Is Twitch Constant Buffering Killing Your Streaming? Try These 9 Fixes Now

When you are trying to stream a video on Twitch, and all you see is a moving ring in the middle of your screen – it can get really frustrating! We’ve all been there, and I hated to see Twitch constant buffering during my Call of Duty streams. But luckily, I have found 9 quick and effective fixes for it. Check them out if you don’t want to go through a hundred different web pages.

Why Do I See Twitch Constant Buffering? [9 Causes and Fixes]

If you’re anything like me, I know how frustrating it could be to look at the blank screen in the middle of the video streaming ritual of the day. Well, I’ve done my research and tried to put the best 9 solutions related to this problem. So, here they are:

1. Check Your Internet Connection

Internet connectivity issues can often prevent your Twitch stream from loading smoothly. In some cases, Twitch has the ability to switch to a lower resolution level if your internet connection is unstable or bad until the connection is restored.

Let’s look at some other common causes. 

1. Have you ever noticed how your internet speed slows down when all your siblings are using it simultaneously? You’re probably using more bandwidth than your plan allows. Try an Internet speed test to see if you’re getting the speed advertised by your ISP. If your results are not even close to your plan speed, consider upgrading.
2. You may also have some devices connected to the network that you rarely use or don’t use anymore. For example, you bought a new Ipad, but the old one is still connected to your WiFi and starts updating in the background without your notice. So, disconnecting it may take the load off your WiFi.
3. Alternatively, your Wi-Fi is experiencing some issues. Try turning of the router for a few minutes and turning it back on again. If it still doesn’t work, contact your service provider.

The point is, interruptions and fluctuations in bandwidth can make your internet connection unstable, which can prevent you from checking those Call of Duty forums or streaming videos if you are a fan like me.

2. Check Your Antivirus Software or Firewall

Oftentimes, some antivirus software or firewall on your system can interfere with Twitch streaming, which may cause Twitch constant buffering issues. Basically, Twitch streams its content through web ports 443 and 80. So, it’s possible that the antivirus or firewall on your system has blocked these ports, preventing you to access Twitch streaming servers.

To fix the Twitch constant buffering issues, you can temporarily disable the antivirus and firewall on your system. However, I recommend it is better to add Twitch to the list of exceptions in your antivirus software or firewall.

3. Try Disabling your VPN

At times, using Virtual Private Network on your device can also prevent you from enjoying Twitch streams peacefully. One of its possible outcomes is that you may find yourself stuck in the endless loop of buggering.

So, if you use a Virtual Private Network for gaming or surfing the internet, turn it off because it may be causing interruptions in Twitch streaming – leading it the Twitch constant buffering problem. So, try upgrading to a better VPN which doesn’t interfere with sites that require a lot of bandwidth.

4. Twitch Server Issues 

Well, it’s not always good to blame your computer for everything. Even though it lags sometimes, it has been there for you when you try to inject multiple files of 20 GB or more into its drive. So, despite trying everything, if you still find Twitch constant buffering, it could be that Twitch is facing server issues.

To check if it is indeed the server issue, you can check the Twitch server status here. Alternatively, you could use Downdetector. Once you have confirmed that it’s Twitch servers at fault, you can do nothing but wait for them to get fixed.

5. Change Your DNS

Sometimes, a bad DNS server can cause speed and loading issues, which can, in turn, make your Twitch streams buffer to no end. Luckily, it can be easily fixed by changing your DNS server addresses.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Settings menu by pressing Windows + I and navigate to Network & Internet.

2. In the right window pane, click Change adapter options.

3. A list of available network connections will appear. Right-click the network connection to which you are connected to, and choose Properties from the drop-down menu list.

4. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list, then click Properties.

5. When the new window appears, select Use the following DNS server addresses. Then, enter 8.8.8.8 as the Preferred and 8.8.4.4 as the Alternate DNS server. Once done, click OK to save changes.

6. Clear Your Browsing Data and Cache

Our apps and browser stored cache files to improve our online experience on those certain apps. However, with time, these files become old, obsolete, and even corrupted. Then it can cause many issues, and the Twitch constant buffering issue is one of them. That’s why it is important to clear cache files on your browser routinely.

Here’s how to do it on different browsers.

Google Chrome

1. Open Chrome Browser and use the following keyboard shortcut to open the Clear browsing data menu: Shift + Ctrl + Delete.
2. Select all time option and checkmark the Cookies other site data 
3. Then click the Clear data button to proceed.

Safari

1. Click the Safari drop-down menu and select Preferences.
2. Now, click the Advanced tab. Select the Show Develop menu in the menu bar checkbox and close the Preferences window.
3. Select the Develop drop-down menu. Click Empty Cache.

Mozilla Firefox

1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and select Preferences.
2. Select the Privacy & Security panel.
3. In the Cookies and Site Data section, click Clear Data.
4. Remove the checkmark in front of Cookies and Site Data.
5. With the Cached Web Content check marked, click the Clear button.

Microsoft Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Select Menu (3 dots icon on the top right corner of the browser) 
3. Then go to Settings > Privacy & services.
4. Under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear. 
5. Select the Cached images and files check box and then select Clear.

7. Disable Browser Extensions

Just like antivirus, firewalls, and various other programs, many browser extensions can also interfere with Twitch. As a result, it may prevent Twitch from functioning properly and may cause Twitch constant buffering issues. To avoid this, try removing all the unnecessary extensions from your browser, even temporarily.

Here’s how to do it on different browsers.

Google Chrome

1. Open Chrome Browser and click on the Three-dots right next to your beautiful display picture on the top right corner of the screen.
2. Hover the cursor downwards and select More tools, and then Extensions.
3. Now select the unnecessary extensions which you want to remove and click on remove. 

Mozilla Firefox

1. Click the menu button and then click Add-ons and themes and select Extensions.
2. Scroll through the list of extensions.
3. Click the blue toggle for the extension you wish to disable.

Microsoft Edge

1. In Microsoft Edge, select Extensions located to the right of your browser address bar.
2. Then select Manage extensions.
3. Select the toggle next to the extension you want to turn off.

Safari

1. Choose Safari and head to Settings (or Preferences).
2. Then, click Extensions.
3. To turn off an extension, deselect its checkbox. To uninstall an extension, select the extension and click the Uninstall button.

8. Close Background Applications

Sometimes, background apps may cause Twitch constant buffering issues on your PC. This happens because these apps might be using some system or internet resources in the background. As a result, Twitch streaming doesn’t get the full bandwidth of these resources, and it leads its streaming to buffer constantly.

To turn off the background apps on your PC, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings menu, and click Privacy.

2. In the left window pane, scroll down and click Background Apps.

3. Now, in the right window pane, make sure that Let apps run in the background is turned Off.

9. Disable Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration is originally aimed at decreasing latency by using computer hardware more efficiently. However, it ends up doing the opposite at times. In that case, you need to disable hardware acceleration.

Follow these steps to disable hardware acceleration:

1. Open Chrome Browser and click on the three-dots right next to your display picture on the top right corner of the screen.

2. Navigate to Settings, then click it.

3. Search Use hardware acceleration when available option in the settings and disable it.

4. Now, restart your browser and launch the Twitch stream for any game to check if the Twitch constant buffering issue is resolved or not.

Frequently Asked Questions