Discover how to speed up YouTube streams and enjoy faster 4K and HD viewing of your favorite videos.
YouTube streaming is the most popular destination for entertainment VOD (Video-on-Demand) content.
YouTube boasts an average of 5 billion streams daily, by far the highest recorded in any online streaming platform.
In this article, we’re looking at the reasons why a YouTube video stream appears to be very slow and the best ways to speed it up.
So let’s dive into it immediately.
Why is YouTube So Slow?
1. YouTube Servers Overloaded
It may sound unbelievable, but YouTube servers often get overwhelmed when there’s a high level of prolonged video downloads and 4K/HD streaming demands from viewers.
2. Weak internet Connectivity/Slow Internet speed
The speed of your internet connectivity determines the ease of streaming on YouTube.
More importantly, streaming in 4K UHD requires breakneck internet speed.
3. Limited WiFi bandwidth
Your WiFi bandwidth determines the volume of data that can travel through your internet network.
The Higher the bandwidth, the faster the streaming speed.
4. Unsupported IP address range
You might experience a limitation in streaming quality while attempting to stream YouTube videos when your device’s IP address is out of range for that particular video.
5. Issues with a WiFi router and modem settings
Your preselected WiFi band will affect the speed of YouTube streaming. Selecting a 2.4GHz or 5GHz band should be based on the prevailing circumstances.
6. Errors with streaming video format
Some YouTube videos are uploaded with errors in their coding, and viewers are forced to suffer difficulty streaming these videos.
7. Problems with YouTube app cache and Browser cookies/add-ons
You may experience video streaming lags and prolonged buffering because the YouTube app cache and Browser history is full and needs to be emptied.
8. Limited available memory in the streaming device
Streaming YouTube on a smartphone or other devices with insufficient internal memory will poorly affect the video quality.
9. Streaming on an outdated YouTube app
Like every other software application, the YouTube app needs to be constantly updated to get the best performance.
10. Streaming with unsupported VPN and proxy settings
Third-party apps like VPN and proxy settings can limit the speed of YouTube streaming.
How to Fix Slow YouTube Streaming Issues and make it Faster
1. Verify that YouTube servers are up and running
Before troubleshooting your device, first ensure that YouTube servers aren’t down.
Go to YouTube down detector or visit YouTube Tweeter handle for current updates.
2. Ensure you have a fast internet/WiFi connection
Just as we’ve mentioned before, YouTube streaming requires a minimum of 25mbps internet speed for seamless streaming in 4K UHD. Other HD and SD formats require up to 5-15mbps.
Check your internet speed to ensure it’s fast enough to stream YouTube.
3. Ensure your wireless internet has a wide bandwidth for streaming
Your internet bandwidth determines the amount of data you can stream per unit of time. The WiFi bandwidth decreases as the number of devices connected to your WiFi increases.
You can increase the bandwidth by disconnecting other devices on the network and reducing other concurrent downloads.
4. Block Unsupported IP address range
YouTube IP address ranges from 199.223.232.0 – 199.223.239.255
207.223.160.0 – 207.223.175.255
208.65.152.0 – 208.65.155.255
208.117.224.0 – 208.117.255.255
209.85.128.0 – 209.85.255.255
216.58.192.0 – 216.58.223.255
216.239.32.0 – 216.239.63.255.
You can block other IPs that mimic YouTube via other virtual private networks.
5. Troubleshoot WiFi connection set-up
- Restart your WiFi network by turning the router/modem off. Remove the plug for 2 minutes, reinsert the plug and turn everything back on.
- If you’re on the 5GHz band, switch to 2.4GHz, which might be stronger at the time.
- Disconnect your other Devices from the WiFi network and reconnect them again.
6. Verify that the streaming video is not the issue
Try to Stream a different video on YouTube. If that works, then the video might be the issue.
You can also reduce the video quality to verify issues with the Video picture quality.
7. Clear YouTube App cache and Browser add-ons
Go to your browser history or YouTube app and delete all caches, cookies, and YouTube add-ons to free up glitches in-memory files.
8. Free up your streaming device’s internal memory
- Uninstall all the apps you don’t use frequently
- Delete files such as videos, audios, and pictures to save memory
- Getting an external SD card can expand your device’s internal memory.
9. Perform app updates/device updates
Update the YouTube app or browser for a better streaming experience.
Ensure your PC has the latest VGA and Network drivers. Go to device manager > drivers and check for any warning signs.
10. Ensure you’re streaming with a supported VPN
If you’re using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), turn it off temporarily to verify if it’s limiting your YouTube streaming.
If that works, the VPN limits YouTube streaming, and you should uninstall it.
We hope that you’ve been able to fix YouTube streaming lags on your Smart TV/Smart device, following the steps listed in this article. Let us know how it went in the comments section.