Hi Ben,
Since this happens in
Edge, Firefox, YouTube, and other sites, I’d look less at a single browser setting and more at one of these areas:
network throughput,
GPU/video driver acceleration,
browser hardware acceleration,
security/VPN filtering, or
system load/background updates.
Try these in order.
1. Check whether it is network-related
- Restart the PC.
- Restart your modem/router.
- Temporarily disable any VPN, proxy, ad-filtering DNS, or web protection feature in your antivirus/security suite.
- Run a speed test from a browser.
- While a video is buffering, open Task Manager with
Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- Check Performance > Wi-Fi/Ethernet and see whether download activity drops to zero or spikes erratically.
- Also check Processes for high CPU, Disk, Network, or GPU usage.
Expected result: if other devices on the same network also buffer, the issue is probably network/ISP/router-related rather than Windows.
2. Disable browser hardware acceleration
A bad or recently updated GPU driver can cause exactly this across multiple browsers.
Edge
- Open Edge.
- Go to:
edge://settings/system
- Turn off Use graphics acceleration when available.
- Restart Edge.
- Test YouTube again.
Firefox
- Open Firefox.
- Go to:
about:preferences
- Scroll to Performance.
- Uncheck Use recommended performance settings.
- Uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available.
- Restart Firefox.
- Test video playback again.
If videos play normally after this, the likely cause is the
NVIDIA driver or GPU acceleration path.
3. Update or roll back the NVIDIA driver
Before changing drivers, I suggest creating a restore point.
- Press
Win + R.
- Type:
SystemPropertiesProtection
- Press Enter.
- Select your system drive.
- Click Create.
Then check your NVIDIA driver.
- Right-click Start.
- Open Device Manager.
- Expand Display adapters.
- Right-click your NVIDIA card.
- Choose Properties > Driver.
- Note the driver date and version.
If the driver updated recently:
- Click Roll Back Driver if available.
- Restart the PC.
- Test video playback.
If the driver is old or rollback is unavailable:
- Download the latest NVIDIA driver for your exact card.
- Choose Custom installation.
- Select Perform a clean installation.
- Restart after installation.
Undo option: if the new driver makes things worse, return to
Device Manager > Display adapters > NVIDIA > Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver, or use the restore point.
4. Test Edge with all extensions disabled
Even though this affects multiple browsers, extensions or security filtering can still cause issues.
- Open Edge.
- Go to:
edge://extensions
- Turn off all extensions.
- Restart Edge.
- Test a video.
For Firefox:
- Open Firefox.
- Click the menu button.
- Choose Help > Troubleshoot Mode.
- Click Restart.
- Test video playback.
5. Clear browser cache for media playback issues
For Edge:
- Go to:
edge://settings/clearBrowserData
- Select Cached images and files.
- Clear data.
- Restart Edge.
For Firefox:
- Go to:
about:preferences#privacy
- Under Cookies and Site Data, click Clear Data.
- Select cached web content.
- Restart Firefox.
6. Check Windows power and graphics settings
- Open Settings.
- Go to System > Power & battery.
- Set Power mode to Best performance temporarily.
- Go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
- Check whether Edge or Firefox has a custom GPU preference set.
- If so, try setting them to Let Windows decide.
- Restart the browser and test again.
7. Check for stuck Windows Update or Store updates
- Open Settings > Windows Update.
- Install any pending updates.
- Restart if prompted.
- Open Microsoft Store.
- Go to Library.
- Click Get updates.
Sometimes background updates or partially installed media components can cause temporary playback problems.
8. Repair Windows system files
If the issue started suddenly and affects all browsers, run these checks.
- Right-click Start.
- Open Terminal/PowerShell as Administrator.
- Run:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow
- Restart the PC.
- Test video playback again.
Most likely causes in your case
Given your specs, I’d check these first:
- NVIDIA driver problem
- Browser hardware acceleration
- VPN/security web filtering
- Network/router/ISP issue
- Background update or high disk/network usage
Quick questions
- Are videos also buffering on another device using the same internet connection?
- Are you on Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet?
- Did Windows Update or NVIDIA update recently?
- Does the problem happen in an InPrivate/Private browser window?
- What NVIDIA card model and driver version are shown in Device Manager?
If you answer those, we can narrow it down pretty quickly.
