Why do Youtube videos pause on their own?

The experience of viewing a video through Youtube It can be very annoying and frustrating when the content in question stops unexpectedly and without explanation. For what reasons does this happen? Why do Youtube videos pause on their own? Sometimes we also find a choppy playback or that is unable to advance beyond a certain point ... And that, as you well know, is very irritating.

If we usually watch videos on this platform for fun or entertainment, these annoying pauses are just another nuisance. A nuisance, a problem to solve, yes, but nothing serious. On the other hand, if we are turning to YouTube for help or information on a particular topic, or even for professional reasons, there is no doubt that we are facing a real problem. The need to remedy thus becomes an urgent need.

The solution of these YouTube malfunctions can be very simple, but sometimes things can get complicated. Then it becomes a slow and cumbersome process. This is because the causes can be multiple and not always easy to identify.

Suddenly YouTube refuses to download a video, or the image freezes while listening to the audio, or the playback is continuously interrupted to our despair ... This is one of the Youtube errors more common. Surely if you are reading this it is because you have encountered these types of problems.

And we say "problems", in the plural, because there are many possible situations, all different. It is very likely that the explanation for these imbalances is in a slow Internet connection at a certain moment. But it can also be a specific problem of the video that we are playing at that moment, of the browser that we are using or even of our own computer.

Possible causes and solutions of the problem

While it is true that there are many possible causes, in most cases the answer to Why do Youtube videos pause on their own? It lies in one of the reasons that we are going to list below. To solve this question, the method to follow is to try each one of them until we find the appropriate solution to our problem:

App update

If we view YouTube videos from our phones and tablets, it is very possible that we have overlooked the need to update the application to its latest version. It is possible that in most videos this does not suppose any conflict, but in others we will find the aforementioned problems of eternal pauses and frozen images.

The solution: download the latest update from Youtube. Simpler, impossible.

Buffering

Buffering is a very practical resource, as it occurs even when the video has not finished loading and the display has not even started. It must be said that the buffer is a memory space in which data is stored so that the program that needs it to run does not run out of data during a transfer.

But buffering, which is in principle positive and convenient, sometimes has certain disadvantages. For example, playback may stop frequently, making viewing quite uncomfortable.

The solution: the easiest and fastest way is to pause and wait for the video to finish loading. It is what common sense dictates and what we all do when we see ourselves in that position. At the same time, the progress of the load can be checked by observing the color of the location bar. Light gray means the video is uploaded, black means it is not.

Connection errors

To function in a correct and smooth way, Youtube requires an internet connection of at least 500 Kbps. Anything less than this is a sure guarantee to end up experiencing all kinds of playback errors. On some occasions, the connection is interrupted momentarily. In those cases, all you have to do is wait for it to reestablish itself. It is also not a bad idea to run a speed test to see what the situation is, or to reboot the router.

Other times, the thing is not so simple, because it may happen that our connection to the network is very slow in itself, without there being any possibility of increasing it. The video is uploaded correctly, but the playback is paused and does not flow completely. What to do in those cases?

The solution: A practical alternative is to try to play the video in a lower quality, since the lower the video quality, the less bandwidth will be required. We will change the resolution from 4K to 1080p, 720p or even lower by clicking on the gear or cogwheel icon at the bottom right of the screen.

Cache

When a video is playing, in the cache memory of our browser the data is loaded automatically. On some occasions we may find that an unfinished or incomplete version of the video in question is being loaded into our cache. This may stop the video from loading in our browser.

The solution: In this case it is very easy. Simply access the options or configuration page of our browser to clear the cache and cookies. By doing this, everything will return to its place.

Other problems and solutions

There are still many other reasons that lead us to wonder why YouTube videos pause themselves. For example, if we are playing online games, downloading files or executing any other activity while we are trying to watch a video of this platform, it is very likely that we have the odd little problem.

Another cause may be a wrong firewall configuration. Sometimes the antivirus can interpret in an excess of zeal that YouTube is not a reliable source. We may also need to update the Adobe Flash Player version in our browser (Youtube uses Flash to play its videos).

Some more solutions: Uninstall and reinstall the flash player, try different browsers ... Or use a tool with which to download YouTube videos. The two most interesting are these:

• WinX YouTube Downloader, which allows us to download videos to watch them offline. This is a completely free resource. This program is capable of downloading any YouTube video in 4K, 1080p and 720p resolution. Download link: WinX Youtube Downloader.
• WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe, to download and convert YouTube videos and watch them later on any other device. Download link: WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe.

Video paused, keep playing?

There is another reason that makes us wonder why YouTube videos are pausing on their own. Sometimes when we are watching video in the background for a long period of time, the player suddenly stops. And the message that appears on the screen is the following: «Video paused. Keep playing?

Google decided to implement this pause mechanism in order to avoid producing more reproductions than desired by the user. For example, many times we start a playlist and forget to stop it. The situation is easily resolved. To continue, just click or tap on the screen. But performing this simple operation can be annoying or inconvenient in certain circumstances: when our hands are busy doing some other task, when we are driving, etc.

A good way to solve these situations is to install the Youtube NonStop extension for Chrome, which is very easy to use and it is also free. Thanks to this, YouTube will answer its own question ("Video paused. Keep playing?") With a yes. We will only notice a brief second of pause, after which the playback will continue as normal. It's that simple, without the need for us to press anything or interact with the screen of our device.

If you dare to try this extension, here is the link: Youtube NonStop for Chrome.

If instead of Chrome we use Safari To watch videos on YouTube, we may very well need to activate some Plug-Ins. This is how to proceed in this case:

1. We open Safari.
2. In the main menu we click on "Preferences" and then in "Security".
3. Next we go to "Internet Plug-ins" and there we select "Allow plug-ins".

And if the means you use to play YouTube videos is Firefox, the steps to follow to solve this problem are the following:

1. First we go to the menu "Options".
2. From there we open the option "Advanced" and then we select "General".
3. Within this menu we will click on the option "Exploration".
   There we will proceed to deactivate the option that appears described as "Use Hardware Acceleration When Available".