Fix: Chromecast not working

Chromecast is a digital media player developed by Google and is designed on a small dongle. It enables users to control and initiate playback of various content on high-definition televisions using computers and Android devices. It has been there for quite a while and is used by numerous people around the world.

Like all other portable media devices, Chromecast isn’t also without its problems. There may be instances where the Chromecast device refuses to connect or might not stream specific content on your TV. There can be many generic reasons for why this is happening because each user configuration is different and there are different scenarios in each case. Nonetheless, we will go through the workarounds one by one and see if they do the trick.

Solution 1: Changing Media Sharing, IPv6 and Chrome flags for not Casting

Like the heading says, there are several workarounds to fix the Chromecast not casting or the feature “play to” might not be working for you. This error usually comes forward after a Windows update. We will go through the workarounds one by one. If one doesn’t work for you, you can move to the next.

First, we will enable media sharing on your computer. This option will be changed in Homegroup settings on your computer.

1. Press Windows + R, type “control” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in the control panel, type “media” in the search and open the option “Media streaming options”.

3. If media streaming is disabled on your computer, you will see a window like this. Click “Turn on media streaming”.

4. Now press Windows + S, type “media player” and open Windows Media player.
5. Select the drop-down of “Stream” and enable the option “Automatically allow devices to play my media”. Save changes and exit.

6. Now check if you can use the functionality of Chromecast correctly without any problems.

If you still cannot use Chromecast properly, we will disable the IPv6 from your computer. IPv6 is a new set of IP addresses targeted to fulfill the ever-increasing need for more devices getting connected to the internet. In today’s world, the majority of the people still use IPv4. We can disable it and see if it makes any difference.

1. Open the control panel and select the sub-heading “Network and Internet”.

2. Now select “Network and Sharing Center” from the next menu.
3. Click the connection link in front of the heading so we can access all the properties.

4. Click “Properties” and uncheck the option “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” from the list of options. Click OK to save changes and exit.

5. Now check if you can access Chromecast as expected.

If still, the problem doesn’t go away, we can try changing some flag values on your Chrome browser. This ‘may’ fix the problem. Make sure that your bookmarks etc. are backed up beforehand.

1. Open the Chrome browser and enter “chrome://flags/#media-router” in the address field.
2. Press Windows + F, type “Media Router” in the Find dialogue box and locate the following preference. Change the value from Default to Disabled.

3. Save changes and close Chrome. Now open it again and check if this made any difference.

Solution 2: Changing to old layout (for YouTube not queuing on Chromecast)

The recent update to YouTube brought additional problems to Chromecast. Users are now not able to queue videos using their browser on Chromecast; they can only use their mobile phones to do the job. Although it may sound like a suitable workaround, in reality, there are numerous people who work on their computers and using mobile phones is not an option for them.

To counter this problem, you have to write a user script. User scripts put you in control of your browsing experience and once you add it, it automatically implements your changes by adding more features to the sites you visit. We will use the same principle to solve the problem.

1. Install a user script manager. You can choose several according to the browser you are using from Greasy Fork).

2. Once you have installed the manager, navigate to the dashboard. Go to Installed Scripts and click on New.
3. Once you are in the script editor, copy the following text line by line:

// ==UserScript==

/ @name YouTube Polymer Disable

// @match *://www.youtube.com/*

// @exclude *://www.youtube.com/embed/*

// @grant none

// @run-at document-start

// ==/UserScript==

var url = window.location.href;

if (url.indexOf("disable_polymer") === -1) {

if (url.indexOf("?") > 0) {

url += "&";

} else {

url += "?";

}

url += "disable_polymer=1";

window.location.href = url;

}

4. Save the user script and apply it. Restart your browser and see if this fixes the problem.

Solution 3: Performing a Factory Reset

If both the above solutions don’t address your problem, you can go ahead and perform a factory reset. A factory reset will bring Chromecast back to its default settings. It will help you determine whether the problem was in Chromecast settings or in the device itself. Hopefully, your appdata will not be deleted (it is recommended that you back it up before proceeding).

Although you can also perform a factory reset using the application, it is recommended that you perform a hard reset using the device as shown below.

1. Plug your Chromecast into your TV.
2. Once plugged in, press the side button on the Chromecast. Initially, the light will be blinking Orange. Keep pressing the button until it turns white or the TV screen goes blank. Release it.

3. Reboot the entire setup and see if this fixes the problem.

Solution 4: Rolling back Google Play Services

If you are using Chromecast using your Android device, you might not be able to cast correctly or your Chromecast might not be working because of the version of Google Play services. Google Play Services perform a vital role in managing all Google related services on your mobile device and Chromecast in included in that list.

We will uninstall the updates on your phone related to Google Play Services and see if this does the trick.

1. Navigate to Settings and then Apps on your Android smartphone. Locate Google Play Services and open it.
2. Probably, the currently installed version will be 11 something. Click on the “Uninstall updates” option and allow the mobile to uninstall all the updates to revert it back to the previous version.

3. Now completely reboot your devices and check again if the problem is solved.

Tips:

We tried to cover the best working solutions above. However, if your problem still persists after following all the methods, you can check out the tips below.

• Change your Wi-Fi channel. Chromecast is reportedly known to only work on 2.4 GHz on your wireless router. If your router is set to some other frequency band, the device may not be able to connect.
• Consider purchasing a Chromecast to HDMI extender and then plugging it into the HDMI port of your TV.
• You can also try power cycling your TV and all the devices you are using.
• Check your ports on your TV. It is possible that Chromecast isn’t getting enough power supply. You should consider plugging it into the power supple which came with the Chromecast and power it using the wall current.
• Check the Wi-Fi signals. If they are weak, either move the router nearer or consider changing the location.
• You can change the tab casting quality on Chrome down to 480p.
• Make sure all your modules are updated to the latest build.