[11 Ways] Fix 4K Videos Not Playing, Stuttering, or Crashing
The 4K video not playing issue is quite common, especially when you play heavy 4K videos. Here are highly-voted user feedbacks about 4K videos won't play on your computer and mobile phone.
- • The 4K video lags, stutters, or freezes every few seconds.
- • Audio plays, but the 4K video is black.
- • Get messages like "unsupported codec" or "file can't be opened".
- • The video player crashes when you open large 4K video files.
- • 4K videos are not playing on TVs or phones with errors of "format not supported" or "can't play this video", and similar messages.
If you have the same problem, you can continue reading to figure out why and how to fix the 4K video not playing fully here.
Guide List
Summary of Reasons and Solutions for 4K Video Not Playing Why Are 4K Videos Not Playing? Get 6 Reasons 11 Ways to Fix 4K Videos Not Playing on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and AndroidSummary of Reasons and Solutions for 4K Video Not Playing
Here is a brief of 4K video choppy or laggy playback issues.
| Problem | Possible Reasons | Quick Fixes |
| Video lags or stutters. | GPU or CPU overloaded. | Enable hardware decoding or reduce video resolution. |
| Get video black screen but audio plays. | Lack HEVC or VP9 codec. | Install related codecs or open 4K videos with VLC. |
| 4K videos works on phone but not on PC. | Missing HEVC codec or GPU driver. | Install HEVC codec or update GPU driver. |
| Get "unsupported" error on TV while playing 4K videos. | The format or frame rate is not supported. | Re-encode the video to H.264, 30FPS. |
| Get 4K video buffering on YouTube. | The network or browser issue. | Change the playback quality or use Ethernet. |
Why Are 4K Videos Not Playing? Get 6 Reasons
Want to get more detailed informaiton on why you can't watch 4K videos on laptops, desktops, phones, tablets, YouTube, TVs, and more? Check these reasons.
- • Missing HEVC/H.265 or VP9 codec.
- • Outdated media player or graphics driver.
- • Insufficient RAM to play large 4K videos.
- • The hardware is not powerful enough to decode 4K video files smoothly.
- • 4K camera videos or downloaded footage files are corrupted.
- • Improper hardware acceleration conflicts or wrong video resolution.
- • …
11 Ways to Fix 4K Videos Not Playing on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android
Even though you are not sure what's wrong with the 4K video playback. You can follow the steps below to play 4K videos smoothly on your computer or phone.
5 Ways to Troubleshoot 4K Videos Won't Play on Windows
1. Install HEVC codec.
Search for "HEVC Video Extensions" from the Microsoft Store and install it. Or you can get the free version by using "HEVC Video Extension from Device Manufacturer".
2. Open 4K with other media players.
You can use AnyRec Blu-ray Player or VLC to play 4K, 5K, and 8K videos with hardware decoding support.
3. Update CPU drivers.
NVIDIA: Check for updates in GeForce Experience.
AMD: Update in Radeon Software.
4. Enable hardware acceleration.
Go to Settings. Click the "System", "Display", and "Graphics" buttons. Turn on the toggle button before "Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling".
5. Repair corrupted 4K videos.
To fix the downloaded or transferred 4K videos that are not playing, you can use AnyRec Video Repair. Upload your not-playing 4K video and the sample 4K video into the program. Later, click the "Repair" button to repair corrupted 4K videos from GoPro, Canon, DJI, iPhone, PC, and more.
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3 Ways to Fix 4K Videos Lagging, Skipping, or Not Playing on Mac
1. Use a new video player.
Open 4K videos using AnyRec Blu-ray Player, QuickTime Player, IINA, and 4K video players.
2. Convert 4K video to H.264 MP4.
Use AnyRec Video Converter to convert video to H.264 for smoother video playback.
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3. Check storage speed.
4K playback requires at least SSD-level read speeds. You can free up storage space, close unnecessary programs, and turn off visual effects to improve it.
3 Ways to Solve 4K Videos Won't Load on Android and iPhone
1. Get the MP4 H.264 video.
Convert your video to MP4 H.264. Because some 4K MKV or HEVC files can't be played in native players.
2. Use other media player apps.
No matter whether you encounter iPhone 4K videos not playing on Android/PC, Android 4K videos not playing, and other similar problems, you can use a new video player app instead. MX Player, VLC Mobile, Infuse (iOS), and more are worth trying.
3. Choose the most compatible formats on iPhone.
Open the Settings app. Tap the "Camera", "Formats", and "Most Compatible" buttons.
Conclusion
In short, you can convert video to H.264 (MP4), update GPU driver, avoid ultra-high bitrates, reduce frame rate to 30FPS, repair corrupted videos (downloaded or transferred from other devices), and use another video player to fix 4K video not playing on all devices. If you encounter other video not playing, lagging, or crashing issues, you can free download AnyRec Video Repair to fix damaged and broken videos safely.
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Secure Download
