Video not playing on Mac: Complete troubleshooting guide

Videos are everywhere, from downloaded clips to recordings from your DSLR or iPhone. But sometimes, videos won’t play on Mac, leaving them unresponsive or crashing. Common causes include unsupported formats, corrupted files, malware, browser glitches, or network interruptions. Both offline and online videos can be affected. 

In this guide, I'll show you step-by-step solutions to fix videos that won’t play on Mac, whether it’s a stubborn QuickTime file, a YouTube video that won’t load in Safari, or an issue with other media apps. Follow these tips to get your videos playing smoothly again.

Ways to fix videos not playing on Mac	How to do it
Use a multi-format media player	Use Elmedia Player
Repair corrupted file	Use Permute to convert video to another format.
Check your Mac for malware	Scan your Mac with CleanMyMac > Open the app > Protection > Scan.
Open in a private window	On your Mac, open Safari > Choose File > New Private Window.
Clear browser cache	Open Safari > Settings > Advanced > Choose Show Develop menu in the menu bar checkbox. Then close the Settings window > Choose the Develop drop-down menu > Empty Cache.
Refresh your browser	Finder > Go > Utilities > Activity Monitor > Type Safari > Double-click on Safari and click Sample > Click Refresh.
Boost network connection	Install NetSpot to optimize internet connection for streaming.
Check geo-restriction	Install ClearVPN to check videos in different locations.

Want a quick troubleshooting tool? Try this GPT assistant to resolve the Mac issue at any level.

How to fix videos not playing on a Mac (offline files)

If a video is not playing on a Mac, the issue usually comes down to unsupported formats, file corruption, malware, or download interruptions. Here’s how to troubleshoot offline video problems step by step.

Redownload or recopy the file

If you downloaded the file from the internet, try downloading it again from the original source. If it’s from an SD card, copy the file again to your Mac to rule out transfer errors.

Use a multi-format media player

QuickTime may not play your video due to format limitations. Try Elmedia Player,  which supports .mp4, .mov, .mkv, .avi, .flv, .wmv, .mp3, .flac, and many other formats. It’s optimized for Apple M1 chips for smooth playback.

Learn more about best MKV players for Mac.

Repair corrupted files

Sometimes a video won’t play on a Mac because the file is corrupted. Use Permute to convert your video into a supported format:

1. Install and open Permute.

2. Drag the file into the app window.

3. Select a new format.

4. Click Start.

This can restore playback for damaged or incompatible files.

Scan for malware

Viruses or malware can corrupt videos. Use CleanMyMac to scan your Mac:

1. Install and open the app.

2. Click Protection in the sidebar.

3. Click Scan and review the results.

CleanMyMac also helps clear caches that might interfere with video playback.

How to fix online videos not playing on Mac

Mac won’t play videos on the Safari browser, and you can’t enjoy your favorite content from YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc. What can you do?

How to play videos on Mac in a private window 

When you’re having trouble with an online video not playing on a Mac in Safari, the first thing you should do is open it in a private window. This will verify if any browser extensions prevent a smooth video playback. In the Safari app on your Mac, choose File > New Private Window. Then you’ll see a new private window with a dark Smart Search field. Browse as you normally would. If you were successful in watching the video from the incognito tab, look further for extensions that may prevent videos from playing in a normal browser window.

How to remove unknown extensions and enable JavaScript on Mac 

Open the Safari app and on the menu bar, click on Safari > Settings. Choose Extensions. If there are any unknown extensions, just move them to Trash. If you see no extensions, proceed to the next step.

The next place you need to go is the Security tab (Safari > Settings > Security). Click on there and select Enable JavaScript.

You can find similar options in the settings of other browsers, such as Firefox and Chrome.

Learn more about how to fix the sound on your Mac.

Clear browser cache 

If YouTube stopped playing videos, you might need to clear your browser cache. To do so:

1. Click on the Safari drop-down menu and select Settings
2. Click the Advanced tab
3. Select the Show Develop menu in the menu bar checkbox
4. Then close the Preferences window and select the Develop drop-down menu
5. Click Empty Cache

After clearing the cache, make sure you quit the browser and restart it. Note that this may erase all of your auto logins and predicted websites in the URL bar.

Alternatively, you can use CleanMyMac to make it easier and faster. The tool will delete all the unnecessary files and make your Mac feel brand new. 

1. Open CleanMyMac
2. Click Cleanup > Scan and wait for the scan to complete
3. Click Review All Junk > System Junk
4. Select Safari
5. Click Clean up

Hopefully, this will fix the video problems. If that doesn’t work either, there are a few more options to try. 

Refresh your browser on Mac to fix video playback 

If you still have issues playing content on Safari, try refreshing it. For this:

1. Go to Finder, select Go > Utilities
2. Click on the Activity Monitor app
3. Type in Safari in the search bar
4. Double-click on Safari and click Sample
5. Click Refresh.

The windows are resizable.

YouTube videos won’t play on Mac

There could be a number of reasons why YouTube stopped playing videos on your computer. Videos that won’t play, despite the fact that the YouTube site loads well, may be too huge to stream over your Internet connection. In such a case, you can download NetSpot to ensure the best possible network connection.

Sometimes, it can be due to issues with your browser, or something is wrong with YouTube itself. Although page refresh or clearing browser cache (go through the steps outlined in the article above) may fix the problem, there might be another common issue that prevents YouTube videos from playing – content restrictions. Some YouTube videos are restricted to specific platforms or geographic locations, as determined by the content’s original owner.

The easiest way to check if there are any geographical restrictions that apply to you is to use a VPN (a virtual private network) to send your traffic to a server in another location, such as the United States, United Kingdom, etc. 

ClearVPN can make the video not available YouTube issue go away in a few clicks.

To set another location for your Mac with ClearVPN: 

1. Open ClearVPN
2. Click Optimal location
3. Pick any country through which you’d like to route your traffic.

You can also get past the geographic restrictions by downloading the YouTube video directly to your Mac using a video downloader such as Downie.

Why you need Setapp to fix videos not playing on Mac

Finally, you have a complete guide that answers your question – “Why won’t videos play on my Mac?” Just follow the instructions, and there’s a good chance the problem will be fixed.

We picked the best apps for your Mac to save you time and let you enjoy your favorite vids again. These are NetSpot to ensure the best possible network connection; Elmedia Player to be able to play a wide range of media formats; Permute to repair corrupted files on Mac by converting them; CleanMyMac to clear cache files and remove viruses and malware that may also cause the videos won't play on Mac issue; ClearVPN and Downie to work around the geographic restrictions.

All the apps mentioned above are available with a single subscription to Setapp, a platform with more than 260 Mac and iOS apps. The best thing is that you can try every Setapp app at no cost for seven days.

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