How To Fix YouTube 500 Internal Server Error

YouTube is a video streaming platform which was founded in 2005. Users can share their videos for anyone to view. This service can be accessed on most internet connected devices however the most popular method is by using the Google Chrome browser on a Windows 10 computer. Although this is a solid performing platform there are instances when certain issues can occur. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the YouTube 500 internal server error problem.

What to do when you get the 500 Internal Server Error in YouTube

One of the problems that you will seldom encounter when accessing YouTube is the 500 Internal Server Error. It’s main cause is usually a server outage on YouTube’s end and not an issue with your computer. Usually, waiting for a few minutes before accessing the service again by refreshing the browser page will do the trick. If however the problem persists then here’s what you need to do.

Prerequisites:

  • Restart your modem/router
  • Restart your computer.
  • Make sure to use the latest version of Google Chrome when accessing the website.

Method 1: Clear the browsing data of Google Chrome

There are times when corrupted cached data stored in the browser can cause the problem. If this is the case then you will need to clear out the browsing data.

Time needed: 5 minutes.

Clear the cached data of Chrome

  1. Click the More icon.

    This is the three dots on the upper right side of the Chrome browser.YouTube 500 Internal Server Error

  2. Click on More Tools.

    This will open a new sub-menu.500 Internal Server Error in YouTube

  3. Click on Clear browsing data.

    This will open a new window.clear browsing data

  4. Click on the Basic tab.

    This is the first tab on top of the window.basic tab

  5. Choose a Time range.

    Select all time for best results.time range

  6. Make sure the boxes for “cookies and other site data”, “browsing history”, as well as “cached images and files” are checked.

    This will delete the selected data.clear data selection

  7. Click Clear data.

    This will clear the browsing data.clear data

Method 2: Disable the browser extensions

It’s also possible that an extension that is turned on is causing the problem. To check if this is the case you should turn off all extensions.

  • Click the More icon. 
  • Click on More Tools.
  • Click on Extensions.
  • Turn off all active extensions.

If the problem does not occur then you need to turn on the extensions one at a time at the same time checking if the issue will occur to determine which extension is causing the problem.

After performing the steps listed above you will successfully fix the YouTube 500 internal server error problem.

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