Fix Plex an Error Occurred While Attempting to Play Video

Plex is a global media streaming platform that is used by millions of users. Many of these users have been facing problems in playing video. There are a couple of reasons that have been found to trigger this issue. Knowing these causes will help you resolve the error better and more efficiently. So, have a look at some of the known triggering causes for video error in Plex below:

Fix Plex an Error Occurred While Attempting to Play Video Method 1: Resolve Internet Connectivity Issue Method 2: Restart Plex App Method 3: Play Smaller Video Method 4: Delete Old Devices Method 5: Update Display Drivers Method 6: Tweak Audio Settings Method 7: Update Plex App Method 8: Disable H264 Maximum Level Method 9: Edit Transcoder Settings Method 10: Downgrade Server Method 11: Add AC3 Code to Plex

Using Plex demands time and effort. Being a new user, you can leave out some important considerations that can cause the app to act up or videos in it to buffer. An unreliable network connection is another reason to cause issues with Plex. An outdated version of Plex can also interfere with the video playing feature. Unsupported MKV files can also result in an error while playing videos in Plex. Outdated display drivers of your device are another trigger point for video-playing error in Plex.

Now that you are aware of the different reasons that are usually behind play media errors in Plex, it is time to resolve them with corresponding fixes. So, let us begin with our first method below and check if the error can be resolved:

Method 1: Resolve Internet Connectivity Issue

If an error occurred while attempting to play the audio stream on Plex for you then you must first check and then resolve internet connectivity issues on your device. Plex media demands a good internet network and you must make sure that your internet signal is at least 5 Mbps to stream videos of your choice without interference. Therefore, on encountering a weak internet connection, you can try to speed it up with the help of our guide on Slow Internet Connection? 10 Ways to Speed up your Internet!

Method 2: Restart Plex App

The next method that you can try after resolving internet issues involves restarting the Plex app. This method helps to refresh the app and resolve minor glitches that the app can encounter. It is quite easy to restart Plex:

  1. Exit Plex by closing the app on your device.

  2. Now, wait for at least 5 minutes and launch Plex again.

  3. Play a video in Plex and check if the error has been resolved.

Method 3: Play Smaller Video

An audio stream is currently in use Plex error can occur due to a specific video as well. You can verify this reason by switching to a different video. You can also try to play smaller files and check if the video play error persists. You can simply go through different types of media on the platform and try to run a video to resolve the issue.

Method 4: Delete Old Devices

Next, you must take into consideration other devices that might be linked to your Plex account. These may include Plex Web, Plex Cloud, Plex for Roku, Plex for Android, and others. In the case of so many devices, your media player can act up and interfere with video streaming. This issue is caused due to devices using the same server resources like interrupt requests, memory, and other factors operating at the same time. Therefore, to resolve Plex an error occurred while attempting to play video, you must remove or delete old accounts attached to Plex:

  1. Open your Plex account on your device and click on the Settings icon at the top.

  2. Now, select Authorized Devices from the left panel and click on ALL.

  3. Select the red X icon beside specific devices to remove them.

  4. Confirm deletion and restart the app to check if the issue has been resolved.

Method 5: Update Display Drivers

As mentioned above in the reasons behind play video error on Plex, outdated display drivers of your device can be a prominent cause. Therefore, these drivers should be updated regularly to avoid such problems. You can go through our informative guide on 4 Ways to Update Graphics Drivers in Windows 10 for more.

Method 6: Tweak Audio Settings

The next method in an error occurred like Plex unable to play media error while attempting to play the audio stream involves tweaking audio settings in Plex. You can switch to DTS 5.1 audio track if you previously had PCM 5.1. You can also try switching to AC3 to resolve the error occurrence. While switching to a different audio setting is an option, many users have also tried disabling audio passthrough to fix the issue. You can also disable audio passthrough in Plex using the steps below:

  1. Launch your Plex account and click on your profile icon in it.

  2. Now, launch Account Settings and in the ADVANCED section, select Player.

  3. Finally, open Audio passthrough and select Disabled in it.

Method 7: Update Plex App

To fix an audio stream is currently in use Plex error, you must update the outdated version of the Plex app on your device. You can easily update the app from Microsoft Store on your Windows PC using the steps below:

  1. Hit the Windows key to open Microsoft Store from the search bar.

  2. Now, open Library in Microsoft Store.

  3. Next, click Get updates to update the Plex app.

  4. Navigate to the Taskbar to update Plex Media Server and right-click on the Plex Media Server icon.

  5. Finally, click on Check for Updates.

Method 8: Disable H264 Maximum Level

You can also resolve Plex unable to play media error by disabling the H264 maximum level in Plex. You can disable this feature in Plex using the following steps:

  1. Click on the profile icon in your Plex account.

  2. Now, open Account Settings from the drop-down menu.

  3. Next, select ADVANCED in it.

  4. Now, locate H264 Maximum Level to disable it.

Method 9: Edit Transcoder Settings

Processing power is necessary to run the Plex server run efficiently. This processing power helps Plex to transcode files and stream videos. Hence, high CPU power is required to run these processes simultaneously. To resolve Plex an error occurred while attempting to play video, you need to change the transcoder settings of the app. You must change the default settings to match your CPU performance. You can do this by reducing the quality of transcoded files to free CPU space. Look at the steps below to know more about how to edit transcoder settings:

  1. Launch the Settings menu from your Plex home page.

  2. Now, select Transcoder in it and change the current setting to a different one.

  3. You can choose from qualities including Automatic, Make my CPU hurt, Prefer higher quality encoding, and Prefer high-speed encoding.

Method 10: Downgrade Server

You can also try downgrading the server if an error occurred while attempting to play the audio stream problem has not been resolved till now. On upgrading the Plex server, some files might fail to play. Hence, to continue watching videos and media on the platform, you can downgrade the media server to the previous version. Note: The following steps are for Windows OS users.

  1. Launch Plex Media Server by navigating to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server in Run Dialog Box (Windows+R).

  2. Now, locate the PMS folder and open it to choose the previous updated version of Plex that you wish to install.

Method 11: Add AC3 Code to Plex

The last method to help you resolve an audio stream is currently in use Plex error involves adding AC3 code to Plex. It is possible that you might be playing a media format that is not available for direct playback. If a format is unsupported, it will have its audio transcoded to AC3 automatically. You will encounter an issue if the AC3 codec is not generated properly. Therefore, you need to add AC3 codec to Plex to resolve this issue:

  1. Using your web browser, download the video file.

  2. Add the downloaded file to your Plex Library.

  3. Now, play the video file and it will generate the AC3 codec as you play the media player. Once done, play the video stream again which you were unable to do earlier, and check if the issue has finally been resolved. Recommended:

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We hope that our article on Plex an error occurred while attempting to play video has helped you out in finding a suitable method to resolve the issue. In case of any other issues or suggestions, you can contact us by leaving your comments below.

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