Why Microsoft Edge is Blocking YouTube? How to Fix It. You’re not alone if you can’t watch YouTube on Microsoft Edge. YouTube is possibly the best spot on the internet to lay back, relax, and spend hours watching free long-form videos. And whether you’re trying to view a video over lunch or stream something before bed, you don’t want your browser getting in the way.
Why Microsoft Edge is Blocking YouTube?
That appears to be what is happening to some Microsoft Edge users: they go to YouTube, select a video to watch, and are greeted by a large warning that reads “Ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service,” and implores you to either disable your blocker or subscribe to YouTube Premium instead.
It’s annoying, but somewhat unsurprising, to see such a notice if you have an ad-blocker active. However, the inability to watch YouTube is perplexing for people who do not have an ad-blocker enabled. However, it turns out that you may be using an ad-blocker without realising it.
This anti-adblocker on YouTube is activated by a special Microsoft Edge privacy setting. To prevent tracking while browsing the web, the browser includes three different settings: “Basic,” which allows most trackers and advertising to pass through; “Balanced,” Microsoft’s preferred setting, which bans trackers from sites you haven’t visited as well as known dangerous trackers; and “Strict,” which tries to block as many trackers as possible.
This latter setting is causing YouTube to crash for some Edge users. It’s unclear whether this impacts users across all platforms or just those using Windows 11. In any case, Google appears to be becoming more aggressive in its war against ad-blockers, and barring Edge users who have Strict activated appears to be the latest example.
Also Read: How to Clear Cache in Microsoft Edge?
How to Fix Microsoft Edge Blocking YouTube?
If you see this warning instead of the video you’ve chosen on YouTube, you basically only have three choices for fixing it right now. The first and most basic option is to adjust the Strict setting to Balanced or Basic, or to off-tracking prevention entirely. YouTube appears to be able to cope with that, but it’s no fun: Edge’s increased privacy features like are one of the benefits of using it, so you should feel comfortable using Strict if you want to benefit from it.
Consider adding YouTube to the “Exceptions” list below this setting instead. That way, YouTube can do what it has to do while still keeping you safe while exploring the internet. All of these choices can be found under the “Privacy, Search, and Services” section of the Edge settings.
Of course, YouTube would prefer that you sign up for YouTube Premium. When you do, you will be able to view all of YouTube ad-free, as well as enjoy additional benefits such as offline play. If you don’t want to add another $13.99 membership to your other monthly payments, modifying your Edge settings should suffice.
