YouTube Sound Out of Sync? What Viewers and Creators Can Do

When a speaker's lips move a moment before or after you hear them, it's hard to watch anything. It's a common complaint, and it's worth knowing straight away that YouTube's help centre treats it as two different problems depending on whether you watch or upload.

If you're watching, there's not much in YouTube's official help for viewers on sync, so I'll be honest about that and give you what is documented. If you're the one uploading, there's a clear answer. I've split the page that way.

What YouTube's help says about audio and video out of sync

The article is written for people uploading videos, in a section about audio issues. It says that if your audio track is shorter or longer than your video, the audio and video may not sync correctly. The advice is to make sure the durations of your audio and video tracks are the same. Nothing in that article gives viewers steps for a sync problem on their own screen.

In plain terms, if you're a viewer and one video is out of sync while other videos are fine, the problem is probably in that file, and nothing on your side will correct it.

Checking whether the sync problem is your device or the video

1. Play a different video on YouTube. If it's in sync, the original video has the fault.
2. Play the same video on another device, such as your phone instead of your laptop.
3. Try a different browser on your computer.
4. Restart the app or browser and play the same video again.

If the sync problem follows one video around every device, you've found a video issue, and only the person who uploaded it can fix that. A comment saying politely what's wrong, and at what point in the video, is the most useful thing you can leave.

General YouTube playback fixes to try on your side

YouTube's playback pages don't name sync as a symptom, but they do give a standard set of steps for playback trouble. They're quick to try:

• Update the YouTube app, close and reopen it, restart your device and replay the video.
• On a computer, update the browser, close extra tabs and restart the computer.
• On a TV, quit and reopen the app, sign out and back in, and restart the device.
• Update the device's system software.

My checklist for when YouTube isn't working at all takes the same approach for bigger problems.

Fixing YouTube audio out of sync in a video you upload

This is the case YouTube's help covers fully. If you've edited your own video and the sound drifts, work through this:

1. Open your raw video in your video editing software, not the file you downloaded from YouTube.
2. Check that the audio track and the video track have the same duration. A track that's shorter or longer is a known cause of sync trouble.
3. Fix the length in the editor, and compare your export settings with YouTube's recommended upload settings.
4. Export the video again and upload the new version.

YouTube's help says to edit before uploading. It doesn't offer a way to re-time the sound after a video is already published, so the fix is a new upload. My guide on uploading a video to YouTube covers the basics.

Checking your YouTube video for sync problems before you publish

The easiest way to avoid an out-of-sync upload is to check the finished file before it goes anywhere. Play the exported video from the start, jump to the middle, then watch the last minute, so you check both ends. If the sound and picture agree at the start but not the end, one of the two tracks may be a different length, which matches the cause YouTube's help names.

YouTube sound out of sync is not the same as no sound

A different problem is a video that plays with the sound completely gone. YouTube's article on that gives three steps: make sure sound or volume is turned on for your browser or device, check your device's sound settings, and restart your browser or device. If your sound plays on a computer but not on a phone, YouTube's upload help links that to poor mono compatibility in the audio, which is another thing the person uploading has to fix.

When to send YouTube feedback about out-of-sync sound

If it happens on many videos, on more than one device, and nothing above helps, report it from the app: tap your profile icon, choose Help and feedback, then Send feedback, straight after you notice the problem. Describe what's out of sync and on which device. It's the route YouTube's help names for playback problems that persist.

Avoiding out-of-sync sound when you make videos for your business

• Edit from the original recording, not from a copy of a copy.
• Check the finished video from start to finish, including the end, before you upload.
• Watch the uploaded version on your phone and a laptop to make sure it holds up on both.
• Keep your original project file so you can re-export without starting again.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the sound out of sync on YouTube?

YouTube's help says audio and video can drift apart when the audio track is shorter or longer than the video. That is a fault in the uploaded file.

Can I fix out-of-sync YouTube audio as a viewer?

YouTube's help gives viewers no sync steps. You can try the general playback fixes and another device, but a fault in the video itself has to be fixed by the uploader.

How do I fix out-of-sync audio on my own video?

Open the original video in your editing software, make sure the audio and video tracks have the same duration, export it again and upload the new version.

What if I can't hear any sound on YouTube?

YouTube's help says to turn the volume on for your browser or device, check the device's sound settings and restart your browser or device.

Where do I report a playback problem to YouTube?

Tap your profile icon, then Help and feedback, then Send feedback, straight after the problem.