How to Fix Twitch Not Loading in Chrome or Firefox

Let’s set the scene. You’re back from school, college, or work, or just enjoying your lazy Sunday. Finally, you have some time to yourself, but you don’t feel like playing a game or studying. Time to fire up Twitch and see what your favorite streamer is doing.

You double-click that Chrome or Firefox icon, and then the disappointment suddenly sets in, for Twitch isn’t loading at all.

If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. Read on for some tips on how to make sure your stream-viewing will go uninterrupted.

General Tips

Twitch is likely the most popular live video streaming service on the internet, but it is not without its issues. Many users across several web browsers have reported similar problems. Twitch doesn’t load at all or has a variety of hiccups when trying to catch a stream.

Thankfully, most of these are easily fixable, and this guide will cover the most common ones and the best ways to remove them in Chrome and Firefox.

Start with the Basics

Twitch may not be working for you, but it also might be down for everyone else as the issue may lie with the service. The easiest way to check is to look at their Instagram or Twitter support profiles. If the servers are down for maintenance, or if there’s been a crash, Twitch support will notify people. But if nothing else, at least nothing’s wrong with your browser.

Check Your Internet Connection

As simple as that step is, it can be beneficial. Also, see if you can disable (temporarily at least) any bandwidth-heavy services on your PC, such as torrent. For those who have slower internet speeds, the more resources are available at any time, the better. Resetting your router as well as your PC never hurts.

Clear Your Browsing Data and Cache

Much like the previous tips, this one isn’t complicated but can be extremely helpful. It seldom helps to overload your browser with too much useless, outdated data. We recommend that you perform cleanups like this often, as a preventative measure.

Chrome

Here’s how to delete browsing data and cache in Chrome:

1. Open your browser.
   
2. Click on three dots and open Settings.
   
3. Next, enter the Privacy and security tab. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+H.
   
4. Click on the Clear Browsing Data option and delete any browsing data from the past day or week, at least. If you’d like to be extra sure, go on the Advanced tab and select what you want to delete. We recommend ticking Cookies and Cached Images and Files.
   

Firefox

Here’s how to do the same in Firefox:

1. Open your browser.
   
2. Go into the options menu, located on the top right, then navigate to Settings.
   
3. Select Privacy & Security
   
4. Scroll down and click on the Clear Data and Clear History, once again choosing how far back you will go.
   

Advanced Tips

Now, moving on to slightly advanced causes, add-ons on Chrome might be the culprit here.

Check Extensions and Add-ons

If you’ve installed some extensions recently and think they’re affecting Twitch, go into Incognito mode (Ctrl+Shift+N) and try to access Twitch there.

If it works fine, it’s possible one of your add-ons is to blame here. Outdated extensions, such as the one that was required to run Flash videos, can still cause trouble. An excellent way to determine which one is to disable them one at a time, and then test the browser.

It’s easy enough, don’t worry. Go into the options menu on Chrome and find the Extensions tab on the lower-left corner.

It will display all currently installed add-ons, allowing you to proceed with testing them. If it suddenly works after a particular add-on has been disabled, voila, master fixer!

Update the Browser

Update your browsers. Much like the apps on our phones or multiplayer games we play, web browsers have regular updates. It’s important not to lag behind others, especially for more extended periods. That may well cause additional headaches, including limited website functionality.

Check for Viruses

Perform an antivirus scan. While not always necessary, there have been cases where PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) dug their way into a person’s PC, either by accident or as malware. They have been known to cause issues with web browsers and can be difficult to root out. As such, performing a deep scan with your antivirus software is never a bad idea.

Even the regular Windows Defender on a Windows 10 installation works well in this regard. Just let it perform a deep dive into your system and expel any potentially malicious software.

Access the Defender via your Start menu. Go into the Scan Options menu, then choose the Offline scan, and click the Scan now button.

If the Defender finds something, remove it and restart your PC. Try to access Twitch after the restart.

Clear DNS Cache

To clear DNS cache, launch Command Prompt. When it opens, type “ipconfig/flushdns” without the quotation marks.

Contact Support

Contact support. If all else fails, contacting Twitch Support with the specifics may help further. You can also post your query in both Mozilla’s and Chrome’s support pages.

Twitch Doesn’t Twitch Anymore

If the issue persists, there are alternatives to explore. If you’ve no qualms with watching your streams on your desktop on the official Twitch Desktop Application, then head over to Twitch, and download it. The installation is simple and shouldn’t take long.

Do you think we missed a step, or perhaps know of a simpler or faster way to stop Twitch from making you twitch from annoyance? Feel free to leave a comment below. Any tips or tricks that you used to fix this problem might help other readers.