When Facebook videos won't play, Facebook's Help says to check your internet connection, use an up-to-date Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge, then close the browser and restart your computer. If one video has gone completely, it may have been removed, limited to an audience you're not in, or hit by a temporary technical issue.
There's also the opposite problem: videos that play when you don't want them to. I'll cover both, using only what Facebook's Help Centre says as of Nov 2026.
One change sits behind all of it. Facebook's Help carries an update dated September 2025 saying all videos on Facebook are now reels, whatever their length or orientation. That's why the troubleshooting article you'll land on is called Unable to view or play reels on Facebook, even if you were trying to watch a long video from a Page you follow. Fixes for videos and fixes for reels are now the same article.
| What you see | What Facebook says to try |
|---|---|
| A spinner, or the video stalls | Check your connection, update your browser, then close it and restart your computer |
| One video has disappeared | It may be removed, limited to another audience or temporarily unavailable |
| Videos start without you | The Autoplay animations toggle on a computer, or the autoplay options in the app |
| Worried about mobile data | Set app autoplay to Wi-Fi only, or Never autoplay videos |
| Playing at the wrong pace | While it plays, click Settings, then Playback speed |
Three dull fixes, in Facebook's order
Facebook's checklist is short, and it runs from the quickest check to the most disruptive:
- Check your connection. On Wi-Fi, reconnect or try a different network. If it's slow, restart your router or modem. On a phone, switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data.
- Update your browser. Facebook says to use the most up-to-date version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge. If your computer runs Windows 7 or earlier, it suggests trying a different browser.
- Restart. Close your browser and restart your computer.
- Report it. If videos still won't play after all that, Facebook's Help points you to its report a problem route.
The Windows 7 line is the one people skim past. Facebook calls it out by name, so if videos fail on one old machine in the office and play fine everywhere else, that's the line to look at first.
If it's reels that keep stopping halfway rather than refusing to start, reels that keep pausing is a separate problem with its own fixes.
When the video itself has gone
Sometimes nothing's wrong with your connection at all. Facebook lists five reasons a video you're looking for may no longer be available:
- You aren't part of the audience it's currently available to.
- The person or Page that posted it removed it.
- It was removed for not following Community Standards.
- It was removed for copyright or trademark infringement.
- It's temporarily unavailable because of a technical issue.
For business owners, the first and fourth reasons matter most. If a customer says your video won't play for them, check who the post was shared with before anything else, because a video limited to a narrower audience simply won't be there for them. And if one of your own videos has vanished, rule the copyright or trademark reason in or out before you assume it's a glitch.
Switching off autoplay on a computer
The setting doesn't use the word videos. As of Nov 2026, Facebook calls it Autoplay animations, and here's the path:
- Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
- Select Settings and privacy, then click Settings.
- Scroll down to Preferences and click Media. You can also click Accessibility, then click View next to Video and motion.
- Next to Autoplay animations, click the toggle to turn it on or off.
Facebook says you can change it at any time. If you've hunted through the menus for an autoplay video switch and given up, that wording is why.
Phone autoplay and your data plan
On the Facebook app for iPhone or Android, autoplay is a choice between three options rather than a single switch. Facebook explains them like this:
- On mobile data and Wi-Fi: videos autoplay on either. The data used depends on how long you watch, and scrolling past a video uses less than stopping to watch it.
- On Wi-Fi only: videos autoplay only on Wi-Fi. On mobile data you click a video to play it, and that click uses mobile data.
- Never autoplay videos: you always click to play. Playing a video on mobile data still uses mobile data.
Facebook's Help says autoplay videos begin as you scroll and use more data than other posts, which may affect your mobile data plan.
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There's also a note that explains some phone complaints. Even on the first setting, you may need to tap a video to play it if your mobile connection is slow or you've used a large amount of mobile data recently. So a video sitting still on your phone isn't always broken; Facebook may simply be waiting for a tap.
Playback speed and silent videos
If a video plays but at the wrong pace, Facebook's computer steps are short: while the video is playing, click Settings, then Playback speed, then click the speed you'd like. The Help article has separate instructions for the iPhone and Android apps.
Silent playback is the other half of this. Facebook's own Help title describes videos playing silently as you scroll through your Feed, so plenty of people will meet your video with the sound off. If that's your audience, captions on Facebook are worth setting up.
What I'd try first
I'd start with the three dull fixes in Facebook's order, connection, browser, restart, because they're quick and Facebook lists them for a reason. I'd check whether a missing video has been removed or limited before blaming your device. I'd set phone autoplay to Wi-Fi only if data's a worry, and I'd skip hunting for a switch called videos on a computer: it's called Autoplay animations, under Preferences and Media.
I keep every related walkthrough in the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Why are Facebook videos not playing on my computer?
Facebook's Help says to check your internet connection, use the most up-to-date Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge, and close your browser and restart your computer.
Why did a Facebook video disappear?
Facebook says it may be limited to an audience you're not in, removed by whoever posted it, removed for breaking Community Standards or for copyright or trademark infringement, or temporarily unavailable.
How do I stop Facebook videos playing automatically?
On a computer, go to Settings and privacy, Settings, Preferences, Media and switch off Autoplay animations. In the app, choose On Wi-Fi only or Never autoplay videos.
Do Facebook autoplay videos use mobile data?
Yes. Facebook says autoplay videos use more data than other posts and may affect your mobile data plan.
Are Facebook videos and reels the same thing now?
Facebook's Help says that since September 2025 all videos on Facebook are reels, whatever their length or orientation.
