Streaming has become a rage and there is no denying it. Multiple streaming platforms have come up giving us a lot of choices in selecting the best. Most users stream their content on web browsers. It provides a lot of conveniences as we can watch it anywhere on our laptops. Some users who are streaming content on Google Chrome are facing an error while trying to play videos. In this guide, we show you a few ways to fix Error loading media, File could not be played in Chrome.
Error loading media, File could not be played in Chrome
If you see Error loading media, File could not be played message on Chrome while playing a video, you can follow the below methods to fix it. This error seems to have been occurring with videos streaming on the JW Video player. In any case, the fixes will help you fix it.
- Update Google Chrome
- Disable extensions
- Clear browsing history, cache, and cookies
- Reset Chrome Settings to Default
- Try another browser or player
Let’s get into the details of each method and fix the issue.
The media could not be loaded in Chrome
1] Update Google Chrome
The first method to fix the Error loading media, File could not be played error on Chrome is to check for updates of the browser. There might be a bug that occurred with the previous update causing the error. It can be fixed by updating the browser to the latest version.
To update Google Chrome,
- Click on the three dots on the top-right corner of the screen.
- Go to Help and select About Google Chrome by hovering on it.
- If the installed version isn’t the latest version of Google Chrome, the browser will start checking for and updating automatically.
See if it has fixed the error.
Read: Chrome browser won’t update on Windows 11/10
2] Disable extensions
The extensions you have installed on Google Chrome might be interfering with the JW Video Player on Chrome and causing the error. You need to try playing the video in an incognito window. If you are able to play it without an error, then it is caused by the extension you have installed. You need to disable one after another and find the culprit and remove that extension from Google Chrome.
To disable or remove extensions on Google Chrome,
- Click on the three-dot button on the toolbar and select More.
- Then, go to More tools and Extensions.
- You will see Disable and Remove options besides the extensions you have installed. Click on Disable to disable an extension or Remove to remove it permanently.
3] Clear browsing history, cache, and cookies
The other way to fix the video playing error on Chrome is to clear the browsing history, cache, and cookies. It gives a fresh start to the browser and the website you are accessing to play the video.
To clear browsing history, cache, and cookies on Google Chrome,
- Click on the three-dot button on the toolbar
- Select the More tools option
- Click on Clear browsing data.
- Finally, select the items that you want to be deleted, History, Cookies, and Cache.
- Click Clear data
- Restart the Chrome browser and try playing the video.
It should fix the issue you are facing on Chrome.
4] Reset Chrome Settings to Default
There might be some issues in the settings that are making it hard to play videos without any issues. You need to reset the Chrome settings to default to make the settings go to default mode and not cause any error while playing media.
To reset Chrome Settings to Default,
- Click on the three-dot button on the toolbar.
- Select Settings and then click on Advanced.
- Click on Rest and cleanup.
- Select Reset settings to their original defaults.
- Then, click Reset settings.
Your Chrome settings will now go to default which might fix the issue.
5] Try another browser or player
If none of the above methods can fix the issue, you need to try playing the video on another browser or stream the link on a media player.
How do I fix the video not playing on Chrome?
If a video is not playing on Chrome, you need to check the internet connection first and then, see if the video is available to play or not. Then, check for the updates of Chrome, clear history, cookies, and cache, and disable extensions. Any of them can fix the issue and make the video play on Chrome.
How do I fix error loading media file Cannot be played?
To fix this error in the Google Chrome browser, you need to update the browser first if it has not been updated for a very long time. Then, you must disable all the extensions so that you can verify if the extensions are causing the issue not. Next, you can clear the site data and reset the Chrome browser as well.
Related read: Hulu not working on Chrome.
