Fix: Netflix Keeps Freezing

Netflix is one of the world’s biggest online streaming company which provides TV shows and Movies for you to stream on your devices. It has been around for more than 2 decades and since it is web-based, it is always trying to release more applications and adding more compatibility.

Not so long ago Netflix released a Windows application from where you can get the same experience as of web browsers. It even has some added functionality such as choosing the quality in which you want to stream. It even gives you the option to download the movie so you can watch it in good quality even when there no suitable network.

Recently, there have been many problems associated with the Windows app; one of them Netflix freezing in between or it causing your computer to crash without any obvious symptoms. Since this is a very generic error, the reason for this behavior can vary a lot. Hence these solutions might not work for everybody but may indeed fix the problem for some.

Solution 1: Reinstalling the Application

Before we move on to more technical solutions, we will try reinstalling the application and see if this fixes the problem. As you might already know, Netflix requires some DLL’s and flash content to stream your content seamlessly. The required files not present might induce some problems and cause the freezing issue.

1. Press Windows + S, type “settings” in the dialogue box and open the Windows Settings. Once in settings, open the sub-heading of “Apps”.

2. Search for Netflix from the list of options. Click it and select “Uninstall”. Do note that you will require your credentials when you reinstall the app, so make you have them at hand.

3. Navigate to Windows Store and download the application again. After downloading, sign in using your credentials and test if the problem got solved.

Another workaround to force the system to install the required components to run is to install the application Flixter. It is readily available on the internet and install the required DLL’s and VC files. If still, it doesn’t work, you can try manually downloading and installing the files “PlayReadyClient2 DLL” and “VCLibs120”.

Solution 2: Updating Graphics Drivers

We can try updating the graphics driver and see if this is forcing Netflix to get frozen. It may be possible that your graphics driver is not properly configured or is outdated. We need to completely delete all driver files before we install the new driver, therefore, we need to use the utility Display Driver Uninstaller. You can download the utility over the internet easily.

1. After installing Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU), launch your computer into safe mode. You can learn how to boot your computer into safe mode by reading our article on it.
2. After booting your computer into safe mode, launch the application which was just installed.
3. After launching the application, select the first option “Clean and restart”. The application will then automatically uninstall the installed drivers and restart your computer accordingly.

4. Boot your computer into normal mode, press Windows + R, type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter. Most probably the default drivers will be installed. If not, right-click on any empty space and select “Scan for hardware changes”.
5. Now there are two options. Either you can search online for the latest driver available for your hardware from the manufacturer’s website such as NVIDIA etc. (and install manually) or you can let Windows install the latest version itself (search for updates automatically).
6. We will take a look at installing manually. Right-click on your hardware and select “Update driver”. Select the first option “Search automatically for updated driver software”. Choose the second option if you are updating manually and select “Browse for driver” and navigate to the location where you downloaded.

7. Restart your computer after installing the drivers, launch Netflix and check if this solves the problem.

Solution 3: Checking for third-party applications

Sometimes there are third-party applications present which are conflicting with the Netflix applications. Also, some modules like Gsync prove to be problematic. You should also check your antivirus and see if it is doing additional checks.

1. Press Windows + R, type “appwiz.cpl” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Here all the applications will be listed. Search through all of them one by one and see if there are apps which might be causing the problem. Target graphic demanding applications first and troubleshoot accordingly.

3. Restart your computer after uninstall the problematic application and check if you can successfully access Netflix.

Solution 4: Performing Windows Updates

Windows roll out frequent updates to targets bugs and difficulties which users experience. After hearing it from Netflix engineers, it was somewhat confirmed that they also use the platform to target bug fixes and various error conditions on their application.

Make sure your Windows is fully updated to the latest version and there are no updates pending. This solution can be a game changer.

1. Press Windows + S, type “update” in the dialogue box and open the system setting which returns in the result.
2. Now check for updates. Download and install them if necessary.

3. Restart your computer completely after the update and check if Netflix got fixed.

Tips:

We have listed some additional tips which may serve as workarounds. We didn’t list them above because they are quite simple and don’t need the extensive elaboration.

If the Netflix app still acts out even after all the troubleshooting, you can launch Chrome and access Netflix there. It almost has all the features which are present in the Windows application and is known to have a smoother experience without any further hassle. Happy streaming!