You open a video in Google Drive, or someone sends you a Drive link to one, and instead of a picture you get a grey box: 'This video can't be played', 'Whoops! There was a problem playing this video', or Google's own wording, 'Video is unplayable'.
In most cases the file itself is not lost or broken. Drive is trying to stream the video through its own player, and that player has rules: certain formats only, a resolution cap, a processing step after upload, cookies it needs, and limits on busy shared files. When any of those rules is not met, the player gives up. The fix is either to meet the rule, or to skip the player and download the file.
First, read the exact message
Google's Drive help documents four playback messages. The two most common phrasings people search for, 'This video can't be played' and 'Whoops! There was a problem playing this video', are not listed on Google's help pages, but in practice they point to the same causes as 'Video is unplayable', so start there.
- 'Video is unplayable': Google says the video may be corrupted or uploaded in a format that won't work. See causes one and two.
- 'Video is still processing. Try again later.': the video is not ready yet, and large files take longer. Google notes that instant playback only works in the browser session you uploaded from, so a video you can watch may still be processing for the people you shared it with. That message has its own guide on this blog.
- 'This video is currently unavailable.': the video is not ready to be played. Google's advice is to try again in a few minutes.
- 'Playback limits': you have hit the limit for viewers who aren't signed in. See cause four.
- No message at all, just a spinner or a black box that never starts: usually the browser. See cause three.
- 'You need access' instead of a player: that is a sharing setting, not a playback problem. Check 'General access' in the file's 'Share' box.
Cause 1: The format or codec isn't one Drive plays
A video file is a container (the .mp4, .mov or .mkv part) holding video and audio encoded with a codec. Drive cares about both. Google's list of video file types, below, is specific about the codecs inside each container, and Google also says that not every format plays on every device. So an .mp4 or .mov file can still fail if what is inside it is not H.264 or MPEG-4 video with AAC audio, which is common with recordings straight from newer phones, cameras, screen recorders and editing software exports. A file type that is not on the list at all, such as .mkv, may store fine in Drive and never play there.
The fix Google gives is to convert the file if its format is unusual, then upload it again. Any video converter or editing app can export to MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio, which is the safest combination on Google's list. Upload the converted copy, wait for it to finish processing, and test it before you share it. These are the types and codecs Google lists:
- WebM, using VP8 video and Vorbis audio.
- MP4, 3GP and MOV, using H.264 or MPEG-4 video and AAC audio.
- AVI, using MJPEG video and PCM audio.
- MPEG-PS, using MPEG-2 video and MP2 audio.
- WMV, FLV (using FLV1 video and MP3 audio), MTS and OGG.
Cause 2: The upload is damaged or incomplete
If the format looks right and the video still says it is unplayable, the copy in Drive may be damaged. An upload that was interrupted by a dropped connection, a laptop going to sleep, or a browser tab being closed can leave a file that looks complete but won't play. Google's first suggestion for 'Video is unplayable' is to try uploading the video again.
Check the original on your own device first. If it doesn't play there either, the problem is the original file, not Drive. If it does, upload it again with these steps from Google's upload troubleshooting:
- Make sure your internet connection is stable for the whole upload.
- Check that the file fits within your available Drive storage.
- Use the Drive desktop or mobile app, which Google says often performs better for uploads than the browser.
- On a phone, upload over Wi-Fi for the best speed.
- Very small files will not play at all: Google's minimum file size for playback is 4 KB.
Cause 3: The browser is blocking the player
If videos fail but documents and photos open normally, look at the browser. The single most overlooked rule is cookies. Google's Drive help says plainly: to play videos in Drive, you need to turn on third-party cookies. Many people block them for privacy, and Drive's videos stop playing as a result.
You don't have to unblock cookies everywhere. Google's download help says that in Chrome you can keep third-party cookies blocked and allow them only for drive.google.com, and to make sure googleusercontent.com, drive.google.com and google.com are not on the 'Sites that can never use cookies' list.
- Open the video in an incognito or private window. If it plays there, a cookie setting or an extension is the cause.
- Temporarily turn off browser extensions, especially ad blockers and privacy tools. If you are a developer with a CORS plugin in Chrome, Google says to disable it.
- Clear the browser's cache and cookies, or try a different browser.
- Update your browser, or the Drive app on your phone.
- Sign out of your Google Account and sign back in. On a phone, uninstalling and reinstalling the Drive app is Google's last suggestion.
Cause 4: Too many people are watching a shared video
A shared video can also be stopped by Drive's viewing limits, and there are two different messages for it.
'Playback limits' means, in Google's words, that you've hit the limit for viewers who aren't signed in. The fix is simple: sign in to a Google Account and play the video again. If you are sending a video to people who don't use Google accounts, expect some of them to see this.
The other is 'Too many users have viewed or downloaded this file recently'. Google says this happens when a file gets a high volume of views or downloads in a short period, and that it is temporary and typically clears within 24 hours. Google does not publish the number that triggers it. If you can't wait and the owner allows copying, Google's workaround is to open 'Shared with me', right-click the file, choose 'Make a copy', then go to 'My Drive', right-click your copy and choose 'Download'.
Cause 5: The video is large or high resolution
Google says you can upload videos of any resolution, but the maximum playback resolution is 1920 x 1080. A 4K file will not play at 4K in Drive, and Google notes that connection quality and speed affect playback, so a big high-bitrate file on a slow connection can stall or fail. Google does not publish a maximum video length.
For a large file, downloading is usually better than streaming. On a computer, open Google Drive, right-click the video and choose 'Download'. You get the original file at full resolution, and your own video player plays it without any of Drive's limits. Google's download help notes that blocking third-party cookies in Chrome stops Drive downloads too, so fix that first if a download never starts.
Prevent it next time
Most Drive playback failures can be avoided before you share the link.
- Export or convert to MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio before uploading.
- Keep the export at 1080p if people will watch it in Drive; keep the full-resolution original for anyone who needs to download it.
- Upload from the Drive app on a stable connection, and don't close the window until it finishes.
- Wait for processing, then open the link in a private window to see what your viewers will see.
- Tell viewers to sign in to a Google Account, and to download the file rather than stream it if it is long or large.
- For a video many people will open at once, share it with specific people instead of one public link, so it is less likely to hit the 'Too many users' limit.
When you just need them to have the file
If the goal is to hand someone the video to download rather than stream it, OneSol Send sends files up to 5 GB by link, with no sign-in needed for the recipient, and the link is kept for 3 days (you need a free OneSol account to send).