Fix: ‘The Media Could Not Be Loaded’ Error In Chrome

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Several of our readers wrote to us about the error message ‘The Media Could Not Be Loaded’ The full error message says, “The media could not be loaded because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported.”

Let’s admit it! At some point, we’ve all been on the Internet, found a video we wanted to watch, and tried to play it, only to get an error message. When playing videos in a web browser on Windows, users often get error messages like “Error Loading Player” or “The Media Could Not be Loaded.”

Fix: ‘The Media Could Not Be Loaded’ Error In Chrome

Change Your DNS Server

You may also get the “the media could not be loaded” error if your ISP has put limits on what you can and cannot do. This is more likely to happen if you are using Wi-Fi in a place like a library or college, where rules might be in place.

You have to change your DNS server if you don’t want this to happen. It’s easy to change DNS servers on Windows 11 if you’re using a device that runs Windows. People who use macOS can change their DNS settings in the same way.

Update Chrome

• If you are unsure if your browser is updated, click on the three vertical dots in Chrome’s top-right corner.
• Navigate to Help > About Google Chrome.
• If the browser isn’t updated with the auto-updates not turned off, it will automatically search for available updates and update itself to the latest version.
• Enable Chrome auto-updates to prevent the same issue from occurring again. If Chrome is already on the latest version, you will see a message saying, “Chrome is up to date.”

Disable or Enable Your VPN

VPNs protect your privacy, but they can sometimes get in the way of your browsing. So, turn off the VPN on your browser if you are trying to watch the video while it is on. This fix also works the other way around, so if you weren’t using a VPN before, you can access the video by using one now.

Access to certain media embeds is sometimes limited in certain places. This won’t be possible if you use a VPN connection. When turning off or on the VPN doesn’t fix the problem, it’s time to clear the cache and history of the browser.

Clear Your Browser’s Cache and History

1. Press Ctrl + H to open Chrome’s History page.
2. Click on Clear browsing data on the left-sidebar.
3. Check the boxes for Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files.
4. Hit the Clear data button

Disable Ad-Blocker Extensions

Ad-blocker extensions stop ads from showing up on websites by messing with the script of the site. Because of this, some site content might not load correctly or HTML tags like the video> tag might not run, causing the error we’re talking about. Turning these extensions off temporarily might help fix the problem.

1. Click on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
2. Go to More tools > Extensions.
3. Find the ad-blocker extensions in the installed extensions.
4. Use the toggle to disable the extension, or hit Remove to uninstall it from Chrome.

Check Your Internet Connection

The media file might not load right on Google Chrome if there are problems with the internet connection. We suggest that you check the speed of your internet connection on your device to make sure that there are no problems with the network. With the help of the Internet Speed Tester, it’s easy to find out how fast your internet connection is.

Reset Google Chrome

• Click on the three dots icon.
• Open Settings on the Chrome.
• Scroll down, and you will see the option of Reset Settings.
• Select Reset Settings to their original defaults.
• Now, select Reset Settings.
• Wait for the process to get completed. That’s it.

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