12 Ways to Fix Youtube Audio Renderer Error 

For PC users, web browsers have been a go-to platform for streaming YouTube videos. Yet, sometimes unforeseen errors like “Audio renderer error. Please restart your computer” might appear on your video. Your YouTube video might not play even after restarting your PC. 

Well, many users have reported that they encountered this error on Windows. One of the reasons could be an outdated audio driver. Or, if you’ve enabled audio enhancements, it can cause an audio error. However, you can fix the issue with minor tweaks on your Windows and Browser settings.

In this article, we will guide you with 12 fixes to solve the error without restarting your PC. 

Probable Causes of YouTube Audio Renderer Error 

How to Fix YouTube Audio Renderer Error? 

Since you can see “Please restart your computer” on your YouTube video, you can try restarting your PC if you haven’t yet. This should solve the issue. However, if the error persists even after rebooting your device, you can follow the given fixes one by one. 

Run Troubleshoot Audio

Firstly, you can run troubleshooting audio to solve the YouTube audio renderer issue. It will identify the audio errors on your device and possibly fix them. Check out the steps to run troubleshooting below.

1. On the Windows Search bar, enter Audio Troubleshooter
2. Click on Find and fix problems with playing sound  
3. Now, press the Next button and wait for a few seconds
4. From the list, choose the Audio Device to troubleshoot and click on Next
   

Restart Audio Driver 

Another fix to troubleshoot YouTube audio renderer error is restarting the audio device. Disabling the audio driver and enabling it again should solve the existing audio glitches leading to errors. Follow the steps given below.

1. From the Windows Start, navigate to Device Manager
2. Click on the Audio inputs and outputs arrow to expand the menu
3. Now, right-click on your Audio Device
4. From the menu, select Disable Device 
   
5. Again, right-click on your Audio Device and select Enable device

Restart Windows Audio Service

If restarting the audio driver does not solve the issue, you can restart the windows audio service. Check out the steps below. 

1. On the Windows search, enter Services and click on it
2. Scroll down and right-click on Windows Audio. Then, click on Restart
   
3. Follow the same process to restart Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and Remote Procedure Call service

Change Audio Device Default Format

Sometimes, your computer might not support the audio frequency of the default audio driver. Such conflicts will lead to audio renderer errors. So, changing the audio format might fix it. Check out the steps below. 

1. From the control panel, go to Hardware and Sound > Sound
2. Then, on the Playback tab, right-click on the Default Device and choose Properties
   
3. On the Speaker Properties dialogue box, go to the Advanced tab 
4. On Default Format, click on the Drop-down list and select Audio Quality 
   
5. Click on the Test icon and hit the OK button to save changes

Disable Audio Enhancements 

If you’ve enabled audio enhancements, sometimes it might cause issues with an audio or sound card. So, you can disable audio enhancements on your windows to fix the issue. It will improve the sound quality too. Follow the steps below. 

1. From the Windows Search, navigate to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound 
2. From the Playback tab, right-click on the Default device and choose Properties 
   
3. On the Speaker Properties dialogue box, go to the Enhancements tab 
4. Check the box for Disable all enhancements and click on the OK button
   

Update Audio Driver 

If your audio driver is outdated, it can lead to hardware malfunctioning. Thus, you need to update your audio driver constantly. It might solve the audio renderer error too. Find out the steps for it below. 

1. From the Windows Start, go to Device Manager
2. Locate Sound, video and game controllers and double-click to expand the menu
3. Then, right-click on your Audio Device and choose Update Driver
   
4. Select Search automatically for drivers
   

Reinstall Audio Driver

A corrupted or defective audio driver might cause YouTube audio renderer. So, reinstalling the audio driver is the best bet to fix it. You should be able to play YouTube videos with audio after this fix. Check out the steps below.  

1. Enter Device Manager on the Windows Search and open it
2. Locate Sound, video and game controllers and double-click to expand the menu
3. Then, right-click on the Audio Device and click on Uninstall Device
   
4. Check the box for Attempt to remove the driver for this device and click on Uninstall
5. Finally, Restart your PC. Restarting will reinstall the audio driver automatically.  

Set Audio Device as Default 

There can be instances when your default audio device can be an external monitor. You encounter YouTube audio renderer error when the device might not have built-in speakers. Or, if you are using external speakers or headsets, you might not have set it as the default audio device. Therefore, you can follow the given steps

1. On Windows Search, enter Control Panel and open it
2. Click on Hardware and Sound > Sound
3. On the Sound dialogue box, go to the Playback tab
4. Choose the Audio Device and right-click on it. Then, click on Set as Default Device
   
5. Finally, press the OK button to save changes 

Clear Browser Cookies and Cache data

Usually, we don’t clear browser cookies and cache data. So, when we don’t, the data will become corrupt and lead to issues in the system. You will encounter errors like Audio renderer errors while playing YouTube. Thus, you can clear your browser’s cache data to fix and enhance the browsing experience. 

Disable Hardware Acceleration

By default, Hardware acceleration is enabled on browsers. Sometimes, it might cause the programs in the browser to lag or crash. In such cases, you can disable the hardware acceleration to solve them. Follow the steps for Google Chrome below. 

1. On the top-right corner of Chrome, click on the More icon
2. Then, open Settings > System 
3. Switch the toggle for Use Hardware acceleration when available to turn off
   
4. Restart the browser to save changes

Disable AdBlocker

Your YouTube might be having conflicting errors with AdBlocker. As a result, it will lead to a playback error or audio renderer error on videos. So, you can disable the AdBlocker app or extension on your browser and try using YouTube again. 

Update Browser

Most of the problems you encounter arise from using an outdated browser version. Audio renderer error could be one of them. You can update your browser with the most recent version for an improved experience.

Follow the steps given below.

1. On Google Chrome, click on the More icon at the top-right corner
2. Then, choose Help and click on About Google Chrome
   
3. Press Update Google Chrome. If it is up to date, you can see Chrome is up to date message on the screen.
4. Relaunch Google Chrome