Facebook Video Won't Play: How to Fix It
Videos and reels show a black screen, buffer endlessly, or simply refuse to start when you tap play.
Try these in order
- Check your internet connection Reconnect to Wi-Fi, try a different network, or switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data (Facebook Help Center).
- Restart your router A slow connection is the most common reason video stalls, so power cycle your modem or router (Facebook Help Center).
- Close and reopen Facebook Fully close the app or browser tab and try the video again (The Windows Club).
- Update your browser On a computer, use the latest Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge — older browsers often can't play Facebook video (Facebook Help Center).
- Turn off ad blockers Blocker extensions can stop the video player from loading (The Windows Club).
- Clear Facebook's cache On Android: Settings > Apps > Facebook > Storage > Clear cache. On iPhone: Facebook Settings > Browser > Clear (The Windows Club).
- Restart your device Close everything and reboot your phone or computer before trying again (Facebook Help Center).
Still stuck? If videos remain broken after all of this, use Facebook's "Report a problem" tool from within the app so Meta can investigate (Facebook Help Center).
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