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Unable to watch a full video without it freezing after ads

Paul Catterson 25 Reputation points
2026-06-18T18:02:24.1066667+00:00

These instructions did not fix the problem of being able to watch a full video without it freezing after an ad. I reported this problem in February and there is still no resolution. It seems others are encountering the same problem, and have not found resolutions either. Can MSN work on solving this problem? It's very frustrating.

Microsoft Edge | Audio and video playback | Windows 11
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  1. Hendrix-V 15,780 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-19T02:14:23.55+00:00

    Hi Paul Catterson,

    Since the videos play normally until an advertisement finishes, this may be related to how the browser transitions between the ad stream and the main video stream, or to cached site data affecting playback.

    As a targeted troubleshooting step, please try:

    1. Open the affected site in an InPrivate/Incognito window and test playback.
    2. Clear cached files and cookies specifically for the affected website.
    3. Test the same video in a different browser to determine whether the behavior is browser-specific.
    4. Ensure your graphics driver is up to date, as video playback relies on GPU acceleration in many browsers.

    If the issue only occurs on one streaming service, it would also be helpful to know which site is affected and whether the problem happens in multiple browsers or only one.

    I hope this helps point us in the right direction. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-18T18:02:36.74+00:00

    Follow these steps to troubleshoot video freezing after ads when using MSN in Microsoft Edge on Windows 11:

    1. Check video format/codec support in Edge
      Some site players or ad segments may use formats or codecs that Edge handles differently than the main content.
      • In Edge, open a new tab and go to edge://media-internals.
      • Start playing the MSN video and wait until it freezes after the ad.
      • In edge://media-internals, select the active player entry and review the codec information under kVideoTracks and decoder details.
      • If the video or ad uses a less common or unsupported codec, this can cause playback issues. Compare behavior with another browser; if it only fails in Edge, continue with the steps below.
    2. Verify codec and file format support
      Edge doesn’t natively support all codecs. If the ad or main video uses a problematic format, playback can stall.
      • Compare the MSN video behavior with other players or sites. If similar issues appear with specific formats, the underlying codec support might be the cause.
      • When working with your own test files, convert them to a widely supported format (H.264 video + AAC audio in an MP4 container) and test in Edge to confirm that standard formats play correctly.
    3. Check H.264/hardware acceleration path
      Edge relies heavily on the Windows media stack and hardware acceleration. If the hardware decode path is unstable, playback can freeze after transitions such as ads.
      • In Edge, open edge://gpu and review Video Acceleration Information to confirm that hardware decoding is available and working for common codecs (such as H.264).
      • If hardware acceleration appears problematic, test by temporarily disabling it in Edge settings and retrying the MSN video. If playback stabilizes, the issue is likely related to the hardware decode path.
    4. Compare with other sites and browsers
      • Test video playback on other streaming sites in Edge. If only MSN freezes after ads, collect details (time, region, URL pattern, and any error messages) to provide to support.
      • If multiple sites show similar freezing behavior after ad segments, the issue is more likely with Edge’s playback stack or codec path on that device.
    5. Escalate with detailed diagnostics
      Because this has persisted since February and others are affected, gather concrete technical data to help Microsoft investigate:
      • From edge://media-internals, capture the player log around the time the video freezes (codec, pipeline state, error codes if any).
      • From edge://gpu, capture the Video Acceleration Information section.
      • Note whether the issue reproduces under different Windows user profiles or after disabling extensions. Provide these details when opening a support request or feedback item so the Edge/MSN teams can reproduce and diagnose the specific failure path.

    These steps align with the standard troubleshooting flow for Edge video playback problems and help distinguish between an MSN-specific player/ad issue and an Edge media/codec issue on the device.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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