How to fix Youtube lag in Windows 11 – Easy Steps

YouTube videos are generally available in different streaming qualities. Videos can be played at a resolution as low as 240. Normally, you will not play a video at such a low resolution unless your Internet connection is exceptionally slow. YouTube automatically selects a lower resolution so that videos will play smoothly even if the internet is slow.

Fix YouTube lag in Windows 11

If you have a stable and fast internet connection and YouTube is lagging behind, your desktop operating system may be the culprit. Windows 11 users have reported issues with YouTube video lag. It usually happens exclusively with YouTube and other websites load without problems. You can run a speed test on your connection, but if YouTube streams without lag on other devices except Windows 11 system, try the solution below.

1. Update drivers

Windows 11 can run with older drivers, that is, the ones you used for Windows 10. That said, you should update the new drivers if they are available. In some cases, outdated drivers can cause delays.

1. Opened Device administrator.
2. to expand Display adapters.
3. Right click on the built-in graphics card and select Update the drivers.
4. Check for driver updates online and install the ones that are available.
5. Repeat this for the GPU.
6. to expand Network adapters.
7. Right click on your network card and select Update driver.
8. Look for online driver updates.
9. Reboot the system after the drivers are installed.

2. Roll back drivers

The new drivers are ideal, but Windows 11 may not always work well with them. It’s more of a problem with Windows 11 than the drivers, but you should roll back to an older version anyway if you can.

1. Opened Device administrator.
2. to expand Network adapters.
3. Double click on the network adapter.
4. Go to the Controller tab.
5. Click on the Back button.
6. Allow the driver to uninstall and an older driver to install.
7. Restart the system.
8. Cheque streaming on YouTube.

3. Change the graphics card in use

Make sure your browser is using the built-in graphics card. You don’t need to use the GPU to play YouTube videos. In fact, the GPU can cause the lag.

1. Open the Settings application with the Win + I keyboard shortcut.
2. Go to System.
3. Please select Monitor.
4. Select the Graphic options.
5. Add your browser.
6. Select it and click Options.
7. Select the built-in graphics card for browser.
8. Restart the browser and play a video on YouTube.

4. Disable hardware acceleration

Hardware acceleration can cause problems with all kinds of websites. All modern browsers support hardware acceleration, but it may be better to disable it.

To disable hardware acceleration in Chrome;

1. Opened Chrome.
2. Click on the more options button in the upper right and select Settings.
3. Click Advanced in the left column.
4. Please select System.
5. Turn the hardware acceleration shutdown.

To disable graphics acceleration in Firefox;

1. Opened Firefox.
2. Paste this over: general # preferences in the url bar and tap Enter.
3. Go to the Performance section.
4. Turn off Use hardware acceleration when available.

conclusion

One or a combination of these fixes should fix YouTube lag on Windows 11. Make sure your browser is up to date and you don’t have any pending updates for Windows 11. If your system is waiting to reboot, reboot and allow updates to install to finish.