixed freezing and other issues with Twitch by disabling browser extensions. You can turn off web extensions in Google Chrome by following the below steps:

1. Firstly, click on the three-dot menu present at the top-right corner of the Chrome browser.
2. Next, press the More Tools > Extensions option.
3. After that, disable the toggle for suspicious web extensions.

Similarly, you can disable browser extensions in Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and other browsers.

6] Disable Antivirus

You might be encountering freezing issues on Twitch if your antivirus is blocking it. So, try disabling your antivirus and see if the problem is resolved. If yes, the problem is most likely with your antivirus. You can try switching your antivirus to some other nice antivirus.

If the problem still persists, try the next potential fix to resolve the issues.

Read: Fix: Twitch Error Loading Data.

7] Flush your DNS

In case you are dealing with the corrupted DNS cache, you might experience freezing issues on Twitch. If the scenario is applicable, you should be able to resolve the problem by flushing the DNS. Here are the steps to do that:

1. First, launch the Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Now, type the following command in CMD:

    ipconfig /flushdns

3. Finally, press the Enter button to execute the command.

When the DNS cache is successfully cleared, check whether the problem is fixed now.

8] Switch to a public DNS server

If flushing the DNS doesn’t help, try changing the DNS server to a public DNS server. For example, you can use Google DNS server which is reliable, secure, and fast. Here are the steps to change the DNS server to the Google DNS server:

1. Firstly, right-click on the WiFi icon and select Network & internet settings.
2. Now, scroll down and click on the Advanced network settings option.
3. On the next page, click on More network adapter options.
4. Next, right-click on the network you are using and choose the Properties option.
5. After that, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and tap on Properties.
6. Then, choose the Use the following DNS server addresses option and enter the following values in respective fields:
   Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
   Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
7. Finally, press the OK button.

You can try opening Twitch now and see if the problem is resolved.

Read: How to fix Twitch Error 2000 successfully.

9] Close unnecessary background apps

If there are too many background applications running on your PC, it can cause buffering or lagging issues on Twitch as they might be using some of your bandwidth. Hence, try closing all the unnecessary background programs and then check whether the problem is fixed now. To close background applications, open the Task Manager using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc hotkey and then select a program that you want to close. After that, click on the End Task button. Hopefully, you won’t receive buffering or laughing issues on Twitch anymore.

Does low bandwidth cause buffering?

Low bandwidth causes buffering. Slow internet connections are the primary cause of buffering while streaming videos. To fix this issue, use a high-speed internet connection. If you have an ethernet cable, connect your system or Smart TV with an ethernet cable. Lowering the video quality can also fix the buffering issue.

That’s it!

Now read: Fix Hulu keeps buffering or freezing on Windows.