Video Lags in Firefox Browser: How to Fix

In this guide, we will show you the detailed steps to fix the video lag issue in the Firefox browser. While the web browser domain is filled with a plethora of offerings with an underlying Chromium engine, Firefox is among the very few that haven’t adopted this engine but is still going pretty strong. Well, if you are looking for a non-Chromium browser then it’s hard to recommend any other name than what Mozilla has to offer (Tor has still some catching up left to do, at least when it comes to targeting the general audiences).

However, in spite of the goodies that this browser has to offer, it isn’t free from its fair share of issues either. As of now, various users have voiced their concern that the browser is unable to play videos along the expected lines. There is an element of choppiness and lag when it comes to streaming videos. Even YouTube drops frames every few seconds under 1080p 60FPS. While the seek bar does show that the video is loading, however, it just refuses to play and is stuck in a constant loading loop.

In some instances, the issue is even more concerning as it crashes the entire browser as soon as a user begins playing a video. Moreover, this issue isn’t just limited to YouTube, the browser isn’t able to stream even the embedded videos across any website or social media channel. If you are also getting bugged with this issue, then this guide shall he;p you out. In this tutorial, we will show you the detailed steps to fix the video lag issue in the Firefox browser. Follow along.

How to Fix Video Lags in Firefox

The below instructions are listed under separate steps for ease of understanding. Make sure to follow in the same sequence as mentioned.

STEP 1: Access Firefox Config Page

1. To begin with, launch the Firefox browser on your PC.
2. Then copy-paste the below location in its address bar and hit Enter:

   about:config

   

3. Now click on the Accept the Risk and Continue button.
4. You will now be taken to the Configuration page.

STEP 2: Disable VAAPI in Firefox

1. Type in the below preference in the search bar and hit Enter:

   media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabled

   

2. Click on the toggle button next to it to set its state to False.

STEP 3: Disable GFX WebRender in Firefox

1. Type in the below preference in the search bar and hit Enter:

   gfx.webrender.enabled

   

2. Click on the toggle button next to it to set its state to False.

STEP 4: Enable Hardcore Video Decoding in Firefox

1. Type in the below preference in the search bar and hit Enter:

   media.hardware-video-decoding.force-enabled

   

2. Click on the toggle button next to it to set its state to True.

STEP 5: Enable Layer Acceleration in Firefox

1. Type in the below preference in the search bar and hit Enter:

   layers.acceleration.force-enabled

   

2. Click on the toggle button next to it to set its state to True.

STEP 6: Disable Hardware Acceleration in Firefox

1. Click on the hamburger menu situated at the top right
2. Then select Settings from the drop-down menu.
   
3. After that, type in hardware in the search box and hit Enter.
   
4. Now uncheck “Use recommended performance settings”.
   
5. Likewise, uncheck “Use hardware acceleration when available”.

That’s it. Upon successfully executing the aforementioned steps, you should have fixed the video lag issue in the Firefox browser. As far as the official stance on this matter is concerned, the developers are yet to acknowledge this issue, let alone give out any ETA for the rollout of a fix. As and when any of these two things happen, we will update this guide accordingly. In the meantime, the aforementioned workarounds are your best bet.

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