What makes video buffering faster

But sometimes, a video quality might exceed what your internet could support. Or maybe the server you are trying to stream from might be loading the video slowly, or serving multiple users at a time.

With the causes out of question, how do you fix video buffering-on Chrome or any other platform? Now, if you find yourself greeted by an endless spinning wheel and a "loading" message, instead of your video, there are some fixes you can try. And depending on the route cause, your approach to the buffering problem will vary. If you don't know where the problem originates from, start with solution one.

If it doesn't fix work for your case, move to solution two until you find the right video buffering fix. ISPs offer different rates of speed at different prices. And lots of people only go for higher internet connection speed when they need to support multiple users. After all, in a household, everyone should surf the internet even when all devices connect to the network.

But sometimes that slow internet speed. And to ensure your internet speed isn't the culprit, execute an internet speed test. You'll determine if your internet speed measures up and if the ISP is making good of its promise. Suppose you find that you need more speed. You don't necessarily have to spend more money with your ISP. There are some hacks you can execute to make your internet even faster. They include:. There is no question that Wi-Fi is convenient-at home, in hotel room, or anywhere else.

But it doesn't matter how fast a Wi-Fi connection is. It is by no mean a close substitute for hardwired connection. If you have high internet speed, but you still encounter buffering, you should try a networking cable.

Nearly everyone tends to set up a Wi-Fi router and then forget about it. However, routers need regular maintenance as well to help tackle video buffering issues. Check with your manufacturer for firmware updates.

What's more, it might come handy to hard-reset your Wi-Fi once in a while. If the reset process does not significantly improve, you might want to upgrade your Wi-Fi device. When your computer executes many tasks at a go, it might have limited capacity to stream videos without a flaw. Even when you minimize the running application-they still consume system resources. So, if you have a buffering problem close all the applications you're not using. However, it isn't easy to know all the programs running in the background-especially those that are not open-or those that start right as soon as you reboot your computer.

If you're on a Windows platform, here's a step-by-step guide to stop all the background programs:. Closing all programs dedicates your PC's resources to the app you're using to video stream with. You might know that the longer the video files, the longer it takes to transmit to your computer or mobile device. And if you can make the files smaller, you won't have to wait for long.

The easiest fix would be to watch your video at a lower resolution. And that's possible on multiple platforms like Netflix and YouTube. Head over to the settings icon on the video.

A small window will pop up. On the small pop-up screen, navigate the Quality tab and click on it to display the available resolution then pick on a lower quality. Sometimes all you need to solve slow buffering is to take a break. Pausing allows the video to build up a bigger buffer to reducing buffering when you resume the play. It is tempting to restart the video playback after every buffering pause immediately.

But it works great if you pause the stream for a few minutes to save you video streaming buffering. If you're demanding a lot from video streaming-and playing videos does-it calls for up-to-date hardware and drives support.

Intel, Nvidia, and Amd are continually refining and optimizing graphic driver performance, and some driver updates can make a significant difference.

While new drivers are typically faster than the previous models, a version with flaws might slip through but are usually quickly rectified. The problem? Your browser can get overloaded with temporary and cached data that slows it down.

As a result, one easy and fast fix for video buffering problems is to clean up your browser, which involves clearing out cookies and wiping your browsing history. A streamlined browser runs more quickly, which will reduce buffering times. Performing these cleanup tasks will yield immediate results, but only in the short term: all that unnecessary data will easily build up again.

For a long-lasting faster browser, consider using a tool that provides automatic maintenance, such as Avast Cleanup. Our Automatic Maintenance tool keeps your browser clear without you having to lift a finger.

It also regularly cleans out other temporary data, scours your computer for orphaned drivers and registry errors, and helps optimize your settings to keep your PC running smoothly. And a fast, clean machine provides a better viewing experience for all your streaming needs.

People tend to set up a Wi-Fi router and then forget about it. But routers need regular maintenance as well. Check with your manufacturer for firmware updates. Pull the power cord on the router, count to 10, then plug it back in.

New Wi-Fi 6 routers promise increased speed, but may require upgrading parts of your device or buying a converter. Using a virtual private network VPN invariably means a performance hit. Every data packet has to be encrypted and then decrypted at a remote server.

You may notice this with video buffering problems, but it affects anything related to PC performance. If you use a VPN, be sure to test and update your settings. Older VPNs or those that are out-of-date may use a single-socket connection, which can easily get jammed up and cause significant performance loss.

Get it for Android , iOS , Mac. Get it for Mac , PC , Android. In the context of streaming video or audio , buffering is when the software downloads a certain amount of data before it begins playing the video or music. You can watch the data stored in the buffer while the next portion of the file downloads in the background. This preloading process ensures a smooth playback process without interruption — at least in theory, and most of the time in practice.

Buffering messages often display progress as a percentage. There are many reasons why you might encounter excessive buffering while streaming video. This can be due to:. The last reason does happen. Even the top streaming platforms may get overwhelmed during prime time or when a popular new show is released. In that case, there is nothing you can do except wait for the provider to catch up with requests. But this situation is rare. Want more tips on how to make your computer and phone work better?

See all our performance advice to make all your devices work harder, better, faster, stronger for you. Avast Cleanup for Windows speeds up your internet connection and reduces buffering by automatically deactivating bandwidth-hungry background programs.

Avast Cleanup Pro for Mac speeds up your internet connection and reduces buffering by automatically deactivating bandwidth-hungry background programs. Get it for Android , PC. Avast Cleanup for Android speeds up your internet connection and reduces buffering by automatically deactivating bandwidth-hungry background programs. Other Threats.

Internet of Things. Buffering is something that occurs when downloading a certain amount of data before playing a video. Why does my TV keep buffering? Possibly the most common form of buffering occurs when your internet speed is too slow to download the amount of data needed.

In this scenario, your device will buffer the data for the video and then begin playing it when there is enough data downloaded to prevent lag in the stream. If the stream reaches the point where it no longer has enough data downloaded, it will pause the video, and thus you have to wait again while more data downloads.

The buffering process can vary greatly based on how long the video is and the data contained within it. The buffering process may last just a few seconds for a shorter video, or several minutes for a longer video. If buffering is something that you are experiencing regularly, it may be time to upgrade your internet speed.