Watching videos are probably everyone’s favorite thing to do on a computer. It is said to be the most utilized form of content in today’s world. With hundreds of formats and superior quality videos we get today, it is still not without problems. You may encounter various issues when playing videos like choppy or jerky videos, video lags, pixelated or blurry videos etc. Encountering errors like ‘The video cannot be played’ or ‘Error loading player: No playable sources found’ are also not uncommon.
In this blog post, we address the issue ‘Error loading player: No playable sources found’ that occurs when playing videos in the browser. The reasons for the error and some effective solutions to resolve the same are discussed. The solutions described here are very simple to follow along, so read on.
Solution 1: Reinstall Adobe Flash Player
This is by far the easiest fix for the error ‘Error loading player: No playable sources found’. As a first step, uninstall Adobe Flash Player and then download the latest version of Adobe Flash. Complete the installation process and restart your browser. Then try playing the video file you were trying to play. This should help you fix the issue.
Solution 2: Clear browser cache
Another reason for the error is an overflowing cache. This problem can be resolved by clearing the cache using the steps below.
- As a first step, open Google Chrome and click on the three vertical dots in the right top corner
- Then click More Tools > Clear browsing data
- Choose ‘Clear the following items from the beginning of time’ and verify that ‘Cached image and files’ and ‘Cookies and other site data’ are checked.
Now, all your cache and browsing data will be cleared. And this should help you fix the error. If not, proceed to the next step.
Solution 3: Add exceptions in settings
You may also receive the above error if the security setting in Adobe Flash is stopping you from playing the video. This can be resolved by adding exceptions to the file you are trying to play. Although this is a temporary workaround, it can help when you have limited time.
- Open Chrome and click on the Menu icon
- Click Settings > Advanced Settings
- Then click on the Privacy tab and select Content Settings
- Under the Flash feature, paste the webpage address in which you have trouble playing video.
- Save the changes made and try playing the video file
This should help you resolve the error ‘Error loading player: No playable sources found’. If not, proceed to the next step.
Solution 4: Use Safe Mode
It is possible that you are receiving the error due to recent changes like recently installed third party apps or browser extensions. In order to find out if this is actually the reason, you can use Safe Mode with networking option.
- To enter this setup, click Windows + R keys to open Run
- Then type ‘msconfig’ and hit Ok
- Under the Boot tab, select Safe Boot and check the box ‘Network’
Click Ok for your system to start in Safe Mode with networking enabled. If you are able to play videos in Safe Mode (with networking) successfully, try it again in normal mode. If it plays fine, then Safe Mode has fixed the issue for you.
If you still have problems playing the file, then it indicates problems with login items or browser extensions, which you will need to further analyze.
Repair MP4 files using Remo Repair MOV
Browser related video issues apart; you may also face errors when playing MP4 files that you have on your system. Sluggish behavior, audio lag issues, out of sync videos, slow-motion video, no audio, computer crash while playing/editing video files are all symptoms of corruption in MP4 files.
All of these problems can be repaired using a tool called Remo Repair MOV. It can be used not only to repair MP4 files but can also be used to repair MOV files. Refer the link to solve MP4 file not playing in Windows Media Player. The advantage of using the tool is that your original video will be kept intact; absolutely no changes will be made to your original video.
In many cases, playing the video in VLC can resolve video issues as it has a built in repair tool. However, in cases when VLC cannot repair your file, again Remo Repair is a good solution. Learn how to solve VLC not playing MP4 issue here.