YouTube video freezes but audio continues [Fixed]

Does your YouTube video freeze but the audio keeps coming? A lot of users have experienced this issue on YouTube in their web browser where the videos freeze in the middle but the sound continues. The issue is mainly reported on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, but it can also occur in other web browsers.

If you are one of the users experiencing the same issue with YouTube videos, this post is for you. Here, we are going to show you methods that will help you fix the problem at hand. So, let’s check out.

Why does my YouTube video keep freezing?

YouTube videos might freeze if there are bulked-up or corrupted cache and cookies in your web browser. Hence, clear your browser cache and cookies to fix the problem. It could also happen due to problematic or suspicious extensions and add-ons. So, disable any such extension in your browser and see if the problem is fixed.

Another reason for the same issue could be the fact that hardware acceleration is enabled in your browser. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, turn off the hardware acceleration feature in your browser. Also, if your GPU drivers are not updated, you are likely to experience this issue. So, update your graphics drivers to fix the problem.

YouTube video freezes but audio continues

If your YouTube freezes in midway but the audio keeps coming, here are the fixes you can try:

1. Try generic fixes.
2. Delete your web browser cache and cookies.
3. Disable browser extensions or add-ons.
4. Disable hardware acceleration.
5. Update your GPU driver.
6. Try a different web browser.

1] Try generic fixes

Before getting into advanced troubleshooting, try some general methods to fix the problem. There could be some temporary glitch in your browser or on YouTube that is causing the issue at hand. In that case, some simple tips and tricks work. Here are the tricks you can try:

• You can try reloading the YouTube video a couple of times and see if the issue is resolved.
• Try restarting your web browser and then open YouTube to check if the problem is gone.
• Check your internet connection and make sure you are connected to a stable and active internet connection.
• You can even try rebooting your PC and see if the problem is fixed.

If the above fixes didn’t help, go ahead and try the below fixes.

Read: YouTube.com Activate Enter Code Error on Xbox One.

2] Delete your web browser cache and cookies

You are likely to face the problem at hand due to the corrupted or bad cache and cookies saved in your web browser. There might be certain cached files or cookies that are causing your YouTube video to freeze. Hence, the first thing you should do is clear cache and cookies data from your web browser. In this post, we are going to show you how to delete cache and cookies in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

To clear browser cache and cookies in Google Chrome, follow the below steps:

1. Firstly, open Google Chrome and press the three-dot menu option available at the top-right corner.
2. Now, tap on the More tools > Clear browsing data option and select All time as the Time range.
3. After that, checkmark the Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files checkboxes. If you want to clear other browsing data, you can do that too.
4. Next, hit the Clear data button and Chrome will delete all the cache and cookies data.
5. When the process is complete, restart your web browser and check if you are able to play the YouTube video without a freezing issue.

Mozilla Firefox users can follow the below steps to clear cache and cookies:

1. First, go to your Firefox browser and from the top-right corner, click on the three-bar menu button.
2. Now, tap on the History and then the Clear recent history option.
3. Next, choose Everything as the Time range.
4. After that, checkmark the Cookies and Cache options, and other data that you want clear out.
5. Then, click on the OK button to delete the browsing data.
6. Lastly, reopen the Firefox browser and check if the problem is fixed or not.

You can follow the below steps to delete cache and cookies in Microsoft Edge:

1. First, go to Edge and click on the Settings and more > Settings option.
2. Now, navigate to the Privacy and services section and locate the Clear browsing data panel in the right-side pane.
3. Next, tap on the Choose what to clear button and then set the Time range as All time.
4. After that, tick the Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files checkboxes.
5. Then, click on the Clear now button and it will delete your cache and cookies.
6. Finally, you can reopen Edge and open YouTube to see if the problem is fixed or not.

If you are facing the issue in Opera, you can clear the Opera cache and cookies to fix the problem. However, if this doesn’t help, try the next potential fix to resolve it.

3] Disable browser extensions or add-ons

Another thing you can do to fix the problem is to disable your browser extensions or add-ons. There might be some suspicious or problematic extensions in your browser that are causing the issue at hand. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, disabling or removing browser extensions and add-ons should help you fix the problem.

Here’s how to disable extensions in Chrome:

1. Firstly, open Chrome and press the three-dot menu option.
2. Now, go to the More tools option and click on the Extensions option.
3. Next, look for suspicious extensions and disable the toggle associated with the extension, one by one.
4. After that, open YouTube and see if the video plays without any issue.

For Firefox users, here are the steps to disable add-ons:

1. Firstly, go to your Firefox browser and click on the three-bar menu button.
2. Next, select the Add-ons and themes option from the appeared menu options.
3. Now, disable the toggles associated with all your add-ons, one by one.
4. Once done, go to YouTube and see if the problem is fixed.

If you use some other web browser, you can follow similar steps to disable extensions or add-ons.

If you still experience the same issue where the YouTube video freezes but the audio continues, you can try the next potential fix.

See: YouTube not connecting to AdSense; Error AS-08, AS-10 OR 500.

4] Disable hardware acceleration

If you have enabled hardware acceleration in your browser, you might face the problem at hand. It is a handy feature but can also trigger issues like YouTube video freezes audio continues. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can try disabling hardware acceleration on your browser and check if the problem is fixed or not.

Chrome users can follow the below steps:

1. First, open Chrome, press the three dots menu button, and then choose the Settings option,
2. Now, keep scrolling towards the bottom of the page and click Advanced.
3. Next, disable the Use hardware acceleration when available option which is present under the System section.
4. After that, reopen Chrome and see if the problem is fixed.

On Firefox, you can try the below steps to disable hardware acceleration:

1. First, go to Firefox and click on three-bar > Options.
2. Now, from the General tab, uncheck the Use recommended performance settings and Use hardware acceleration when available option present under the Performance section.
3. When done, restart Firefox and see if the problem is resolved.

If this method doesn’t work for you, try the next potential fix.

See: How to fix No Sound on YouTube on Windows.

5] Update your GPU driver

It is also recommended to keep your graphics drivers updated to avoid display-related issues. So, if the above methods didn’t work, update your graphics drivers and see if the problem is resolved.

You can use the Optional Updates feature available inside the Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options section. It lets you download and install driver updates. You can also try the Device Manager app to keep your graphics drivers updated. Also, you can get the latest drivers from the official website of your device manufacturer. Or, use free third-party driver updater software.

6] Try a different web browser

If none of the above solutions helps you fix the issue, you can try switching the web browser to play your YouTube videos. In case you are using Chrome, try Firefox and see if the problem remains the same or not. It is a kind of workaround and should help you fix the problem if it is caused due to some glitch or issue in your current browser.

See: 500 Internal Server Error on YouTube explained.

How do you fix a frozen video on YouTube?

If your YouTube video keeps on freezing on your PC, try deleting the web browser cache and cookies to fix the problem. Apart from that, you can also disable your browser extension or add-on, update your graphics driver, or disable hardware acceleration. If that doesn’t help, you can try switching your web browser.

We have mentioned these fixes in detail above in this post. So, check out!

Now read: YouTube is not working or loading on Chrome.