“Browser Does Not Recognize Any Video Formats” / SOLUTION

The message appears over a black media window, where the video should appear. Since these browsers support the codecs of HTML5 videoyou may be wondering why you are having trouble playing videos from in them. “Browser does not recognize any video formats”

You may have tried reloading the video, restarting the browser, and even restarting the system, all to no avail. Why is this happening and what can you do to fix it? Keep reading to find out.

What if the browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats?

Some users have reported that the error message most of the time does not occur in all videos. It appears when they try to play one or more particular videos.

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The possible causes vary. But it is often due to the main reasons presented below:

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• Your browser is not updated: If you are using a very old browser, or have not updated your browser in a while, you may encounter this error message.
• Interference from installed plugins: Have you installed browser extensions like YouTube Flash Video Player or YouTube Flash Player? They can cause the browser to use Flash instead of HTML5 to stream the YouTube video and this causes the error message under discussion.
• Browser settings have media sources disabled: You can find the error message in Mozilla when there are disabled media sources in your browser settings.

Now that we have seen the culprits, let’s move on to discuss how to resolve the error.

“Browser does not recognize any video formats” / SOLUTION

Below are confirmed fixes that you can apply to resolve the issue:

• Disable browser plugins
• Start the browser in safe mode
• Activate settings mediasource.enabled in Firefox
• Update the browser
• Restart/reinstall the browser

You can follow these solutions sequentially until the error message has been resolved. We will give detailed steps on how to do each of them in browsers Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Solution 1: Disable Browser Plugins

The first step you have to take is to disable your browser extensions that drive YouTube functionality and may cause the error message. According to reports from several users, Switch to Flash Player and Disable YouTube HTML5 Player are two browser extensions identified as causing the problem.

They direct your browser to use Flash instead of HTML5 to stream your YouTube videos.

Follow the simple steps below to disable or remove them and see if that resolves the issue:

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In Google Chrome:

• Start the browser.
• Click the button Menu that appears in the upper right corner of the window (displayed as the three dots icon).
• Skip over option More tools and click Extensions in the following menu.
• In the window that opens, type Switch to Flash Player in the search box to locate it.
• To disable the extension, simply disable it. To remove it completely, click the button Eliminate and then click the button again Eliminate in the confirmation message that appears.
• Repeat steps 4 and 5 to disable or remove the Disable YouTube HTML5 Player extension.
• Close Chrome and reopen it. Next, check if you can stream the video.

In Mozilla Firefox:

• Start the browser.
• Click the button Menu that appears in the upper right corner of the screen.
• Choose Accessories in the drop-down list and then click Extensions to switch to the tab.
• Find the Switch to Flash Player extension and click the button Eliminate.
• Find the Disable YouTube HTML5 Player extension and click the button Remove.
• Close Firefox and reopen it. Check if you can stream your YouTube video without the error message appearing.

Solution 2: Start the browser in safe mode

When you start the browser in safe mode, all installed add-ons will be disabled and some browser settings will be reset. This will help you identify the culprit of the error message.

To start the browser in safe mode:

In Google Chrome:

Google Chrome does not have safe mode. However, you can open an incognito window. All plugins will be disabled by default. Below we explain :

• Start the browser.
• Click the button Menu that appears in the upper right corner of the window.
• Choose New incognito window on the list.

Note: You can press Ctrl + Shift + N on your keyboard once you launch the browser to open an incognito window.

Now you can try playing the video and see if the problem still occurs.

In Mozilla Firefox:

• Start the browser.
• Click the button Menu that appears in the upper right corner of the window.
• Click on the option Aid.
• Select the option Restart with plugins disabled.

Once these steps are completed, the browser will start in safe mode and you can check if you can play the YouTube video. If you can, consider disabling or removing all installed plugins and see if that resolves the issue.

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Solution 3: Activate the media.mediasource.enabled setting in Firefox

This solution only applies to Mozilla Firefox users.

If you receive the error message “Your browser does not currently recognize any of the available video formats”, It may be that media sources in your browser settings are disabled.

The adjustment media.mediasource.enabled It should be enabled by default. You can check this fact and activate it if it has been disabled

Follow these simple steps to do it:

• Start your Firefox browser.
• Write or copy and paste about:config in the URL bar and then tap Intro on your keyboard.
• A warning will appear. Click “I accept the risk”. This will give you access to the browser settings.
• Writes media.mediasource.enabled in the page search bar about:config.
• Make sure the following entries are set to True:

media.mediasource.enabled

media.mediasource.webm.enabled

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media.mediasource.mp4.enabled

• If any of the above parameters are set to False, double-click on them to make the value True.
• Restart your browser.

This solution has proven to be effective in resolving the error message in Firefox and should work for you too. But if you still face the problem, move on to the next solution.

Solution 4: Update your browser

Using an obsolete or outdated browser leaves you at a disadvantage and is not recommended. Because? Developers release updates that offer security improvements, bug fixes, and much more stability.

If you haven’t updated your browser, follow the steps below to do so and then check if you can stream your YouTube video without encountering the error message:

In Google Chrome:

1. Start the browser Google Chrome.
2. Look at the button Menu (the three dots icon in the upper right corner of the window). If it is red, green, or orange, it means an update is available. Click the button and select Update Google Chrome.

Note: The different colors indicate the length of time the update has been available.

You can also visit the of Chrome to download and install the latest version of the browser.

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In Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start your Firefox browser.
2. Click the Menu button that appears in the upper right corner of the window.
3. Choose Options.
4. Scroll down the tab General until you find the option Firefox updates.
5. Once in the Firefox Updates window, it is recommended to select the option that says “Automatically install updates (recommended)”. This will ensure that your browser is always up to date.
6. Click the button to see if there are updates available.

You can also visit the official Mozilla website to download the latest version of the browser.

Solution 5: Restart/reinstall the browser

After you have tried all the above solutions, the last option is to restart or reinstall the browser.

First restart the browser. If the problem persists, then reinstall the browser.

A restart will restore the browser’s original settings. Saved passwords and bookmarks may not be affected, but that is not guaranteed. You may want to make a backup of your bookmarks before performing the reset.

Reset Google Chrome:

Follow these simple steps to reset your Chrome browser:

• Start the browser.
• Copy and paste or write chrome://settings in the URL bar, then tap Intro on the keyboard. This will take you to the window Setting.
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the dropdown menu “Advanced”.
• Scroll once again to the bottom of the page. In the category “Reset and clean”click “Restore settings to their original values”.
• A confirmation message will appear. Click the button .

Reset Mozilla Firefox:

• Start the browser.
• Click the button Menu from the upper right corner of the window.
• Click the blue question mark icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
• Click Information about problem solving.
• On the page that opens, click . It appears in the upper right corner.
• You will receive a confirmation notice. Click the Restart Firefox button.

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