How To Fix Microsoft Edge is Crashing when Playing a Video

Developed by Microsoft, Edge is the default web browser on the Windows OS. Microsoft Edge is the successor to Internet Explorer, but it is much faster and comes packed with various security features. With each new update, Microsoft Edge has consistently become better in speed, performance, and advanced features.

Image source: Windows Blog

No browser is perfect. Isn’t it? Is Microsoft edge frequently crashing whenever you’re trying to play a video on YouTube? Yes, this sounds annoying. We’ve got you covered.

In this post, we have listed a bunch of solutions that you can use to fix the “Edge is crashing when playing a video” issue on Windows 11/10.

How to Fix Microsoft Edge is Crashing When Playing a Video

Let’s get started.

Solution 1: Clear Browser Cache and Cookies

A corrupt cache or file can interfere with Edge’s functioning. To free up the Edge browser from corrupt cache and cookies, here’s what you need to do:

Launch the Microsoft Edge browser on your Windows device. Tap on the three-dot icon placed in the top-right corner and select “Settings.”

Now, switch to the “Privacy, search, and services” section from the left menu pane.

Under the “Clear Browsing Data” section, hit on the “Choose what to clear” button.

A new pop-up will now appear on the screen. Check on “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files” options. Hit the “Clear now” button to delete cookies and cache on the Edge browser.

Also read: How To Clear Cache In Edge Browser Along With Cookies?

Solution 2: Disable Extensions

Microsoft Edge crashing again when playing videos? Well, it can also be due to a problematic extension. So, try disabling the extensions and check if this hack works in fixing the issue.

Launch Edge and visit this URL: edge://extensions

Here you find a complete list of all the installed extensions on the Edge browser. Toggle OFF the installed extensions, and relaunch Edge.

Visit any video-enabled website, say YouTube. Play a video and check if you’re still encountering any playback issues.

Solution 3: Turn OFF Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration is a unique process used by the browsers that automatically offload other tasks and processes in the background to accelerate a dedicated task. To disable Hardware Acceleration on Edge, here’s what you need to do:

Launch the Edge browser on your Windows PC. tap on the three-dot icon and select “Settings.”

Switch to the “System and Performance” category from the left menu pane.

Look for the “Use hardware acceleration when available” option. Toggle OFF the switch next to it to disable it.

Also read: Microsoft Edge Not Working Properly? Here’s How You Can Fix That?

Solution 4: Enable Software Rendering

Tap on the search icon placed on the Taskbar, type “Internet Options,” and hit Enter.

Once the Internet Properties window opens, switch to the “Advanced” tab.

Under the “Accelerated Graphics” section, check on the “Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering” option.

Hit on the OK and Apply button to save recent changes.

Reboot your device, launch the Edge browser and check if the issue was resolved.

Solution 5: Restore Edge to Default Settings

Tried the above-listed workarounds, and still no luck? Here comes your last resort to deal with playback issues on Edge. Follow these quick steps to restore the Edge browser to its default values.

Launch Microsoft Edge on your Windows PC. Tap on the three-dot icon on the top-right corner and select “Settings”. Switch to the “Reset Settings” section from the left menu pane.

Tap on the “Restore settings to their default value” option.

Also read: Images not Loading on Microsoft Edge? Here’s the Fix!

Solution 6: Update the Edge Browser

Launch the Edge browser and visit this URL: edge://settings/help

If any update is available for Edge, the app will notify you. You can upgrade your Edge browser to the latest version.

Also, check on the “Download updates over metered connections” option to automatically update Edge whenit detects an Internet connection.

Also read: Microsoft Edge not Updating on Mac? Here’s the Fix!

Solution 7: Uninstall and Reinstall Edge

If nothing else seems to work, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the Edge browser. And, while you are fixing the issue, you can also try using an alternative browser. However, there is one thing you may have noticed, the option to uninstall Edge is greyed out, so how can you uninstall it? Here are the steps –

1. Navigate to the below-mentioned path in your File Explorer.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application

2.  Click open the folder that shows the version number and further open the folder titled Installer.

3. Now, head to the address bar, select the complete path and hit the backspace key.

4. Again, in the address bar type cmd and press Enter.

5. When the Command Prompt window opens up type the command mentioned below –

Command: setup.exe –uninstall –system-level –verbose-logging –force-uninstall

6. Press Enter. This way you will be able to uninstall Microsoft Edge at the system level.

Next, you can head to the Microsoft website and reinstall Microsoft Edge. Now, try playing a video and hopefully this time Edge won’t crash.

Here were a few simple methods to fix the “Edge keeps crashing when playing a video” issue. Some of the most common reasons that may trigger this issue include corrupt cache or cookie, Edge using hardware acceleration, low available resources, interference of a problematic extension and so on. You can use any of the above-listed solutions to resolve this issue. Do let us know which method did the trick for you. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.