Troubleshoot audio or video issues with uploads on YouTube

If you're having problems with the audio or video of your upload, try these troubleshooting steps to solve the issue.

Audio issues

Audio and video are out of sync

Make sure the durations of your audio and video tracks are the same. If your audio track is shorter or longer than your video, your audio and video may not sync correctly.

To edit your audio and video tracks, use a video editing software before uploading your content to YouTube.

Audio plays on a computer but not on a mobile device

If your video's sound is playing correctly on a computer but not on a mobile device, your audio may have poor mono compatibility.

Videos often have stereo audio, which contains audio for left and right speakers (like headphones). Most mobile devices only have one speaker. When your mobile device plays stereo audio, it has to convert it to mono (single speaker) audio before your video plays.

If the audio in your video has poor “mono compatibility”, the mono conversion process can reduce the audio quality or mute the audio. This problem often happens when several audio recordings are used into one video.

Make sure your audio is "in phase."

Other audio or video issues

Editing your video's settings can solve common audio and video issues. To review and change your video's settings:

Open the video in a video editing program

To open your raw video, use a video editing program on a computer. If you recorded your video on a mobile device, you can open the video using a mobile editing app.

Verify video settings

In your video editor, double check that your video settings match our recommended upload settings.

Video settings:

• Compression Type: H.264
• Frame Rate: 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60 FPS rates are preferred. Other less-common frame rates like 23.98, 29.97, and 59.94 are also acceptable.
• Data Rate: Automatic
• Key Frames: Automatic
• Frame Reordering: Unchecked

Audio/Sound settings:

• Format: AAC-LC
• Bitrate: 128 kbps—256 kbps
• Sample rate: 44100 or 48000

Other settings:

• Size: Choose the original size of the video.

Save and export

Once the video has the recommended settings, re-upload the video on YouTube.

Video issues

New video can’t be played in higher qualities (4K, 1080p)

When you upload a video, it will initially be processed in a low quality. This process helps you complete the upload flow faster. Higher qualities, such as 4K or 1080p, can take more time to process. While this processing happens, your video may seem to be missing higher qualities for several hours.

If you’d like new uploads to be available in all qualities, try uploading your video as unlisted first. You can later make your video public once all qualities are available. Learn more about video quality for new uploads.

Note:Higher qualities like 4K may not be available on specific devices or browsers because of platform limitations.

Colors aren’t displaying correctly

If colors aren’t showing correctly, make sure your video’s transfer characteristics, color primaries, and color matrix coefficient metadata match how the video was mastered.

• Non-HDR videos: Use BT.709
• HDR videos: Learn more

If colors still aren’t rendering correctly, it may be due to your browser or device. To isolate the problem, test your original video andyour YouTube upload on other browsers.

Other audio or video issues

Editing your video's settings can solve common audio and video issues. To review and change your video's settings:

Open the video in a video editing program

To open your raw video, use a video editing program on a computer. If you recorded your video on a mobile device, you can open the video using a mobile editing app.

Verify video settings

In your video editor, double check that your video settings match our recommended upload settings.

Video settings:

• Compression Type: H.264
• Frame Rate: 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60 FPS rates are preferred. Other less-common frame rates like 23.98, 29.97, and 59.94 are also acceptable.
• Data Rate: Automatic
• Key Frames: Automatic
• Frame Reordering: Unchecked

Audio/Sound settings:

• Format: AAC-LC
• Bitrate: 128 kbps—256 kbps
• Sample rate: 44100 or 48000

Other settings:

• Size: Choose the original size of the video.

Save and export

Once the video has the recommended settings, re-upload the video on YouTube.