Are you encountering a “Audio renderer error” on a regular basis? When watching—or attempting to watch—YouTube in Windows 10, do you see the “Please restart your computer” message? If you haven’t already, follow the instructions in the message and restart your computer.
After that, wipe the cache in your browser. If it doesn’t fix the YouTube audio renderer error (or if it reappears after a while), your audio devices may have a software issue. The solutions listed below should assist you in repairing the problem.
We’ll go over what an audio renderer error is and how to fix it when you’re trying to open a video on YouTube in this post. We’ll also go over the potential sources of the error and how to fix it.
Fix an Audio Renderer Error in Windows 10
Unplug and reconnect the sound device
Do you have a wired audio playback device attached to your computer (such as a headphone)? If this is the case, disconnect it and try watching a YouTube video. You can plug the device back in if you don’t get the YouTube audio renderer error. That alone could be enough to solve the problem.
The YouTube audio renderer error can also be caused by having multiple external playback devices connected to your computer at the same time. Keep the default playback device attached and unplug the other audio device in this situation. Then see whether it makes a difference. Have you had no luck thus far?
Programs for Audio Mixing in Close Quarters
Mixcraft and other audio mixing tools might take sole control of the audio drivers, preventing your browser from using them. If you have a comparable programme running in the background, completely leaving it before watching YouTube may help. You can also prohibit these apps from controlling your audio equipment.
For example, in Mixcraft, go to File > Preferences > Sound Device and turn off the Exclusive Mode switch. This can cause latency issues while using the software, so make sure to use Exclusive Mode (or something similar) as necessary.
Sound Devices Can Be Disabled or Enabled
Another effective workaround for the audio renderer error in Windows 10 is to disable and enable the default audio playback device on your PC.
1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager from the Start menu.
2. Boost the number of audio inputs and outputs.
3. Select “Disable device” from the context menu of your default audio device.
Note: If you have numerous playback devices listed, pick the volume icon in the system tray to determine which one is your default.
4. To confirm, select “Yes.”
5. Select “Enable device” from the context menu when you right-click the audio device again.
Run the Audio Troubleshooter programme.
If the YouTube audio renderer error persists, it’s time to employ Windows 10’s built-in audio troubleshooter. It can detect and assist you in resolving underlying issues.
1. Select “Open” from the Start menu after typing “troubleshoot settings.”
2. Select the “Additional Troubleshooters” option.
3. Click on “Playing Audio,” then “Run the Troubleshooter.”
4. To resolve issues with your audio devices, follow any on-screen instructions and suggestions.
Audio Drivers from the Past
Did the YouTube audio renderer error start to appear after updating any audio playback device or sound card-related drivers? If that’s the case, roll them back.
Note: If you haven’t updated your audio drivers, you won’t be able to use the “Roll Back Driver” option in the instructions below.
Audio-playing device
1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager from the Start menu.
2. Boost the number of audio inputs and outputs.
3. Select “Properties” from the context menu of your default audio device.
4. Select the Driver tab from the drop-down menu.
5. Select “Roll Back Driver” from the drop-down menu.
Drivers for Audio Cards
1. In the Device Manager, expand the “Sound, video, and gaming controllers” section.
Select Properties from the right-click menu for the audio card driver.
3. Select the “Driver” tab from the drop-down menu.
4. Select “Roll Back Driver” from the drop-down menu.
5. If you see numerous audio drivers, repeat steps 2-4.
Audio Drivers Should Be Updated
If you can’t roll back your audio drivers (or if that doesn’t work), do the inverse and update them instead.
Audio-playing device
1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager from the Start menu.
2. Boost the number of audio inputs and outputs.
3. Select “Update Driver” from the context menu of your default output device.
4. To install the most recent driver updates, select the “Search automatically for drivers” option.
Drivers for Audio Cards
1. In the Device Manager, expand Sound, Video, and Game Controllers. 2.
2. Select “Update Driver” from the context menu of your sound card driver.
3. If you see numerous audio drivers, repeat Step 2.
Windows 10 has been updated.
Have you recently updated Windows 10?
An out-of-date system can result in a slew of technical issues and oddities. If you haven’t already, do it right now.
1. Go to the Start menu and type “Windows Update” into the search box.
2. Select “Check for Updates” and, if any are available, install them.
3. If any audio-related updates are available, select Optional Updates (found directly below the Check for Updates button).
Web Browser Upgrade will help you upgrade your web browser.
An out-of-date web browser might cause problems with web apps like YouTube. Despite the fact that browsers like Chrome and Firefox are meant to update themselves, it’s always a good idea to double-check.
- Open the Chrome menu, point to Help, and then pick About Google Chrome from the drop-down menu.
- Open the Firefox menu, point to Help, and then pick About Firefox in Mozilla Firefox.
- Open the Edge menu in Microsoft Edge, point to Help & Feedback, and then pick About Microsoft Edge.
- Disable Hardware Acceleration if you don’t want to use it.
- To speed things up, your browser uses hardware acceleration.
However, the functionality has been known to randomly trigger YouTube-related troubles. Disable hardware acceleration to see if the audio renderer error in Windows 10 is resolved.
Chrome is a web browser developed by Google.
1. Navigate to the Chrome menu and select Settings.
2. Select “System” from the Advanced Menu
3. Deactivate the switch next toWhen available, use hardware acceleration.
Firefox is a web browser developed by Mozilla.
1. Navigate to the Firefox menu and select Settings.
2. Go to the General page and scroll down to the section titled Performance.
3. Uncheck the option next to When hardware acceleration is available, use hardware acceleration.
Microsoft Edge is a browser developed by Microsoft.
1. From the Edge menu, select Settings.
2. Select “System” from the Advanced Menu
3. Deactivate the switch next toWhen available, use hardware acceleration.
Switch Web Browsers
The YouTube audio renderer error might sometimes be peculiar to a single browser. Try switching from Chrome to Firefox or vice versa if you’re on Chrome.
The BIOS needs to be updated
According to forum chatter, updating the machine’s BIOS (basic input/output system) is a possible solution for the YouTube audio renderer error. This is notably true on Dell laptop devices. If done wrong, though, this can put your entire computer at risk. If you decide to proceed, we strongly advise you to read our BIOS update guide to understand everything you need to know about the process.
Conclusion
In this article, we looked at what an audio renderer error in YouTube is, what causes it, and how to solve it. The best bet is to try restarting your computer, upgrading your drivers, and looking for other possible issues. The inability of software to calibrate with the drivers causes the audio renderer error in YouTube, and this could be due to any reason or defects in the driver.
There’s a good probability that this error is caused by a bug in the browser. As a result, users might choose to use a different browser to avoid such issues. Hopefully, the aforementioned troubleshooting steps were helpful in permanently resolving the YouTube audio renderer error in Windows 10.
If you have any additional solutions that have worked for you, please share them in the comments area below.