Methods for Resolving Videos Not Playing in Firefox

Firefox is the preferred web browser for those who value their surfing activity and data privacy. Additionally, Firefox does not disappoint in terms of general browsing performance. At times, the browser may encounter a problem or two. A common example is when Firefox is unable to play or stream videos.

Whether one of your browser's add-ons or existing cache data is interfering with video playback, this tutorial will walk you through all possible remedies to the videos not playing in Firefox issue. Thus, let us begin.

1. TRY INCOGNITO MODE

Launch an incognito window and navigate to the website you're attempting to view. This launches the website without any add-ons, cache, cookies, or browsing data, allowing you to determine which of these components is causing the issue.

To open Firefox's incognito mode, click on the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner and select New private window.

2. DISABLE HARDWARE ACCELERATION

By enabling hardware acceleration, Firefox can optimise its visual output by offloading graphics-intensive activities to the GPU. As a result, hardware acceleration is enabled by default in Firefox. That being said, if you're experiencing difficulties loading videos or if Firefox frequently freezes, it's advisable to disable it.

Step 1: In Firefox, click on the menu icon in the top-right corner to open Settings.

Step 2: In the General tab, scroll down to the Performance section. Uncheck the box for ‘Use hardware acceleration when available.’

Restart Firefox and check if it can play videos.

3. ALLOW WEBSITES TO AUTOPLAY VIDEO

Another reason websites fail to play videos in Firefox is a lack of necessary permissions. For instance, if you have disabled auto-playing video and audio on a website, such issues may develop. This is how to rectify the situation.

Step 1: Open Firefox and visit to the website that has trouble playing videos.

Step 2: Click on the padlock icon on the left of the website’s URL and click on the arrow from the menu that pops up.

Step 3: Select More information.

Step 4: In the following window, navigate to the Permissions tab and locate Autoplay settings. Uncheck the Use Default option and select ‘Allow Audio and Video.’

Restart Firefox for changes to take effect and try to play a video again.

4. DISABLE ADD-ONS

While add-ons enable you to extend the functionality of Firefox in numerous ways, they may also cause the browser to malfunction at times. A easy approach to verify this is to launch Firefox in Troubleshooting Mode, which disables all add-ons, themes, and custom settings.

Step 1: Launch Firefox on your PC. Use the menu icon in the top right, click on Help, and select Troubleshoot Mode from the sub-menu.

Step 2: Restart Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode by selecting Restart.

Experiment with streaming video with Firefox. If it plays correctly, then one of the Firefox Add-ons is interfering with video playback. To isolate the culprit, you'll need to disable them all and then re-enable them one by one. Continue reading to discover how.

Step 1: Launch Firefox , click on the menu icon in the top-right corner, and select ‘Add-ons and themes’ from the list.

Step 2: Use the switches next to Add-ons to turn them off.

5. CLEAR BROWSER CACHE

Firefox, like any other browser, keeps cache and cookies to improve your surfing experience and load times. The issue arises when outdated data begins interfering with Firefox's functionality. To ensure faster page loading speeds, it is recommended that you often delete your browser's cache and cookies.

Step 1: Open up Firefox on your PC. Click on the menu icon to open Settings from the top-right corner.

Step 2: In the Privacy & Security tab, scroll down to Cookies and Site Data. Then, tap on the Clear Data button.

Step 3: In the Clear Data panel, mark the boxes that read ‘Cookies and Site Data’ and ‘Cached Web Content.’ Hit Clear button.

6. UPDATE FIREFOX

Browser upgrades typically include a variety of security enhancements and bug fixes. As a result, it is recommended that you keep Firefox updated. Firefox should update automatically in theory, but if you've disabled automatic updates or installed Firefox from the Microsoft Store, you'll need to manually check for updates. This is how you do it.

Select Help from the menu bar in Firefox. Then, from the resulting menu, click on About Firefox.

Firefox will begin downloading any available updates. You'll need to restart Firefox in order for any upgrades to take effect.

7. REFRESH FIREFOX

If the videos are still not playing at this point, rebooting Firefox will be your last resort. This will uninstall all add-ons and reset Firefox's settings preferences. Fortunately, this will have no effect on your bookmarks or saved passwords.

Step 1: Launch Firefox. Click on the menu icon in the top-right corner.

Step 2: Navigate to Help and select About Firefox. In the following window, click on the Refresh Firefox button to reset it.

Step 3: When prompted, select Refresh Firefox.

That ought to suffice. Because the majority of your browser's settings have been restored to their default state, Firefox should now be able to play videos.

VIDEOS OF THE FIRE UP

It's infuriating when Firefox fails to execute routine tasks. After all, the last thing you want while watching your favourite YouTube videos is to be disturbed by such troubles. Hopefully, the options provided above have assisted you in permanently resolving the issue. As always, tell us which one worked best for you in the comments section below.