Instagram Videos Not Playing? 11 Ways To Fix It (Solved)

To fix Instagram videos not playing problem on your device, switch your internet connection, clear the app cache, restart your phone, and then update the app.

If you have been using the app to see videos, but recently stop and you can’t play videos on Instagram.

This can be caused by the internet connection, your device, server, or the Instagram app.

In this article, you’ll learn how to fix Instagram videos not playing on your phone and tablet. And you’ll also know why the error occurs.

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What To Do When Instagram Videos Not Loading?

If you’re experiencing this problem on your iPhone, Android, or Tablet, you need to first check if other people are seeing this error too.

The error means that you have a poor internet connection, or you’re using data saver mode.

Sometimes it may just be a glitch in the Instagram app, and if it is, you’ll have to wait for a few hours and the issue will fix itself.

To fix it, you’ll need to change the network to be able to load the videos on Instagram.

Clear the app data if you’re using an Android device, and for iPhone users, offload the app.

After that, you’ll want to update the app on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

When the Instagram videos are not playing, you can access Instagram from one of the best web browsers on your device, mobile, or computer.

To play the Instagram videos, go to the Instagram app, and then copy the video link.

To copy the video link > Tap on the three vertical dots > And then tap on Link to copy.

Now, paste the link you just copy to any of your favorite browsers to view it. You’ll be able to view the video without any problem.

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Why Are Instagram Videos Not Playing?

There are different reasons why Instagram is not playing videos when you try to view them.

The major reason why you couldn’t load Instagram videos is that you have a bad network provider.

It could also be that Instagram is down on your location, a technical error in the app, or a cache problem.

If you try to load a video on Instagram and the video won’t play, it means there is a problem.

You’ll face this issue when you try to view videos and it will just keep on buffering, or just blank.

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How To Fix Instagram Videos Not Playing

Since you know the reason the Instagram videos not loading on your Feed, you can now fix it with this guide.

In all, here’s the fix for Instagram videos not playing.

Fix 1: Wait For The Issue To Be Resolved

If Instagram videos not playing, this can be an app-wide problem, or just for a specific region.

And since it’s a technical problem, there’s nothing you can do to solve the problem. All you can do is just wait.

If you are experiencing this issue, this could mean that Instagram videos may be down for that particular region, and you’ll not be able to do anything to fix it.

What you can do is to wait for 24-48 hours, during this time the error will fix itself.

Fix 2: Switch Internet Provider

The major problem that’s causing videos not to load is your internet connection.

There may be a breakout in your internet coverage, and to fix this, you’ll need to change your cellular network.

Switch to another internet network, and check if the videos will load.

Check your internet speed with fast.com and see if it’s slow. Turn on and off the mobile data and try again.

If you don’t have another network provider, you can also try to switch between the Wi-Fi connection and your mobile data.

If you were previously using Wi-Fi as your internet connection, change it to your mobile network.

Fix 3: Log Out And Login

The most basic thing you can do if Instagram videos are not loading is to log out and log in back.

If you sign out of your account and sign in back, it will allow the Instagram videos to refresh and play.

To sign out of your Instagram account on both Android and iPhone.

Open the app > Tap your profile icon at the bottom-right corner > Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner > Tap on Settings > Scroll down to the bottom and tap Log out.

Wait for a few seconds, and then login back into your account. You’ll be able to watch videos again on the app.

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Fix 4: Refresh The Instagram App

If Instagram videos not playing, you can restart the Instagram app on your device, and it’ll help get videos to start playing again.

If you’re using an Android device, you can force stop the app and it will stop it from running in the background. Then open the app again.

The Instagram app must be open for you to be able to tap on the Force Stop button.

To Force Stop app on Android, open your phone Settings > Tap on Apps & notifications > Tap on App info or See All [Num] apps > Then find Instagram app > And then tap on Force Stop.

You can also tap and hold the Instagram app on your Home Screen, then tap on the App info icon, and tap on Force Stop.

You can refresh the Instagram app on your iPhone, all you have to do is refresh the app in the background.

To restart the app on it, open your phone Settings > And then tap on General > Tap on Background App Refresh > Find the Instagram app > Toggle off the background activity for the app.

Fix 5: Restart Your Device

If Instagram videos is not loading, and you’ve tried changing the network, but it’s not working, you can reboot your phone to fix the problem.

The app may just have a minor glitch, causing it to malfunction and not play videos as expected.

Once you restart your device and open Instagram videos, the error will be fixed, and you’ll be able to use videos again.

Restarting your iPhone or your Android device can fix the problem.

