Although the issue is commonly encountered on both desktop and mobile versions of Chrome, the error is not exclusive on this browser – The issue is also known to appear in Firefox and Safari. As it turns out, the issue is either caused by incorrect configuration of the embedded media player or is triggered by certain browser cookies or plugin (extension).
What is JWPlayer?
JW Player is the world’s most popular embeddable media player with 20 billion monthly streams. Because it’s extremely lightweight, works pretty well across all browsers (even outdated versions), and integrates seamlessly with every ad network, it has become the preferred choice for all the major websites that feature self-hosted video content. Although it’s arguably the most stable media player for embedded videos, an incorrect configuration might force JW player to load a video file that is not supported by the media player. This will trigger the Error loading media: File could not be played error. If the error is a mistake made by the web administrator, the end-user has very few means of fixing the issue.
Fixing the Error loading media File could not be played
If you’re currently struggling with this issue, you should start by determining if it’s a media player problem or if your browser is causing the trouble. You can do this easily by opening the exact same URL in a different browser. If you encounter the same error, you can probably assume that the problem is beyond your control. The best thing to do in this case is to contact the web administrator of the respective website and ask for an investigation regarding your issue. In the event that the video plays just fine on a different browser, you’ll need to follow some troubleshooting steps to identify the issue. Below you have a collection of methods that have successfully enabled Chrome users to get past the Error loading media File could not be played error. If you’re currently struggling with this issue and you blame your Chrome browser for it, troubleshoot using the methods below. Follow each potential solution in order until you find a viable fix. Note: Keep in mind that depending on the platform, not all methods will be applicable.
Method 1: Update Chrome to the latest version
If you previously determined that the error is only appearing with Chrome, start by making sure that you have the latest version. JW Player regularly updates the list with supported formats, but they might not work properly if you’re using an outdated version of Chrome.
PC users
Normally, Chrome is configured to automatically download and apply the updates in the background whenever you close and reopen the browser. But if you don’t close it for a while, you might have a pending update. Here’s a quick guide to manually updating Chrome on a PC:
Android users
Similar to how it is on PCs, Chrome should automatically update whenever a new version becomes available on Android. However, this process might be halted by a Google Play Store setting. By default, Play Store is preventing downloading app updates from a mobile data connection. If you haven’t connected to a Wi-Fi network for a while, you might not have the latest version. Here’s how to update Chrome on your Android device:
Method 2: Deleting your cache and cookies
Now that you updated to the latest version, let’s see if the issue will be resolved after clearing the browsing data. Depending on the device you’re using, the process is a little different.
PC users
Android users
Method 3: Disabling Chrome Extensions (PC only)
Chrome Extensions are known to cause the “Error loading media: File could not be played” error on Chrome. This is even more likely if you’re using extensions to protect your online surfing. Luckily, there’s a quick way to find out if extensions are triggering the issue. Just open Chrome in Incognito Mode. To do this, click on the action menu (top-right corner) and select New Incognito window. Besides allowing you to browse more privately, Incognito Mode disables all your extensions by default (unless you allow them manually). While in incognito mode, open the URL that is displaying the “Error loading media: File could not be played”. If the video displays just fine in Incognito Mode, there’s a high chance that an extension is interfering with the playback of the video. In this case, paste “chrome://extensions” in Chrome’s omnibar. This will take you to a page where you can oversee all your extensions. Use this page to systematically disable your extensions by unchecking the Enabled box. After each disabled extension, check if you’re able to play the video. Once you’ve identified the culprit, remove the extension by clicking the trash icon.
Method 4: Reset Chrome settings to default (PC only)
If you’ve come this far without a result, there’s one final thing you can do. While this will most likely remove any setting or extension that is causing the problem, it can also create some problems. When you reset your Chrome settings, most of the settings will be changed to the default state including site data, cookies, extensions or themes. Only your custom fonts, bookmarks, and saved passwords will be preserved. Here’s a quick guide to reset your Chrome browser settings to default:
Method 5: Disabling Hardware Acceleration
In some cases, the hardware acceleration feature of the Chrome browser has been known to cause issues with playing media online. Therefore, in this step, we will be disabling hardware acceleration from settings. For that: Once Chrome is back to the default state, the issue should be removed. If you’re still encountering the issue after following every method above, the problem is beyond your control and you’ll have to wait for the web administrator to fix it.
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