Is Your Youtube Slow? Fix it With 4 Simple Hacks

In certain situations, a user can encounter various types of issues on the Youtube app. And slow loading of Youtube videos is one of them. 

Most of the time, this issue is caused by server-related errors and problems. However, in a few cases, the Youtube slow issue is triggered by browser problems and setting misconfigurations. 

Now, if you are one of those users who is encountering this slow loading issue on the system,  then follow this article. Here, we have provided every possible way that can fix this issue. But before moving to the solution part, let’s have a look at the main causes of this slow loading issue.

Major Causes of Youtube Slow Issue

There are many problematic factors that can cause this issue on the Youtube page and we have provided some of those here. Have a look at them.

1. Youtube server is running slowly.
2. Heavy traffic on Youtube.
3. Too much Cache files stored in the browser.
4. Slow internet speed.
5. Internet Service Provider is restricting the connection between the Youtube server and CDN (Content Delivery Network).

If you are well aware of the reasons, let’s take a glance at the hacks that can help you mitigate the problem at the earliest.

Ways to Fix the Youtube Slow Issue

In order to resolve the Youtube loading slow issue, you need to follow simple and straightforward solutions. Have a look at them and try to execute them as instructed.

Modify the URL

Most of the time, users are able to resolve this issue by simply changing their region URL. Thus, try to follow the given steps:

1. Open the YouTube video that you want to watch.
2. Then, replace the “www” section of the URL with “ca”.

Now, Youtube should start working normally and you can browse it with ease.

Set Video Quality to Low

Sometimes, due to heavy traffic, the Youtube servers are unable to function properly and thus give out workability error. Now, in that situation, the user needs to reduce the quality of the video to the lowest level. Thus, follow the given steps. 

1. Open the Youtube video and click on the Settings (gear) icon. You will get that icon on the bottom left corner of the Video window.
2. A pop-up menu will appear on the screen. In that menu, you will get the Quality option. Click on that option. 
3. A drop-down menu will appear on the screen with a list of different Video resolutions. From that list, select a lower-quality Video resolution than the one you are currently using.

Now, if the issue still continues then try the next solution which is given in this article.

Remove the Cache

In a few cases, users have noted that the Youtube loading slow issue appears on their system because of the accumulation of temporary data or Cache files. And in order to fix the issue, the user needs to clear out those files.

In the given section, we have provided the steps to do this task in Google Chrome. But if you are using any other browser application, then search online for the detailed steps.

1. Open Google Chrome and click on the More icon. 
2. A drop-down menu will appear on the screen. In that menu, you need to click on the  More Tools option. Then, click on the “Clear browsing data” option. 
3. Now, a new page will load on the screen. On that page, you need to check the box beside the Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data option. And then click on the CLEAR BROWSER DATA button.

Once you have accomplished the task and cleared all the Cache files present on the browser, the problem should be fixed.

Block the Two IP Address Ranges

Usually, a user views the video from the Content Delivery Network (CND) instead of YouTube directly. And a few cases, the Internet Service Providers (ISP) of the user will restrict the connection speed between the user system and the CDN. 

Now, blocking the two IP address ranges for the CDN (173.194.55.0/24 and 206.111.0.0/16) can resolve the slow loading issue. And to do that, you need to follow the given steps.

1. Open the WinX menu by pressing the Windows key + X key. Then, click on the Command Prompt (Admin) option. This will open up the Command Prompt window with the administrator rights
2. In the Command Prompt window, type in the given command lines and hit the Enter key at the end of them:

“netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name=”YouTubeTweak” dir=in action=block remoteip=173.194.55.0/24,206.111.0.0/16 enable=yes”

After completing that task, close the Command Prompt window and look for the issue. 

We hope that our solutions and suggestions are helpful enough to you regarding the Youtube Slow issue. Now, if you need more information on this topic or any other tech-related stuff keep following our upcoming articles.