8 Ways | How to Fix VLC Not Playing YouTube Videos?

Step 1. Add YouTube Videos

Install and launch HD Video Converter Factory Pro on your desktop. Select “Converter” and click “Add Files” to import your video files saved from YouTube. Drag & drag is also available.

Step 2. Pick H264 Output Profile

Click the format image on the right side of the interface. Go to the “Video” tab and click “H264” to select it as the output format.

Tips. The software will convert your videos to H.264 MP4 with AAC audio codec (widely supported by media players, editing programs, and social platforms).

Step 3. Export H264 MP4 Files

Specify an output path and click “Run” to start the conversion.

Before that, you can use simple editing tools to trim, cut, crop, rotate, flip the video, add subtitles, apply special effects, merge several clips into a single file, and make more edits.

You can also use the software to download YouTube videos, channels, or playlists directly and save them as MP4 files. It supports all resolutions, including 480p, 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 4K, 8K, etc., and can download subtitles at the same time. The download process is pretty simple and never breaks down. Just open the “Downloader” module → “New Download” → “Paste and Analyze” a YouTube URL → select a download option and press “OK” → “Download All”.

Hot Searches: Free YouTube Playlist Downloader | Bulk YouTube Downloader | YouTube Albums Download

Run VLC media player. Click “Help” from the top toolbar and select “Check for Updates…” Install the latest version of VLC to check whether the YouTube videos not playing in VLC problem is solved.

Click “Tools” from the top menu and select Preferences. A new window will appear on the screen, and at the bottom left corner, change the “Show settings” option from “Simple” to “All”. Find and double-click “Access modules” under “Input/ Codecs”. Scroll to “HTTPS” and untick the “Cookies forwarding” option. Finally, click “Save” to apply the changes.

Open “Tools” and select “Preferences”. Then, go to the “Input / Codecs” section, change the “Hardware-accelerated decoding” setting to “Disable”, and click the “Save” button. At last, relaunch the VLC media player to see if this has resolved the VLC player not playing YouTube videos issue.

Download youtube.lua file here. Press the “Win + E” keys to open File Explorer and paste the below address in the address bar:
C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\lua\playlist (for 64-bit operating systems)
C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\lua\playlist (for 32-bit operating systems)
Locate your existing youtube.luac file and delete it. Then, copy and paste the newly downloaded youtube.lua file here. Restart the VLC player and press “Ctrl + N” to open the “Open Media” window. Enter the YouTube video’s link and hit “Play”. Wait and check if this method works. If not, move to the next solution.

Click “Tools” from the top menu. Open “Preferences” and show “All” settings (at the bottom left corner of the window). Then, locate “Input/ Codecs” from the left panel. Scroll down on the right side of the window to the “Advanced” section and change the “Network caching” value to 1500 and the “File caching” value to 2000. Finally, click the “Save” button.

Press the keys “Ctrl + P” to open the Preference window. Then, click on the “Reset Preferences” option at the bottom of the window and “Save”. Confirm your selection by clicking the “OK” button. Reopen the VLC media player to check whether the issue has been fixed.

Trying an alternative media player is a feasible solution for the VLC player not playing YouTube videos if none of the above methods work for you. Many YouTube video formats are not supported in VLC yet in other video players, such as Windows Media Player, KMPlayer, PotPlayer, etc. Here are the top 12 VLC alternatives for your option. You can also utilize this excellent VLC YouTube downloader replacement – WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro to save and play YouTube videos hassle-free!