For Android: Tap on the power button and tap on the restart option. You can power it off and wait for a few minutes before turning it on.

For iPhone: You can soft or force restart your device, this will clear glitches and stop running apps in the background.

You can also tap and hold the power button to turn it off, and then turn it on.

Fix 6: Clear Instagram App Cache

One of the best ways to fix any issue on apps is to clear the cache.

If you’re using an Android device, and you’re facing an issue with any app, you can clear the app cache.

To fix Instagram videos not playing, you need to clear the app cache.

Open Android Phone Settings > Tap on Apps & notifications > Tap on App info > And then find the Instagram app > Tap on Storage & Cache > Tap on Clear Cache.

You can also clear the cache from your Home Screen, tap and hold the Instagram app, tap the App info icon, tap on Storage & Cache, and then tap Clear Cache.

For iPhone users, you can’t directly clear cache on your iPhone app Settings or even from the Instagram app.

This feature isn’t available on iPhone devices, the only thing you can do here is to offload the app from your phone.

Since you can’t directly clear cache on the Instagram app, or from the iPhone Settings, you’ll need to offload the app.

Open the iPhone Settings > And then tap on General > Tap iPhone Storage > Then find the Instagram app and open it > And tap on Offload App button.

After you’ve offloaded the app from your iPhone, you’ll need to reinstall it back from the Apple App Store by tapping on the app icon.

Fix 7: Disable Data Saver On Your Phone

If you’ve turned on Data Saver on your phone, videos on Instagram may not load.

Data Saver on your phone settings may be a great way to save data your mobile data.

But it reduces the quality of the photos which helps consume less data on your device.

To turn off Data Saver, go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced Data Saver.

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Fix 8: Turn Off Data Saver on Instagram

Turning on Data Saver lower the quality of the videos you view on the Instagram feed, and sometimes it won’t load.

Data Saver turn-on will make your Instagram videos take a longer time to load on the app.

To turn off Data Saver on your Instagram settings.

Open the Instagram app, and go to your profile. Tap on the 3-lines at the top right > Account > Cellular data settings > Turn off Data Saver.

Fix 9: Reset Network Settings

If your Instagram videos not loading, you might as well reset your phone network settings.

This might give way to the bad network problem that is causing the videos to not play.

Resetting the network settings will fix the network problems that are causing the issues with your videos.

To reset your network setting on an iPhone, go to Settings > General >  Reset > Reset Network Settings.

If you are using an Android device, go to your phone Settings > System > Advance > Reset Options >  Reset Network Settings or Reset  Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.

Fix 10: Update Instagram App

If you haven’t updated the Instagram app in a long time, updating the app now is a good time to fix the issues.

The old version of the Instagram app may not be working properly, causing the app not to glitch.

You’ll need to update Instagram to the latest version.

To update the Instagram app on your device, go to the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, once you see an update, click on it to update right away.

Fix 11: Uninstall and Reinstall The App

If you’ve tried updating the app and the Instagram videos are still not playing.

You’ll need to delete the app from your device and wait for about 3 minutes before reinstalling it.

This will fix the Instagram videos not loading issue on the app, and you’ll be able to use the app again.

To uninstall the app from your phone.

For Android: Tap and hold the Instagram app, and you’ll see the uninstall option at the top, drag and drop and the app will be deleted, for Android.

For iPhone: Tap and hold the Instagram Reels app, and on the small pop-up menu, tap on Delete App. The app will be removed from your device.

Once you’ve deleted the app from your phone, you’ll need to wait for about 3 minutes, then restart your phone before reinstalling the app.

Conclusion

Instagram has many errors, and you should do everything you can to fix them. If videos are not playing on Instagram.

The first thing you should do is check if the Instagram server is down and whether your internet connection is slow.

You’ll also need to check your internet data, just to make sure it hasn’t expired or finished.

This could also mean that the app has a technical issue, and all you can do is wait for a few hours and you’ll be able to play videos again.

To fix Instagram video not playing problem, change the network provider, clear the app cache, restart your phone, and the update the app.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Instagram not playing videos?

Your Instagram videos not playing because Instagram is down, you have a poor internet connection, or the app has a technical problem. And you should change your internet provider, or use Wi-Fi. Instagram.

Why won’t Instagram videos play on my Iphone?

If you’re wondering why Instagram videos are not playing on your iPhone, it’s because you have a poor network connection, the Instagram app has a bug, or the person has removed the video.

Why are Instagram videos freezing?

If your Instagram videos are freezing, it means that your device is slow, or the app has a glitch. If you have a low memory you may experience this problem while watching a video in the app.