Many users watch videos in Google Chrome either via the YouTube website or streaming services such as Netflix. However, many reported bad video quality in Chrome.

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  • If you’re experiencing bad video quality in Chrome, the issue could be your settings.

  • When the video resolution is set wrong, you’ll see that both YouTube or Netflix quality is bad on Chrome.

  • The hardware acceleration option doesn’t help much if it’s activated, although it serves to improve browser speed.

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Some users have complained about Netflix’s low quality on Chrome, namely that the picture quality in Chrome is pixelated and crummy. In addition, jerky video playback is not entirely uncommon in Chrome.

We covered playback issues in the past, and for more information, visit our YouTube videos won’t play guide.

Here are a few tips that might enhance bad video quality in Google Chrome.

Can Chrome play 4K videos?

Yes, Chrome can play 4K videos on YouTube without any issues. The only problem that can occur is the conflicting extension that you might have enabled.

However, you might not be able to play 4K videos on other websites with Chrome, but we’re positive that online services will implement this feature soon.

Which browser has best video quality?

All browsers will produce the same video quality, and the actual quality depends on the video itself. For best results, we suggest looking for a browser that has 4K playback support.

We already wrote about the best browser for Netflix in a separate guide, so be sure to check it out for a more in-depth answer.

Quick Tip:

Try streaming using a lighter browser such as Opera. It uses way less system resources and is one of the fastest browsers on the market.

It runs on a Chromium engine too and is compatible with most Chrome extensions. The extension shop has many YouTube and streaming dedicated options to improve your experience even more.

How do I fix poor video quality in Google Chrome?

1. Update Google Chrome

  • Click the Menu button and select Help. Next, click on About Google Chrome.
  • Check if there are any updates available.
  • Once the updates are installed, click Relaunch.

2. Check the resolution settings for YouTube videos

  • Play the desired video.
  • Click the Settings icon.
  • Now click on Quality.
  • Lastly, select the desired video quality.

In most cases, low-quality playback on video websites will often be due to the videos’ resolution settings. YouTube’s videos usually include at least a few alternative resolution options that users can adjust playback quality with.

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Watch high-quality YouTube videos and enhance the experience even further with a browser that supports many video-related extensions.

However, some YouTube videos automatically play at lower resolutions, such as 480p.

To ensure YouTube videos always play at their highest resolution settings, add the Magic Actions extension to Chrome.

Then, adjust the settings as follows:

  • Click the Magic Options button under the video.
  • Select the Enable Auto HD setting on that tab.
  • Then select a resolution to play all the videos at, and close the tab.

3. Turn Off Hardware Acceleration

  • Click the Customize Google Chrome button to open the browser’s menu.
  • Select Settings to open the tab in the snapshot directly below.
  • In the left pane, select System.
  • Disable Use hardware acceleration when available option.

If YouTube videos are pixelated on Chrome, disabling the hardware acceleration can help.

This is a useful Chrome 1080p extension, so if you’re having issues, be sure to give it a try.

4. Adjust data usage settings for streaming services

  • First, log in to the Netflix account.
  • Then click Account on the menu.
  • Scroll down to My Profile and click Playback settings.
  • Thereafter, select either a High or Medium data usage setting.
  • Select the Save option.

In case Netflix is blurry on Chrome, you can usually adjust the video quality settings.

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Expert tip:

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If video quality isn’t what it should be, check the data usage settings within your movie-streaming website account.

A lower data usage setting for more basic video playback might be selected. This is how Netflix users can adjust the data usage settings.

Bear in mind that Netflix’s video quality also depends on the plan subscribed to. Netflix’s cheapest plan will only stream movies at 480p. So, it’s pretty pointless selecting the highest data usage setting for a Basic Netflix plan.

However, those users subscribed to the Premium plan should select the High option, so long as their laptops or desktops can play HD and UHD content.

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Also, note that Chrome’s max streaming resolution is 720p. Edge supports 4K Netflix streaming, so switch to Microsoft’s default browser for higher quality videos.

Selecting the 5110-bit rate setting will provide something close to the 1080p resolution video quality.

5. Disable extensions

  • Click the Menu icon and select More tools. Next select Extensions.
  • Disable all extensions.
  • Restart your browser.
  • If the problem doesn’t appear anymore, enable extensions one by one.

How to change video quality in Chrome/Chrome video quality settings?

Unfortunately, there’s no universal video quality setting in Chrome that you can change. Instead, you’ll have to set video settings for each website that you visit manually.

Maybe there are some extensions available that can do this for you, but in most cases, you’ll have to manually adjust the video settings for each service that you use.

Why is Netflix quality so bad on PC?

By default, Netflix automatically adjusts the video quality, and if your connection has any issues, your video quality will be impacted.

Keep in mind that some browsers are limited to 720p on Netflix due to DRM. Only Edge supports full HD and 1080p on Netflix, so for the best quality, you might want to try using it instead of your browser.

If you’re experiencing bad Netflix quality on Chrome, be sure to try the methods that we discussed above.

Why does YouTube look bad on PC?

The usual cause for this problem is your network connection. If your network is slow, videos will be played in lower quality in order to ensure smooth playback.

Some users suggest that this is a codec issue, and after switching to 60fps while paying and recording videos, the quality issues were gone.

So, these are various ways users can fix poor quality video playback in Chrome. Users can usually fix bad video quality in Chrome by adjusting playback settings on the video or streaming service websites.

This isn’t the only problem that users encounter, and we covered similar issues in our YouTube black screen in Chrome guide, so be sure to check it out.

If you’ve got another tip on how to get a better video quality in Chrome, drop us a line in the comments section.

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