There’s no denying that it has become extremely convenient to watch videos on the internet than ever. With the rise of so many OTT (over-the-top) platforms, like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime to name a few, web browsers have improved themselves to make the video-watching experiences seamless. Unfortunately, there do exist some playback errors that can stop you from watching the videos. ‘Error Code: 224003- This video file cannot be played’ is one such error message that appears on your screen while playing a video on a browser like Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, or other This, no doubt, becomes extremely annoying and thus, needs to be resolved immediately. Considering that, we have listed some effective troubleshooting methods by following which you can fix error code 224003 and watch videos smoothly in any browser.
What Are The Reasons Behind Error Code 224003?
Here, we have mentioned some of the common reasons that may result in ‘this video file cannot be played. (Error Code: 224003)’ while you try to stream videos saved in your system.
- You might be having an unstable internet connection.
- Presence of a third-party software may stop the video playback as well.
- Browser settings such as plug-in, extensions, etc., can also result in the error code 224004.
- Another reason is outdated web browser.
- The cache files and cookies are creating online video issues.
Solutions To Fix Video Playback Error 224003
Follow the below-given methods to fix “Error Code: 224003- This video file cannot be played”:
Method 1: Update your browser to its latest version
At times, due to outdated version of your Chrome, the media player fails to support the current version of it. Therefore, to keep your browser away from bugs and technical glitches, you must install its latest version. To upgrade your Chrome browser, proceed with the below-given steps:
- To begin, open Chrome and click on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
- Go to the Help menu> About Google Chrome option.
- It will prompt the “Update Google Chrome” pop-up on your screen.
- Click on it and follow the on-screen instructions. If not, click on the Relaunch button.
Method 2: Delete cache, cookies, and browser history
Your device might be taking a few extra seconds to get it started whenever you open an application or a website. These extra seconds relate to that specific website’s cached data that is inclusive of the files and scripts that your device retains when you visit a website for the first time. Further, this stored data is used to open an application quicker the next time. This data keeps on growing and reflect on the device’s performance, video playbacks being a part of it. It further slows down the site loading time and may display the error message “This Video File Cannot be Played. Error Code 224003.” Thus, you must delete the cache and the browsing history at regular intervals.
To clear your entire cache, select all items.
For Chrome:
- At first, open Chrome browser and go to Settings> Advanced > Privacy and security.
- Then, click on Clear browsing data and select the timeline of deleting browsing data from Last hour, 24 hours to All time by clicking on Advanced.
- Make sure to check in Browsing history, Cookies, Download history, Cached images and files, and other site data.
- Lastly, click on the Clear Data option.
For Firefox:
- Navigate to the History menu and select Clear Recent History option.
Note: If you aren’t able to see the menu bar, then, press the Alt key to make it visible.
- Further, select the desired range from the Time range to clear: drop-down menu.
- If you want to clear your entire cache, then select Everything and click the down arrow next to Details to choose which elements of the history you want to clear.
- Then, click on Clear Now.
- At last, close all the browser windows and re-open the browser.
For Microsoft Edge:
- Click on the Hub icon and select History from the drop-down menu.
- Further, select Clear all history> Browsing history> Cookies and saved website data> Cached data and files> Clear.
- Following these steps will display the “All Clear!” message on your screen. When it does, exit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Method 3: Remove plug-in, add-ons, and extensions
For providing the user with additional feature to an existing program on the system, the browser may have an add-on, extension, or plug-in. However, most of the extensions or add-ons have ad-blockers or some hidden software that may block the video and prevent it from being played. Hence, it’s important to check and remove the unnecessary add-ons, plug-ins, or extensions in Chrome, Firefox, Safari browser, or other browsers that you are using. For removing extensions in your browser, you may proceed with the below-given steps:
Remove extensions in Chrome:
- To begin, open the Chrome browser and click on the three dots at the right corner of your screen.
- Go to More tools followed by Extensions and remove the not required extension.
- Now, close the window and reopen the browser.
- Lastly, play the video to check if the error code 224003 is fixed.
Remove extensions in Safari Browser
- Open the Safari browser and click on the gear icon.
- From there, select Safari Extensions and click on Uninstall to remove it from Safari.
- When done, restart the Safari browser and check for the error status.
Method 4: Reset browser settings
To fix error code 224003 in streaming videos you may try to reset your browser settings to default. Resetting your browser settings removes browser settings, extensions, and search history, etc. To do so, proceed with the below-given steps:
Steps to reset browser settings in Chrome:
- Open Chrome and click on three dots at the top right corner of your screen.
- Then, click on Settings> Advanced.
- Whereas on Windows 10 PC, click the Reset option followed by clean up menu.
- On Mac, you have to click on the Restore settings to their original defaults.
Steps to reset browser in Mozilla Firefox:
- Click the menu icon on the top-right corner and go to the Help menu> Troubleshooting Information.
- Then, click on the Refresh Firefox option.
- Make sure to click on the Refresh Firefox button again in the confirmation box.
- Lastly, click Finish.
Method 5: Disable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware Acceleration improves the browser performance by allowing your CPU to transfer some of its load to your computer’s GPU. This at times, can interfere with the video playback process, thus, you must turn it off to fix the video playback issue in browsers:
Disable hardware acceleration in Chrome:
- Open Chrome browser and go to Settings followed by Advanced.
- Now, toggle-off Use hardware acceleration when available under the System menu.
- Now, close the window and reopen Chrome.
- Now play the video in the browser and check whether the error code 224003 appears or not.
Disable hardware acceleration in Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Firefox, and click on the Open Application Menu.
- From there, select Settings and it will redirect you to the General page.
- Go to the right side of the window, and unmark the box next to Use hardware acceleration when unavailable under the Performance section.
- Now, close the Firefox and re-open again.
Method 6: By using video repair software
At times, you may get the error code 224003 while playing videos that are saved on your system. To resolve such an issue, you must look for a reliable video repair software. One such tool is Stellar Video Repair software. It is a reliable and efficient video repair software, which helps you get rid of unsupported video format error. Not just that, it can also help you repair video file of any format, including MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV, F4V, AVCHD, M4V, 3G2, WEBM, MKV, etc. To repair corrupt video file by using Stellar Repair for Video, proceed with the below-given steps:
- Firstly, you need to download, install, and launch the Stellar Repair for Video software.
- Now, upload the corrupt video file/files by clicking on Add File.
- Begin the video file repair process by clicking on Repair to initiate. When recovered, you may also preview the repaired video files.
- Lastly, click on “Save Repaired Files” to save the repaired videos at your preferred location on your Windows 10 PC or some external storage media.
Summing It Up
Whether it’s for fun or work, you cannot deny that videos are of great importance. This can get extremely annoying when you fail to watch the videos due to playback errors. To help you get rid of such a situation, we have discussed some of effective troubleshooting solutions above in this blog. Implementing these in the right way will surely help you resolve Error Code: 224003- This video file cannot be played. At times, the issue may not get fixed and you may fail to play the videos that are saved on your system. In that case, you can try choosing the Stellar video repair software to repair the corrupt video files seamlessly.