How to Fix YouTube Videos not Playing on Safari Browser?

As one of the most popular videos is compatible with all major browsers, including Safari from Apple, YouTube has become the go-to source for streaming videos for practically all types of content. It is not only the go-to streaming destination for entertainment videos but also all kinds of educational and utility content.

It’s depressing to imagine a situation without YouTube. A glimpse of that can be seen when you cannot play a YouTube video on Safari.

Several difficulties, including clashing ad blockers, extensions, inadequate internet, and others, can cause playing errors on YouTube if you’re using Safari. It’s also possible that YouTube is at fault. We’ve put together a list of the most prevalent solutions on how to fix youtube videos not playing on safari.

14 Methods to Fix YouTube Videos Not Playing On Safari

Following are the ways to fix safari not playing YouTube videos. You can also check our article on how to fix safari videos not playing on mac.

Ensure Safari Loads other Websites

Your internet connection is fine if you’re reading this through Safari. You have the option to skip forward to the next solution. Open Safari on Mac and go to a website if you’re reading this on another browser or device.

Is it effective? If so, proceed to the next step. If not, find out how to get the internet to function on your Mac.

Perform a Speed Test

Simply put, YouTube is fantastic and works well even with slow connections (with reduced video quality). Perform a short speed test if Safari isn’t playing YouTube videos on your Mac.

Visit fast.com on Safari and allow it to evaluate your internet bandwidth speed. If it is approximately a few Mbps, you are good to go.

If it is less than that or shows a ‘poor’ result than that, YouTube won’t work correctly. Contact your internet service provider without

Ensure YouTube is Not Down

If you suddenly can’t play videos, the problem is probably not on your end. Instead, YouTube is experiencing some technical difficulties.

To see if YouTube is down, conduct a search for “is YouTube down.” Choose from a variety of web search results, such as:

• Down Detector
• Is The Service Down

If YouTube is down for a large number of people, kindly wait until they repair the problem.

Force Quit Safari & Relaunch it

If none of the above-mentioned solutions worked for you, it’s time to force quite a safari and relaunch it. Follow these easy steps to do so:

1. Press the Command + Option + Esc keys together to the Force Quit menu. Alternatively, you can also click the Apple logo at the top left and select Force Quit.
2. Now, Select Safari and click Force Quit.
3. After 15 seconds or so, open Safari again and check if YouTube loads appropriately.

Try Restarting Your Mac

This method is one of the critical (yet underappreciated) solutions. Several minor issues that your Mac picks up through regular use can be fixed with a restart.

To do so, go to the ‘Apple’ logo in the upper left corner and select Restart. Try using YouTube in Safari once your Mac has booted up. It should run without a hitch.

Simply click on the Apple logo and choose Restart.

Restart Your Wi-Fi Router

When I lived in a shared place, YouTube would occasionally not load in Safari on my Mac when using the establishment’s Wi-Fi. Restarting the router worked a lot of times.

If the problem persists after trying the following remedies, try rebooting your home or workplace Wi-Fi router.

Turn Off VPN on Mac

Do you have a VPN installed on your Mac or Wi-Fi router? Though YouTube is not as rigorous as other streaming sites such as Hotstar, Netflix, and others, we recommend disabling your VPN for a more uninterrupted experience.

Clear YouTube Cache and Cookies

Try cleaning YouTube cache and cookies as they may also be the reason for hindering YouTube from playing videos. Follow these steps:

1. Launch Safari, press Command +, (comma), or from the top menu, click on Preferences.
2. Select Privacy Manage website data from Safari Preferences.
3. Go to youtube.com or search for it in the search bar.
4. Click Remove next to youtube.com. After that, click Done.
5. To exit Safari, press Command + Q. Relaunch it after a few seconds and try using YouTube. It ought to work.

Disable the content blocker in Safari

A content blocker could possibly be causing this problem, so to be safe, disable it by following these steps:

1. Open Safari and type youtube.com into the address box. It’s fine if YouTube doesn’t fully load.
2. Select Settings for This Website from Safari and uncheck Enable content blocks.
3. Now press Command + Q to exit Safari. Relaunch it after a few seconds and go to YouTube.

Turn off the Ad Blocker In Safari

If you’re using an ad blocker on Safari, make sure it’s turned off completely. Add YouTube.com to the safelist. This will ensure that you are not unable to watch YouTube due to conflicting codes.

Tip: If you really must use an ad blocker, but there is one that doesn’t work with YouTube, try a new one.

Remove YouTube-specific extensions

I primarily use YouTube on Safari too, and I use the fantastic Enhancer for YouTube plugin. Scripts may interfere if you use a Safari extension for YouTube.

Remove the extension to repair the problem. (Deleting and reinstalling it, as well as updating Safari, may help.)

Ensure JavaScript is enabled

It is activated by default. However, it’s possible that you disabled it when tinkering with the options. So, let’s double-check that it’s turned on.

1. Press Command + while on Safari (comma).
2. Select Preferences from the top menu bar by clicking Safari.
3. Go to Security and check the box next to Enable JavaScript.
4. Make sure JavaScript is enabled in Safari Preferences.

Update Safari to Latest Version

Safari receives regular upgrades from Apple to ensure that it continues to function correctly. Update your Safari browser to address the YouTube issue. This issue may be resolved once the Safari gets updated

Switch to a Different Web Browser.

Finally, if nothing else seems to be working, try using a different browser for a while. Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and other browsers are available. They will very certainly be able to play YouTube videos.

Conclusion

This is how you may fix the YouTube not working in Safari on Mac problem. We hope the suggestions above were helpful in resolving the issue. Don’t forget to share all your tech-related problems as well as your suggestions and comments in the comment section below.

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