“YouTube An error occurred playback id” issue : [RESOLVED]

YouTube is the second largest online platform second to Google. It is the largest platform for viewing, streaming, sharing and uploading videos. Recently, users have complained that their YouTube had an error occurred with a playback id. This was followed by some random string of alphanumeric characters. Generally, this is caused due to the following reasons. 

• Corrupted Browser Files 
• Network Connection Change or Problem 
• Corrupted DNS Cache 

Methods to Resolve “YouTube: an error occurred playback id” error

There are different methods by which you can solve this error. Thus, go through the following solutions one by one until your problem is resolved. Make sure you follow each and every step as it is given. 

Solution 1: Delete Cache Data 

As stated earlier, corrupted browser files and cache data can cause YouTube: an error occurred playback ID. These files can interfere with the browser and hence cause these problems. Thus, the only way to resolve this problem is by deleting such files. Generally this problem is mainly caused on Google Chrome browser. Hence, go through the following steps to delete the cache data from the browser. 

1. First, launch the Google Chrome browser and click on the three vertical dots at the top right corner to open its Menu. 
2. Here, a list of options will appear. Select and click on the More Tools option.
3. Now, click on the ‘Clear browsing data option’. 
4. Next, select ‘Cookies and other site data’ along with ‘Cached images…’ options. You can also select the browsing history option if you wish to clear the browsing history of your browser. 
5. Finally, click on the ‘Clear Data’ option and click it again to confirm your action. 

Now, open YouTube and try to play any video. Check whether the error is still happening or not. 

Solution 2: Restart Router 

Sometimes, this playback error is caused due to an internet connectivity problem. Hence, you can try to resolve this by making sure that you have an active internet connection. To check if the problem is because of poor internet connection, try to open YouTube in a different browser. If the issue persists, you can resolve the issue by restarting your modem or router. 

Hence, power off the router or modem by plugging it out from the power sockets. Then, wait for at least 10 minutes. Thereafter, power on your router or device. This will help to perform a power cycle on your router. Lastly, open YouTube in your browser and check if the problem has been resolved. 

Solution 3: Flush and Renew DNS 

DNS cache is the stored information of all the websites that you visit in the browser. The browser automatically stores these in the local database to load it much faster. However, it can get corrupted and cause problems like YouTube an error occurred playback id error. Thus, follow the steps given below to flush the DNS cache data and renew it as well. 

1. On your keyboard, press the windows button logo button along with the letter ‘R’ at the same time. This will open the Run dialog box.
2. Here, type “cmd”. After that, press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter button together. 
3. A pop-up window will appear on the screen asking for Admin permission request. Just press Yes and continue.
4. Next, type the following commands one by one and execute them by pressing the enter button. 

• Ipconfig /flushdns
• Ipconfig /release
• Ipconfig /renew

This will flush all the DNS cache data and renew it. Now, open a browser and try to open any YouTube video. The error should be resolved by now. 

Solution 4: Reinstall Browser

In case you’re still facing the issue after trying all the above solutions, then you need to reinstall the web browser. This is because the browser may have become corrupted due to a recent change in its settings or due to a corrupted installation file. Hence, follow the steps given below to reinstall the Chrome browser.

1. Open the Run dialog box on your system by pressing the Windows key + R key together. 
2. Here, type ‘appwiz.cpl’ in the text field and execute it by pressing the enter key. This will open the Programs and Features window where you can find all the programs installed in the system. 
3. Locate the Google Chrome browser from the list and right-click on it to choose the uninstall option.
4. As soon as the uninstall process is completed, you must restart your device.
5. Visit any other browser and download the google chrome browser on your system.
6. After you download the file, install the browser. Open YouTube and then check if you are able to play any video or not. 

Conclusion 

Finally, the solutions provided above should help you to fix YouTube : an error occurred playback id problem. Generally, clearing the cache or DNS data helps to resolve the problem in no time. Alternatively, reinstalling a browser should help to fix this issue as well.