Forum Discussion
My PC freezes when I watch video/stream in browsers
Hello, I have had this problem since I bought my PC approximately 8 months ago. It happens that my PC freezes when I watch videos in browsers. Whether it is any video on YouTube, Twitch, or any other playback, the video loses the audio at some point, and if I don't close it quickly, my PC freezes completely. Sometimes, it just freezes without allowing me to close the browser. It happens in different browsers, too, like Microsoft Edge or Chrome. I play video games requiring a lot of hardware, which doesn't happen to me. I am very stressed because the only solution is to press the shutdown button until the PC turns off completely. I have tried everything: updating video drivers, Windows, playback troubleshooting, SFC file checker, and DISM commands. I have found people with the same problem but need help finding a precise solution. Could you help me? I leave you the information about my system below. You will realize it is not a hardware problem; my PC is relatively new.
Processor 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700HX 2.10 GHz
Installed RAM 32.0 GB (31.7 GB usable)
Device ID 3756210D-B353-4711-B28E-63A88B004F24
Product ID 00342-21076-98457-AAOEM
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
GPU
Display 1 Intel(R) UHD Graphics
Display 2 NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
15 Replies
Based on your description, your system is quite capable, and since you can run high-performance games without issues, the freezing during video streaming is most likely caused by graphics driver instability or GPU switching problems, not hardware failure.
Likely Cause: GPU Switching (Intel + NVIDIA)
Your laptop uses both Intel UHD graphics and an NVIDIA RTX 4060. Browsers often default to the integrated GPU (Intel), which can sometimes cause system freezes or crashes—especially when playing DRM-protected content like Netflix or Twitch. A failed switch between GPUs or a decoding glitch can cause the system to hang entirely.
What You Can Try:
1.Force the Browser to Use the NVIDIA GPU
- Open Graphics Settings in Windows
- Add your browser (e.g., Chrome, Edge)
- Set it to High Performance
- Restart your browser
2.Clean Reinstall Graphics Drivers
Use a driver uninstaller tool in Safe Mode to remove all traces of current drivers, then install the latest Intel and NVIDIA drivers directly from their official websites.
3.Disable Hardware Acceleration in the Browser
Go to browser settings → System → Disable “Use hardware acceleration when available” → Restart the browser.
4.Set Power Plan to High Performance
Make sure Windows is set to “High Performance” in Power Options to avoid aggressive power saving that could affect video playback.
5.Check BIOS for GPU Options (if available)
Some laptops allow GPU preferences in the BIOS. If accessible, set the system to favor the dedicated GPU.
Additional Tip: Downloading videos can help. But, always remember to use well-known and reliable softwares (as I know SameMovie VideoOne, StreamFab, Tunepat, etc).
- Hello,
I finally resolved the problem.
I changed the frequency rate of my monitor from 165Hz to 144Hz and it did the trick. My PC never frozen again while watching videos.- DiogoMadaleno
Thank you so much for sharing this solution
I have a surface pro 4, and one of this models powerful ones, i like it but i had this freezing on video playing problem from day 1, as you said i did go to my, display settings/ advanced display settings/refresh rate
But because my refresh rate is fixed on 60.008 and couldn't be changed i opened Display adaptor properties for Display 1 and and from list of all modes i changed my mode from last one (2736 by 1824, True Color (32 bit), 60 Hertz) to it previous one (2560 by 1600, True Color (32 bit), 60 Hertz.
Now my freezing problem on playing videoes anywhere, and openin 3D apps is solved. DiogoMadaleno Great to hear that!!
I was also thinking of reducing my browsers refresh rate. Don’t know if there are any flags in chrome or opera for that.
Thank you for the response.
marcosag1996 I am sure that you have this issue still with your OS.
I have the same issue which is still not resolved.
For me this happens only when I have multiple tabs of videos open in browsers and is playing one of the open video tabs.
I could say this has never happened with the YouTube videos, but with other streaming sites which uses some unknown embedded player to stream videos.
Next time it would be better if we both check the event viewer and provide the crash dump to the MS technical team or do the investigation ourselves.
- marcosag1996, were you able to solve the issue?
If yes, how did you fix it?
I am having the same problem. 😞
Thank you. - try opera browser for windows it fixed this exact issue for me. you can still connect to you microsoft account via it to as with all other sites its a more llightweight browser than most others maybe a soloution for you aswell i went form lagging videos on 360p to 1080p no lag after installing opera is free to download
- I just installed Opera and I still having the same issue. It is not a lag issue, is exactly as I explain above. The video just suddenly freezes and sometimes the only solution is forcing a turn off.
have you checked your graphics card driver?
maybe even run cmd prompt as admin
type sfc /scannow to check any corruptions in system files
download driver reviver and check for outdated drivers its free thats if microsoft update shows none thereif your inexperienced with driver configurations and installs
i reccomend the driver reviver software as it will scan / download / install drivers for you
free version allows 1 install at a time but will allow you to update all outdated drivers free
your display 1 and display drivers are different on my laptop
display 1 and display 2 are both using the same ones try switch them both to nividia if you know how to or i can send a tutorial.. regardless do try driver reviver
sounds like graphics memory issue from my personal experiences
