Top 13 Ways to Fix Google Drive Videos Not Playing or Processing Error

Top 13 Ways to Fix Google Drive Videos Not Playing or Processing Error

Many people use Google Drive to store videos in the cloud. The problem is that the native Google Drive video player is not that good. And many users complain about errors like “This video can’t be played” or “Oops! There was a problem reading the error for this video.

There can be many reasons why videos stored in Google Drive are not played, as we will explore below. I hope you have checked your Internet connection, bandwidth and speed before you start with this guide.

Let’s start.

1. Pirated content

Several users rely on Google Drive to download and share pirated content. This is simply not true, and Google will delete it sooner or later. If you try to play a pirated video, Google may have banned / deleted / blocked it. Google uses file hashing to find and block this content.

2. Maximum reading resolution

What is the resolution of the video stored or shared in Google Drive? This is important, because Google Drive supports video resolution up to 1920 x 1080 only. Higher resolution videos will not play in Google Drive.

3. The video is corrupt

It is also possible that the video file is corrupted and this is why Google Drive generates the error “This video cannot be played”.

4. The file size is too large

The video file size is limited to 5 TB, and while this is too generous for 99.99% of users, you can be an exception. Do you join multiple videos and upload them to Drive? Crazy.

9. Multiple Google account

Do you use multiple Google accounts in your browser? Google allows users to sign in to multiple accounts in the Chrome browser. While this is handy, it can cause a video playback error in Google Drive. Log out of all but one account where the video is saved, and then try to play that video.


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Just open a new tab, click on your profile photo and select the Logout option. Are you still experiencing the error “This video cannot be played”?

10. Make a copy and play

Some users have found that creating a copy of the original video did the trick. Google Drive makes the process even easier. Right click on the video you want to play and select the Make a copy option.


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The new file will be named “Copy of X”, where x is the name of the old file you just copied. Double click on the video to play it.

11. Update browser / application

Update the browser you are using to the latest version to eliminate all chances of conflicts and bugs. The same goes for the Google Drive app on your phone.

12. Clear browser and application cache and cookies

Let’s start with the browser. Open Settings and click Advanced and select Clear browsing data.


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Under the Advanced tab, select Cookies and other site data as well as the Images and cached files options.


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Click on Clear Data.

If you’re using the Google Drive app on Android, open Settings and under the list of apps, find and open Google Drive.


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Tap Clear data at the bottom of the screen and select Clear all data and Clear cache.


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You may need to log back into Google Drive. Do it and check again if you see “This video cannot be played” or “Oops! There was a problem reading the error for this video.

13. Download to device and play

This applies to browser and smartphone users. If you’re using a browser, download a copy of the video to your computer, then use your favorite video player to play it. The same goes for the Google Drive mobile app.


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Just right click in the browser or press the menu button in the app to select the download option.

Drive together

Google Drive is a solid cloud storage platform, but it is not without its faults. You may experience hiccups and occasional mistakes, but we’re here to save the day. One of the solutions should have worked for you. If you have found another way to resolve “This video cannot be played” or “Oops! There was a problem reading the error for this video, let us know in the comments below.

Then:

Looking for an alternative to Google Drive? Click the link below to read our in-depth comparison between Google Drive and iCloud.

Last updated on February 25, 2020

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