YouTube audio out of sync [Fix]

Some users keep experiencing desync, lag and delay issues between audio and video on YouTube. These issues are reported to occur on both PCs as well as other devices like Smart TV, Roku TV, etc.

This can be caused due to several reasons. One of the primary reasons could be the fact that your internet connection is weak which is why you are facing audio out-of-syn issues while watching high-quality YouTube videos. Other than that, PC users might experience this issue if their device drivers are outdated or due to bulked-up browsing data. Outdated YouTube app, enabled hardware acceleration in the browser, and faulty content can be other reasons for the same problem. In any case, we got you covered. Here, we will be discussing different working fixes that will help you fix YouTube audio desync issues on PC and TV.

How do I fix audio delay on YouTube?

If audio is delayed or is not in sync with the video on your YouTube, make sure you are well connected to a stable and healthy internet connection. Besides that, ensure that the content of the video is not faulty. You can also try updating your graphics and audio drivers, clearing the browser cache and cookies, disabling hardware acceleration in your web browser, or reinstalling the YouTube app to fix the issue.

Fix YouTube audio out of sync on Windows PC

If you are experiencing sync issues with audio and video on YouTube, you can use the below solutions to fix the problems:

1. Make sure your video and audio drivers are up-to-date.
2. Try playing other YouTube videos.
3. Check for network connection issues.
4. Clear browser cache and cookies.
5. Disable hardware acceleration in your web browser.
6. Update or reinstall YouTube (if applicable).
7. Use an alternative browser.

1] Make sure your video and audio drivers are up-to-date

The first thing you should ensure is that the problem is not caused due to a driver issue. If your graphics, audio, and other device drivers are outdated or corrupted. Hence, make sure that your device drivers especially graphics and audio drivers are up-to-date. You can update them via Windows Settings. Here’s how:

• First, open Settings using Win+I and go to the Windows Update tab.
• Now, click on Advanced options and then press the Optional updates option.
• Next, check if there are device driver updates available. If so, tick the driver update checkboxes and then click on the Download & install button.
• Once the updates are downloaded, restart your PC to complete the installation process.

On the next startup, the audio sync issues with YouTube should be fixed now.

TIP: Do check whether this audio and video out-of-sync issue is generic on your PC or not. If it is specifically with YouTube, follow the next fix.

2] Try playing other YouTube videos

The fault might be with the specific YouTube video that you are trying to watch. Hence, to rule out such a possibility, watch other YouTube videos and check if the problem remains the same. If not, you can be sure that the content itself was faulty. However, if the issue persists throughout all YouTube videos, move on to the next solution.

Read: YouTube keeps pausing itself

3] Check for network connection issues

Since you need a high-speed internet connection to stream or watch high-quality YouTube videos, it might be a network connection issue causing the problem. Your internet connection might be laggy which is why the audio and video on YouTube are out of sync. There can be some other network problems at your end. Hence, make sure that your internet connection is stable and reliable. Also, you can troubleshoot WiFi issues to fix the problem.

Read: Fix common YouTube Upload errors.

4] Clear browser cache and cookies

If you are watching YouTube in a web browser on your PC and facing this issue, it could be old, corrupted, and bulked-up cache and cookies data causing the problem. It is a known fact that outdated or broken browser data cause performance issues in browsers. So, if the scenario is applicable, delete the browser cache and cookies and check if the issue is fixed.

If you use one of the following web browsers including Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, you can check out the steps to clear cache and cookies below.

Google Chrome:

• First, open your Google Chrome browser and click on the three-dot menu option.
• Next, press the More tools > Clear browsing data option or hit the Ctrl+Shift+Delete hotkey to quickly clear browsing data.
• After that, make sure you have set the Time range to All time and tick the Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files checkboxes.
• Finally, press the Clear data button and restart Chrome to check if the audio is still out of sync on YouTube or not.

Microsoft Edge:

• First, open your Edge browser and click on the Settings and more (three-dot menu button) > History option. Or, quickly press the CTRL+H hotkey.
• In the appeared History panel, tap on the three-dot menu button and click on the Clear browsing data option.
• Now, choose All time as the Time range and tick the Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files checkboxes.
• Next, press the Clear now button and relaunch your browser.
• Finally, open YouTube and check if the problem is gone.

See: YouTube Audio renderer error, Please restart your computer.

