Netflix Keeps Buffering or Won't Play: How to Fix It
Your show stops every few seconds to load, the picture looks blurry or pixelated, or the loading circle just spins and never starts playing.
Try these in order
- Test your internet speed On a phone or computer, go to fast.com and check whether your speed meets Netflix's recommendations. Mobile hotspots, cellular, and satellite connections are often too slow.
- Restart your device Turn your TV, phone, or computer completely off — not just to sleep or standby — wait at least 10 to 15 seconds, then turn it back on and try Netflix again.
- Restart your home network Unplug your modem and router, wait 30 seconds, plug them back in, wait a minute, then turn your device on and try again.
- Improve your Wi-Fi signal Move the router and your device closer together, ideally into the same room, away from other wireless gadgets and appliances, and keep it up off the floor.
- Try a wired connection Connecting your device directly to the router with an Ethernet cable removes Wi-Fi as a variable entirely.
- Check for network restrictions On café, hotel, or school Wi-Fi, ask whether video services like Netflix are blocked or throttled.
Still stuck? Contact your internet provider — they can check for an outage in your area, fix router or modem settings, and reset your connection. Tell them whether the problem affects just one device or all of them.
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