Short answer: if videos in Chrome are choppy, freeze, flicker, or show a black picture while the sound keeps playing, try turning off graphics acceleration: select More (the three dots at the top right), then Settings, then System, turn off Use graphics acceleration when available, and relaunch Chrome. If the video keeps stopping to load (buffering), Google says your internet connection can be the cause, so restart your modem and router.
This page is for videos that play but play badly. If a video won’t start at all, or you only see a blank player or a gray box, see what to do when Chrome won’t play videos.
Choppy video or a black picture: turn graphics acceleration off
When there is a problem with how your computer’s hardware works with Chrome, Google’s Chrome Help says to turn graphics acceleration off:
- Select More, then Settings.
- Select System.
- Turn off Use graphics acceleration when available. Google’s help page still calls it Use hardware acceleration when available.
- Select Relaunch, or close and reopen Chrome.
Try the video again. If it is worse, or other things get slower, turn the setting back on. To see what Chrome is using for video, type chrome://gpu into the address bar; it lists whether each graphics feature is hardware accelerated. More detail: how to turn hardware acceleration on or off in Chrome.
Choppy only on battery: check Energy Saver
On a laptop or Chromebook, Chrome’s Energy Saver can kick in when the computer is unplugged or the battery is low. Google’s Performance settings help says you may notice changes in video performance while it is on.
- To turn it off for now, select the Energy Saver icon next to the address bar, then Turn off now.
- To change it for good, select More, then Settings, then Performance, and turn Energy Saver off, or choose when it turns on.
Energy Saver never turns on while the computer is plugged in. More detail: Chrome’s Energy Saver explained.
Video keeps buffering
Google’s video troubleshooting help says your internet network can cause video problems. To restart your connection:
- Turn off your computer.
- Unplug your modem, and your wireless router if it is a separate box.
- Wait about one minute.
- Plug the modem back in and wait until its lights stop blinking. Then do the same with the router.
- Turn on your computer and try the video again.
Check your extensions
Google says some video problems are caused by extensions. To test this, open the video in an Incognito window. If it plays smoothly there:
- In a normal window, select More, then Extensions, then Manage extensions.
- Turn off all your extensions and reload the video.
- Turn them back on one at a time, reloading after each, until the problem comes back. Remove that extension.
Update Chrome
Google says some videos need the latest version of Chrome. Select More; if you see Update Google Chrome, select it, then Relaunch. See how to update Chrome for every device.
Paid streaming services look low quality
On Windows and ChromeOS, some streaming sites use a protected content identifier on your device to play better quality video. If you have told Chrome not to share it, Google’s protected content help says the quality of some movies and music may be lower. To check, go to Settings, then Privacy and security, then Site settings, then Additional content settings, then Protected content IDs, and make sure sites are allowed to use identifiers to play protected content.