5] Disable hardware acceleration in your web browser

Hardware acceleration is a useful feature using which you can utilize your GPU to further boost the performance of your browser, especially during video streaming and watching. But, in some instances, this feature may not work as intended and give your issues like YouTube audio desync issues. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can disable the hardware acceleration feature in your web browser and check if the issue is resolved.

Google Chrome:

• First, open your Chrome browser and tap on the three-dot menu button present at the top-right corner.
• Next, select the Settings option and navigate to the System tab from the left-side pane.
• After that, you will see a Use hardware acceleration when available option in the right-side pane; simply disable the toggle associated with it.
• Once done, relaunch Chrome and open YouTube to see if the problem is fixed.

Microsoft Edge:

• First, open the Microsoft Edge browser, press the Settings and more (three-dot menu button) option, and click on the Settings option.
• After that, move to the System and performance tab.
• Now, turn off the toggle associated with the Use hardware acceleration when available option.
• You can now restart Edge and then try playing YouTube videos and see if they are still out of sync or not.

See: You’re offline, Check your connection on YouTube.

6] Update or reinstall YouTube (if applicable)

If you have installed the YouTube app from Microsoft Store and you are facing this issue, it might be the case that the app version is out-of-date. Hence, you can try updating the YouTube app and see if the problem is resolved.

In case updating the app doesn’t help, the app might be corrupted. So, you can uninstall and then reinstall the app to fix the issue. To uninstall YouTube, open Settings using Win+I, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select YouTube, click on the three-dot menu button present next to it, and choose Uninstall. After that, follow the prompted instructions, and the YouTube app will be removed from your PC. You can now reboot your computer and reinstall YouTube from Microsoft Store. Hopefully, you won’t face this issue anymore.

7] Use an alternative browser

Browser users can try switching to a different web browser to watch YouTube. For example, you can switch to Chrome if you are currently using Edge. And, likewise.

Fix YouTube TV audio out of sync issue

In case you are facing an out-of-sync audio issue on the YouTube app on your TV, there can be different reasons behind it, like network connectivity issues, corrupted device cache, outdated YouTube app cache, outdated app, etc. Now, below are the solutions to fix the issue:

1. Restart your TV.
2. Make sure your internet connection is stable.
3. Clear the app cache.
4. Try changing the audio format to PCM.
5. Update or reinstall YouTube TV App.

1] Restart your TV

The first thing to fix the audio desync issue on YouTube is to reboot your TV. Some temporary issues like bulked up system cache, etc., might be causing this problem on your TV. Hence, you can try restarting your TV.

If a simple restart doesn’t work, perform a power cycle on your device. To do that, shut down your TV, unplug your device from the power source, and wait for at least a minute. After that, connect the power cord to your TV and turn it on. Once your TV is restarted, open YouTube and check if the problem is resolved.

2] Make sure your internet connection is stable

A laggy or unstable internet connection can very well facilitate this issue. So, ensure that your TV is connected to an active and stable internet connection.

3] Clear the app cache

Another solution that is likely to fix the problem for you is to clear the cache for the YouTube app on your TV. This issue might be occurring due to an outdated or corrupted app cache. So, clear the cache and see if the problem is fixed. If you are using an Android TV, here are the steps to clear your YouTube cache:

• First, from the home screen, go to the Settings option.
• Now, click on the Apps option and then select the See all apps option.
• After that, choose the YouTube app and then click on the Clear cache option.
• Next, press the OK button on the confirmation dialog.
• Once the cache is cleared, reopen YouTube and see if the problem is resolved.

Read: YouTube not working on laptop.

4] Try changing the audio format to PCM

You can also try switching to PCM audio format and see if it helps. You can simply open the sound settings on your TV and change the audio format. Check if it helps resolve the audio and video desync issues on YouTube or not.

5] Update or reinstall YouTube TV App

In case none of the above solutions worked for you, update your YouTube app to its latest version on your TV. If that doesn’t work, you can uninstall and then reinstall the YouTube app on your TV.

Why is YouTube not syncing across devices?

If you can’t see your downloaded offline YouTube videos on other devices, check if you have logged into the device with the same account that you used for downloading content. Apart from that, make sure you are using the latest version of the YouTube app on all your devices.

Now read: Fix Twitch Audio delay, lag, or out of sync issues.