When watching videos fullscreen my computer stutters

Updated: 06/30/2020 by Computer Hope
Computer monitor

Often this issue is encountered on computers with slow processors, not enough memory, outdated video card drivers, or another issue with the video card. Below are suggestions that can be done to help resolve this issue for video stuttering on any videos you may be watching on your computer.

Stuttering in Adobe Flash videos

If you're encountering stuttering with online videos, such as Hulu or YouTube videos, in fullscreen mode, disabling the hardware acceleration in Adobe Flash helps slower computers. To do this, follow the steps below.

  1. Open the online video that's slow.
  2. Right-click the flash video.
  3. Select Settings.
  4. In the Flash Player settings, uncheck the "Enable hardware acceleration" box, and click Close.

Additional suggestions for resolving stuttering issues

Decrease resolution

Decreasing the resolution of your display can also often increase the performance of fullscreen video since it will not require as much from the computer.

Update video drivers

Video drivers are one of the most-updated drivers on your computer, sometimes as frequently once every two months. Having the latest video drivers on your computer can make a big difference. We highly recommend you make sure your computer has the latest video drivers. If there is an update available, download it and install it.

Close background applications

Most computers have programs running in the background. Each of these programs take some of your overall system resources, which if already limited, can cause your computer to become slow, causing videos to stutter. Make sure any open programs are closed, and disable background running programs from automatically starting up each time your computer boots up.

Try an alternative browser

If you're still having issues, try an alternative browser to make sure it's not the Internet browser that's at fault. For example, if you're using Internet Explorer, try watching a video in Firefox.

Video card overheating

If the issue persists after trying the suggestions above, check your video card to see if it's overheating. There are multiple ways to determine the temperature of a video card and if it's overheating it can cause videos to stutter.

Upgrade memory

Finally, if none of the above suggestions worked, consider upgrading the system memory in your computer. Adding additional memory can provide your computer with the resources needed to play videos smoothly.