How to Force YouTube Buffering in Chrome and Firefox

YouTube is one of the all-time things that has happened to the cyberspace. It's been entertaining and educating millions of users worldwide. It'southward sure fun to watch those amazing videos on YouTube, as long as you don't come across that buffering wheel. Gone are those golden days when yous could pause the video, gear up the highest video quality and let the video buffer till the terminate. YouTube has evolved over the years but at times, the latest technology brings its drawbacks.

Well, a few years back, YouTube adopted this technology called DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) for its video role player. What it basically does is that it buffers the video based on the internet connection of the user. The buffering of the video adapts to the net speed of the user and thus gives an undistorted video streaming feel. Information technology automatically sets the video quality when the streaming quality is prepare to "Auto". However, the user can manually switch to a higher quality streaming, but, the player won't fully buffer the video. So, a user with depression internet speed can't actually experience higher video quality as the buffering will stop halfway. Well, every bit you might have guessed, there is a manner to force YouTube buffering. Hither's how you can fully buffer a YouTube video on Chrome and Firefox:

On Chrome

For Chrome users, we've got two methods, and then you lot tin can just option a method which fits you the best. However, there are some limitations to these methods, which we will be mentioning.

Method 1: Enable a Chrome Flag

The first method requires you lot to enable a flag in the Chrome'due south experimental features folio. The Chrome flag we accept to enable is "Disable Media Source API". The DASH playback works on this API. And then, we're going to disable information technology. However, the problem here is that the flag has been removed in the latest Chrome releases. And, it'due south only available in the older releases; going back to version 44 or 45.

Note : I don't recommend y'all to Disable Media Source API on your regular browser, as it volition affect other features too while browsing. Too, there's no possible style to simultaneously run ii versions of Chrome in a unmarried user business relationship. Well, of course, you tin install the older version of Chrome in some other user account. Simply, that will be also much for enabling a flag. Though, you tin can practise it if y'all want.

I'd propose you lot install an older Chromium build. Google's Chrome browser is based on the Chromium builds, so information technology will give you a pretty aforementioned feel. Chromium is mostly used by developers but, yous can utilize information technology for a better YouTube experience.

So, afterwards researching enough I was able to get a link to download the older version of Chromium v41. Download it from here. It's a Zip file and non an executable awarding that you can install. Extract the zip file and in the extracted folder, search for the Chromium executable file –chrome.exe.

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At present, in the Chromium browser, become to chrome://flagsand search for "Disable Media Source API" flag. You'll accept to enable the flag to disable the API andhit "Relaunch At present". Ignore error letters if you lot get any.

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Now, YouTube will be able to fully buffer videos. One limitation yous might notice is that you can't set the video to a higher quality as shown in the below screenshot.

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So, that's the simply limitation that you volition encounter. All the same, the video will fully buffer.

Method 2: Changing the URL

Now, this method requires to simply change the URL of the YouTube video. If you don't like the to a higher place method, yous can use this i. Although, this method too has a limitation, which we will become back to later.

And so, you just take to change the URL of the video in the post-obit manner.

Original URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?five={ID}

Modified URL: https://www.youtube.com/v/{ID}?version=2.

You have to only replace the URL and brand sure that ID is same (without curly braces). At present, to brand this method simpler, you lot can omit the hassle of copying the ID separately past using Chrome Omnibox's search settings.

Get to Chrome'southward settings and under Search, click on 'Manage search settings'.Here, you'll be able to edit different search settings of the different websites. Nosotros're going to add our own custom search setting.

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Add together the name of the search engine whatever equally you like, besides the keyword can be your own. In the URL field, copy and paste the in a higher place mentioned modified URL here. Now, replace {ID} with %s and, click on "Finished".

Now, in gild to trigger this search setting, y'all just take to enter the Keyword in Omnibox and printing Tab on your keyboard. Now, but copy-paste the ID from the YouTube video'southward URL and, hit Enter. The following GIF should requite y'all a meliorate thought.

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At present, the limitation here is that with this URL, merely the video player is loaded. A full-size YouTube video playback. And so, yous won't exist able to see whatsoever comments or recommendations on the side. Yet, y'all'll be able to spotter the video in the highest quality and it will fully buffer when paused.

On Firefox

It's totally like shooting fish in a barrel for Firefox users to make YouTube fully buffer the videos. You guys simply take to install an extension. The extension is called YouTube without DASH Playback. And then, this extension will actually disable DASH on all HTML5 video players.

Well, if I explain it technically, it actually just disables media.mediasource.enabled to fake in most: config page of Firefox. So, you lot can actually practise this manually by opening about: config folio of Firefox and search for media.mediasource.enabled and prepare it to False.

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However, if you desire the comfort of the extension and then you can download it from the link given below. You just take to tap on the extension icon to enable it. And, tap again to disable it. Also, it'south needless to mention that this method volition likewise limit y'all from switching to a higher quality. In Firefox, you tin can switch upward to 720p only.

Download YouTube without Nuance Playback from Mozilla Add-on

SEE Besides: 10 Cool Chrome Extensions For YouTube You Should Use

Forcing YouTube to Fully Buffer Videos

Well, this reminds me of Newton'southward third law – 'For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction'. Nosotros forced YouTube to fully buffer videos only it reacted with its own limitations. Withal, the 'Changing the URL' method that I mentioned in Chrome volition not give you any limitation in video quality and it volition work in most of the web browsers. Well, that'southward how you tin can force YouTube to fully buffer videos. If you know of a different method to do the same, let united states know in the comments department below.