How to Fix Videos that Won't Play on Mac Easily

You are not the only one who spends a considerable amount of time on their computers watching videos. Be it an entire web series you binge on during the weekend or be it YouTube videos, in today’s time, videos are an integral part of our lives. That being said, it can be extremely inconvenient when you suddenly face the issue of videos not playing on Mac.

Whether it is YouTube videos not playing on Mac, or be it the MP4 videos stored on the disk, the issue is really frustrating and you definitely need a quick and effective solution. There are a variety of troubleshooting methods that can help you resolve the issue where videos won’t play on Mac.

In this article, we have discussed the issue of videos not playing on Mac in complete detail. From why it is happening to how to resolve the issue, you can find a detailed guide if you have been facing similar issues. So, simply read on and find out why videos won’t play on Mac and what to do when you face such an issue.

Part 1: Why are videos not playing on Macbook?

Before you go on to resolve the issue of YouTube videos not playing on Mac, you must understand and be aware of the reasons that are causing the issue. You might be seeing a blank screen or error messages that state that you cannot watch a YouTube video. No matter what the case is, it is very frustrating when such an issue ruins your leisure time.

Implementing troubleshooting techniques for such issues is really simple. Although troubleshooting techniques would essentially depend upon the reason causing the issue. It would also depend upon your system specifications. Let us take a look at the most common issues that cause such issues where videos won’t play on Mac.

While those are reasons that may be causing the issue of videos not playing on Mac, it might not be the only way the problem itself. You may also notice:

Part 2: Five methods to fix video not play

Now comes the most important part where you learn how to quickly and effectively solve the issue when videos not playing on Mac. We have segregated this section under 5 major techniques that you must carry out to get rid of this problem. Let us take a look at them one by one, in a step-by-step method.

1. Clear your browser cache

If you find YouTube videos not playing on Mac, it might possibly be an issue of residual cache in your browser. This can be on Google Chrome as well as on Safari. The first thing to do is de-cluttering the browser’s cache.

Here’s how to clear cache on Google Chrome:

Step 1: First, click on the “three dots” symbol near the URL bar in a Chrome window. Then click on “More Tools” in the drop-down menu.

Step 2: Then click on the “Clear Browsing Data” option and tick the boxes for cached images and files. After this, click on the “Clear Data” option.

For clearing the cache on Safari:

Step 1: On Safari, open the Safari drop-down menu and click on the “Preferences” button.

Step 2: On the next window that appears, click on the “Advanced'' tab. Then, click on the “Show Develop menu” option that appears in the menu bar checkbox.

Step 3: Then you will have to close the “Preference” window and open the “Develop'' drop-down menu. Here, click on the “Empty Cache” option.

2. Enable JavaScript in your browser

For Safari browser, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click on the "Safari" option seen at the top left corner of the browser. Then select “Preferences”.

Step 2: Hit the “Padlock” icon (Security) in-between Passwords and Privacy.

Step 3: From the list of settings displayed, select the "Enable JavaScript" option.

If it's checked, then JavaScript is already enabled. Otherwise, JavaScript was disabled.

Step 4: Now, close the settings window and reload the browser page.

For the Google Chrome web browser:

Step 1. Open the browser app and click on Chrome > Preferences. You can also type this into the address bar: chrome://settings/content

Step 2. You will find the JavaScript panel below the images panel. Here click on the option that says "Allow all sites to run JavaScript (recommended)."

Note: If you want to enable JavaScript selectively, then you will have to click on the "Manage Exceptions…" button.

3. Check your browser extensions

Another instance when YouTube may not be playing on your Mac is because of the extensions. Simply check out the extensions and disable the plugins.

On Safari, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Safari, then go to Preferences from the Safari menu and then click on the “Security” icon (padlock icon).

Step 2: Deselect the option “Allow Plugins” (Turns off all plug-ins for all websites).

4. Reset NVRAM on your Mac

This might just be a last, but effective resort when nothing is working. Resetting the NVRAM on your Mac can resolve the issue of videos not playing on Mac. Resetting the NVRAM might be simpler than you imagine and here’s how to do it.

Step 1: First, shut down your Mac and then turn it on. Immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, and R. You can release the keys after about 20 seconds, during which your Mac might appear to restart.

Note: On Macs that play a startup sound, you can release the keys after you hear the second startup sound.

On Macs with the Apple T2 Security Chip, release the keys after the Apple logo appears and disappears the second time.

5. Check if the video is corrupted

Lastly, the videos not playing on Mac may have nothing to do with your Mac at all. It might just be a corrupted video which is not supported by any media players. Consequently, the video is crashing every time you try to play it, or you just see a black screen. Whatever be the case, what you will need is the ultimate solution. And, the solution is:

6. Wondershare Repairit

Wondershare Repairit is a well-known and powerful tool that is very effective for repairing corrupted, damaged and generally broken videos, as well as a variety of other files and photos. The tool helps you fix corrupted or damaged videos, photos and files on both Windows as well as on Macs. The best part is the tool can resolve a range of corruption scenarios in a fast and effective manner.

All you need to do is simply add the files, repair them, then preview and directly export them to your system – it is that simple. Let us check out the steps on how you can repair a corrupt video on your Mac with the Wondershare Repairit.

Step 1: Import Video

First, you will have to upload the video to be repaired. Click on the “Add Video” button after launching the tool. Then browse the video to insert.

Step 2: Fix the Video

After the video is imported, the Wondershare Repairit tool will provide you the info of the corrupted video including name, size watching time etc. Now, you need to click “Repair” and the tool will start repairing the video automatically. Just sit back and wait.

Step 3: Preview and Save the Video

When the video is repaired and available to preview and save, simply click on the “Preview” button and have a look at it once. If everything is alright, save it and have the video at your desired location on the system.

The tool is really effective for fixing errors that might be preventing MOV, MP4, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, and FLV video files from playing on your Mac.

Closing Words

That brings us to the end of this article. We understood that it is really frustrating when videos won’t play on Mac. You might be trying for too long to make that YouTube video play, but for some unknown reason, all your effort has gone to vain. Your entire evening is wasted and now you are really irritated. Well, that’s when you need to open up this article and try out the solutions and steps listed above.

The troubleshooting techniques listed above will definitely work. Be it an MOV file not playing on Mac or YouTube videos not playing on Mac, we have listed all the probable reasons and the most effective solutions to resolve the issues. You can easily follow the steps and get rid of the problem. You can also try the Wondershare Repairit tool which is known to be the ultimate solution for fixing corrupted videos and resolving the issue where videos won’t play on Mac.