When your Stream on Twitch keeps buffering, there are a few fixes you can use. You can change your DNS server addresses or clear the DNS cache, check if you are using a slow VPN, disable hardware acceleration, or disable any browser extensions that you don't need.
There's nothing more frustrating than Twitch constantly buffering. I used to experience this when streaming videos in the Twitch app. However, I was able to fix Twitch by lowering the video quality and I enjoyed smooth streaming afterward. I learned a lot back then, so when friends come to me for help because of a Twitch buffering issue, I tell them how to fix it.
If your stream on Twitch keeps buffering, this article is for you. Read on to know the possible solutions to fix these buffering issues and the potential causes. Let's jump right in.
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If you encounter Twitch buffering issues, there are several fixes you can use to get things working again.
If you're dealing with buffering, it might be a good idea to change the DNS servers for your internet connection because an internet service provider may block the Twitch DNS server.
If that's the case for you, you might have to consider switching to public DNS servers like Google's DNS or OpenDNS to help with any Twitch buffering you may be facing.
It's easy to switch your DNS server. Here's what you need to do:
Often, Twitch users may use a VPN when browsing websites or Twitch streaming for safety reasons or for a better experience. For example, most people on Twitch use VPNs as the best method to avoid ads.
However, some VPN services have limitations, such as an internet speed limit. This can prevent you from streaming Twitch videos to your full ability. This less-than-optimal bandwidth may be causing a problem watching Twitch streams.
If that's the case, all you need to do is to disable the VPN or upgrade to a VPN that doesn't have these limitations in place.
To disable the proxy in Windows, follow these steps:
If you've never had issues with Twitch in the past but you recently started dealing with a buffering Twitch stream, you'll need to check if you activated a new browser extension.
This could be a VPN browser extension, a pop-up blocker, or anything else. Some browser extensions are buggy and will cause problems when you use Twitch's web app version.
If this happens on Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, here's a Twitch buffering fix you can try:
Some Twitch users have a buffering problem when they disable the hardware acceleration feature in their browser.
For Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge users, follow the procedure below to turn it off:
If you use Mozilla Firefox, follow these steps:
The majority of people on Twitch are gamers. If you're a gamer, you may have Steam installed on your computer. You probably have the automatic update function enabled. That may cause buffering problems when the game is being updated in the background and you're unaware of it.
You may also have some apps running in the background which are actively affecting your network performance. That may be why your Twitch keeps buffering.
All you need to do is disable the background apps to get past this cause. Follow these steps to disable background applications:
After you have disabled this option, check if the buffering problem persists.
If you're preparing to watch a huge event live, you may not have the time to do the necessary troubleshooting or problem-solving. You can temporarily switch to an alternate platform or a different browser so that you don't miss the action.
After watching the event, you could try again with another stream on Twitch.
There are many ways to check a network connection to see if there's an issue. Sometimes, you just need to look up if the WiFi signal is at its peak.
Alternatively, you could run a quick internet speed check using sites like speedtest.net or fast.com.
Twitch is a popular streaming platform with many users. Despite this, users frequently experience lagging issues and have to stare at a blank screen, sometimes for minutes at a time, which can be frustrating.
These buffering issues can be caused by different factors. Often, the problems come from the user's side of things. However, this doesn't mean that Twitch is not at fault.
It is important to know the causes of this issue. Here are some reasons Twitch keeps buffering:
A slow internet connection is the main reason Twitch buffers and lags. Your internet may be slow or constantly unstable, and this can cause pauses and lagging issues.
In some cases, Twitch will automatically change the video quality if the connection can't be restored.
If you have a pretty old device, it might cause the Twitch stream buffering because it simply can't keep up from a performance angle. Some devices don't have hardware specs that can run a stream smoothly.
Your device can also cause Twitch to buffer if you have software clashing with Twitch in the background.
Sometimes, the buffering issues come from Twitch itself. The Twitch server might be down which will result in the platform not working correctly until they fix things.
If you're using the Twitch browser version, you may be experiencing issues, especially when you use the Chrome browser. It might help if you're considering switching to other browsers temporarily.
You could have a good internet connection and still experience Twitch buffering issues because of malware on your PC which sucks up resources.
If this happens, you can use antivirus software to scan and remove the malware.
Your Twitch may buffer because of background processes clashing with the streaming platform, like game updates in the background. Also, your cached files could affect the app.
Check for any app or update that are currently hogging your bandwidth and delete or disable it.
Experiencing Twitch buffering can be frustrating and there are many ways to find out if your Twitch is buffering. Some of them include:
This is one of the major ways to identify a buffering problem. Twitch will freeze at different points, sometimes at the best points of the stream.
This can be a result of a bad internet connection; it will cause the stream to lag and the video resolution will drop, sometimes low enough to look pixelized.
If you're not live-streaming your content, the video might pause and resume at the worst moment. You might have to pause the video to give it time to load before you continue to watch.
If you are live streaming, it's even worse because you will lose some moments in the video.
The Twitch buffering problem can be frustrating. However, when you switch to an alternate browser, disable unnecessary browser extensions, perform a scan with antivirus software, or disable your VPN. You can get straight past this issue.
If you're unable to fix the buffering issue with these solutions or you can't access Twitch, the problem might be with the Twitch servers. In this case, you can contact Twitch support for assistance. They might need your IP address range, ISP, and some other info in case it might only be a regional issue.
