If so, you know just how frustrating it can be. The full message states that the media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported. Unsurprisingly, it’s usually associated with the Chrome browser. If you’re looking for a quick fix for the format is not supported error, this tutorial has you covered! This isn’t the only error, and many reported that their browser does not support playback of this Twitch video, but we covered that in a separate guide.
What is the could not load media error?
This is a browser error and it occurs when you try to play multimedia files, such as videos. The error can be caused by server-side issues, but it can also be caused by your browser. An outdated browser or certain extensions can prevent multimedia files from playing, thus resulting in this error. The error comes in several variations, and here are the most common ones:
The media could not be loaded Zoom: Even large web apps that use videos are affected by this. Switching to a different browser might help. The media could not be loaded Videos: This is a custom video player, and if you encounter issues, adjust your code. The media could not be loaded Opera, Safari, Chrome, Firefox: All browsers are affected by this issue. Usually, the problem is related to extensions. The media could not be loaded Reddit: Videos on Reddit are also affected. Restarting the browser can help with this. The media could not be loaded Mac, iPhone: The issue affects all platforms, so be sure to keep your software up to date.
How to fix the media could not be loaded either because the server or network failed or the format is not supported?
1. Switch to a different browser
If you’re getting Format is not supported or source is unavailable, you might want to consider a different browser. If you don’t know what browser to download on your computer, we recommend Opera. This browsing solution is also based on the Chromium architecture. It has native support for WebM – a modern, high-quality, and open video format. It also has built-in support for the Ogg Theora video codec. There’s another format out there the H.264 codec which is supported only by certain browsers. For all web developers out there, it means that you should offer the same video in two different formats. Doing so will ensure 100% compatibility. You won’t experience any video buffering issues since this browser automatically blocks trackers, ads, and other elements that may cause slow browsing problems. As a bonus, it also has a Video pop-out: a floating video window that is adjustable It also has a bunch of neat features to increase your productivity such as sidebar integration with Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp, Workspaces to group tabs together, and even a free VPN.
2. Update your web browser
1. Open the Chrome browser on your PC. 2. Click the Menu icon and choose Settings.
Select About Google Chrome from the menu.
From here, the browser will automatically check for available updates and install them directly.
Once this is done, go back and try to load the affected video again. If you are able to load/play it, then you are all set.
More often than not, when you get Video format not supported in Chrome error, the actual cause could be that you are running an outdated browser. In this case, the ultimate solution would be to update your web browser to the latest version, after which you should be able to load and watch the affected media/video.
3. Disable Adblock on your browser
Check if the video can now load. If the error persists, the problem is probably network-related (and not from your end), in which case there is little or nothing you can do about it, except to keep trying. However, if you are running a web server that does not support certain video formats (like MP4, OGG, WebM, and such) you might have to reconfigure your server, to offer support for those video formats. At times, some sites use this error as a smokescreen to trick you into disabling any ad-blocking feature on your browser. Most times, the video you are trying to watch contains some ads, and your browser (with an ad blocker) would not be able to play this video. This will result in The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported error. There are various ways of enabling/disabling AdBlock, depending on the browser. And for convenience, we’ll be showing you how to disable it on Google Chrome. You can simply disable AdBlock on the affected video’s host site, in order to gain access to the video. If you’re having issues with playback quality, be sure to read our guide on how to fix bad video quality in Chrome. The error message is usually associated with an unsupported format, and in most cases, you should be able to fix this problem using one of our solutions. We hope you found this article useful. Leave any questions you might have in the comments section below.
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