Why is YouTube So Slow?

YouTube is a video sharing platform that allows users to view, like, share, comment and upload videos. YouTube is the most popular search engine apart from Google. Videos can be accessed by PCs, laptops, tablets and mobile phones. Its simplicity is the reason why YouTube so slow has been so popular over the years. It makes it easy for people to share their content with a large audience. As a result, you can choose from a wide range of content to view. They upload more than 100 hours of video per minute to YouTube.

When millions of people try to upload the videos on YouTube simultaneously, there will be a lag in the YouTube server, which makes YouTube slow. Go through the article to know the reasons for “Why is YouTube Slow to load” and troubleshoot your issues.

Why is YouTube Running Slow?

The main reason for YouTube very slow is that you have a slow internet connection, which may affect your YouTube experience. 

If your internet speed is fast, YouTube server issues will be the accountability for your slow streaming speed.

The most frequent causes of the delayed loading problem on YouTube are listed below:

1. Massive load on YouTube servers
2. Wi-Fi router or internet connection problems
3. Browser Cache 
4. Using VPN

Checking Stats for Nerds:

YouTube going slow can be solved by activating the built-in feature “Stats For Nerds” to view wide information like connection speed, network activity, buffer health etc. It won’t make your videos faster, but it helps make it easier for you to pinpoint the issue and ways to fix it.

Try the steps that are listed below to view Stats for Nerds on your phone:

For an iPhone:

1. Turn on Stats for Nerds by clicking the “Settings” option on YouTube
2. After playing the video, choose “Three dot” present in the top-right corner
3. Now select “Stats for Nerds”

For Android:

1. Click the “Settings” option
2. Select “General”
3. Now turn on “Stats for Nerds”
4. After watching the video, choose “Three dot” available in the top-right corner
5. Choose “Stats for Nerds”

Checking Internet Speed:

When you experience YouTube loads slow, try to check the internet speed. Because the bad internet connection will show the lower quality of YouTube videos loading slow chrome or playback errors. You may test the internet speed by clicking any websites available in the browser.

500kbps is the minimum speed required for YouTube to play your recommended videos. If your network speed is below that, disconnect your internet on your devices or move close to the router. If it doesn’t help, you can contact your internet service provider and tell them your issues.

Clear Cache On Browsers:

Caches are the temporary files which are stored on the computer when you click a website. Loading more caches on your browser will make YouTube slow to start videos, so it is better to delete the caches regularly on your browsers. Following are the ways to delete your caches.

For YouTube so slow On Google Chrome:

You can solve the Chrome YouTube slow by following the below- mentioned steps:

1. On your computer, use the Google Chrome
2. Click the Menu (three-dot) button which is present in the top- right corner
3. Select “Clear browsing data” under “More tools”
4. Below the Basic tab, list the time range 
5. Select “All time” to delete everything
6. Select “Clear data” 

Now your cache will be cleared and so your YouTube may not be slow.

For YouTube so slow On Safari:

1. On your device, Open “Safari”
2. Select “Safari” from the menu list at the top of the screen.
3. Choose “Reset Safari” and select all the boxes
4. Now select the restart button

For YouTube so slow On Firefox:

1. Open Firefox
2. From the menu, select “Firefox section again”
3. Choose the “Preferences” option
4. Select “Advanced tab”
5. Choose “Network Option”
6. Select “Cached web content”
7. Clear them by selecting the “Clear now button”

Change URL:

One of the simplest and the easiest tricks to make YouTube load the videos faster is by changing the URL. Try to follow the below tip to overcome the issues:

1. Open your browser
2. Now open YouTube 
3. Find the video that you want to see
4. Select the URL or address bar to edit
5. Remove www and type ca

For example: Your original URL seems to be like . By editing the URL, it becomesThe edited version will give you the higher video quality.

YouTube at Low Quality:

Changing the video quality is the simplest way to load the videos on YouTube. If you are using the auto settings, and still facing YouTube slow issues, try to change the video quality by selecting the manual option. If you want to watch the video at 720p, you must have an internet speed of 512kps or 1 Mbps. 

For 1080p to 4k, you should have a constant download speed of 1 to 2 Mbps.

But if your internet is slow, then you can change your settings to low quality like 240p or 360p.

Browser Update:

Apart from your phone, you can browse and watch YouTube videos on your PC, laptops etc. An outdated version of the web browser can cause YouTube slow down your computers. The older version of the browser causes issues like video freezing, buffering, crashing, etc. Hence check the latest update and try to install it on your computers. 

Update your web browser to keep away from YouTube being slow by following the below-mentioned tips:

1. Open “Chrome Browser”
2. Select “Menu”
3. Click “Help”
4. Choose “About Google Chrome”
5. It checks and installs the new version automatically on your computer 

For YouTube so slow Reboot your Router

It is possible for YouTube loading slow even when you have a fast internet. It might happen due to the scheduled reboot which you haven’t performed for a long time. 

Now you have to perform the manual reboot so that your router works effectively. Following are the steps to perform a manual reboot:

1. Disconnect your modem or router from the switch port
2. You have to wait a minute so that the router cools down
3. After that, connect the router or modem to the switch port
4. Wait for the internet connection to come

Now play the YouTube videos, and you will experience the speed and best quality of your videos. 

Conclusion:

This article will help you to understand the issue of “Why is YouTube Slow?” and how to troubleshoot them. First, try to check what causes your YouTube acting slow? Is the problem only with you or everyone facing it? If the problem is only with you, try to follow the above-mentioned methods to solve your issues. If the problem is faced by everyone, then the issue is on the YouTube server. They will check and solve the issues to enjoy watching your videos!