Internet. Ideas

Philip Callas 0 Reputation points
2026-08-11T21:19:34.02+00:00

Internet videos not working correctly, they freeze or stall and do not play, advertisements play of course but not the actual vIdeo

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Internet and connectivity
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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-11T21:20:00.12+00:00

    For video sites where ads play but the main video freezes or stalls, work through these checks in order:

    1. In Microsoft Edge, open edge://media-internals, then reproduce the problem.
      • Check the player properties for the video codec and decoder information.
      • If the video is using H.264, look for codec: h264 or codec: avc1.
    2. Check whether hardware acceleration is enabled in Edge.
      • Open edge://settings/system.
      • Make sure Use graphics acceleration when available is turned on.
      • Restart Edge.
    3. Verify GPU video decoding.
      • Open edge://gpu.
      • Confirm that Video Decode shows Hardware accelerated.
      • Then check edge://media-internals again while the issue occurs.
      • D3D11VideoDecoder or MediaFoundationVideoDecoder indicates hardware decoding.
      • FFmpegVideoDecoder indicates software decoding.
    4. If hardware acceleration is enabled but playback still fails:
      • Update the GPU driver from the device manufacturer.
      • Turn graphics acceleration off and back on again in Edge, then restart Edge.
      • Recheck edge://media-internals to see whether the decoder path changed.
    5. Check whether the video format is unsupported.
      • Edge does not natively support all codecs.
      • Some formats can cause audio-only playback or failed playback.
      • If the same media also fails in the built-in Windows player, the issue is more likely a format support issue than an Edge setting.
      • H.264/AVC, VP8/VP9, and AV1 are supported. XAVC is not supported by the built-in Windows playback stack.
    6. If the problem is with local media files in Windows Media Player 11, enable automatic codec download:
      • In Windows Media Player, go to Tools > Options.
      • Select the Player tab.
      • Turn on Download codecs automatically.
      • Try the file again.
    7. On older Windows systems, if video playback shows a blank, white, or black window, flashes, or continually starts and stops, verify that Windows Video Compression is installed properly.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Vikki-T 10,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-12T07:42:39.7166667+00:00

    Hi Philip Callas,

    I understand how frustrating it is when the ads load normally but the video you actually want to watch keeps freezing or does not start.

    Does this happen on one specific website or across multiple video sites? Also, which browser and Windows version are you currently using and do you see a loading circle, black screen, or any error message?

    At this point, I recommend that you review and try the steps provided in the AI generated answer on your thread. That reply typically include the most relevant checks for this scenario. 

    In the meantime, please try opening the affected website in a private browsing window. If the video works there, temporarily disable browser extensions, especially ad blockers or privacy-related extensions, then clear the cookies and cached data for that website. You can also test the same video in another browser to check whether the issue is browser-specific.

    If you use a VPN or third-party web protection, temporarily disabling it for a quick test may also help narrow down the cause. Please let me know the results and the name of the affected website, without sharing any account details, so I can suggest the next appropriate steps. Thank you so much for your understanding.   

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  3. Philip Callas 0 Reputation points
    2026-08-12T17:21:19.61+00:00

    This was no help? I’m disappointed in Microsoft that the issue has not been addressed

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