Video does not work in Opera: causes of the problem and solutions

Opera is one of the oldest and most popular web browsers, which is distinguished by a stylish interface, smooth operation, minimal load on the system, but at the same time sufficient functionality. One of the most common problems that users encounter when working with this web browser is the inability to play videos. This article will tell you why this problem occurs, as well as what methods exist to fix it.

Reason 1: Flash Player plugin is missing/not working

The Opera browser is one of those web browsers that does not have a built-in Flash Player plugin, which means that the browser needs to download it additionally.

If your video does not play, you can assume that it is a Flash video, which means that in order to display it on your computer, the Adobe Flash Player plugin must be installed.

1. First of all, even if you have the plugin installed, you should try to remove it from your computer and then download it again for the browser. To do this, open "Control Panel" and go to the section "Programs and Features".
   
   

   
   
   

2. In the list of installed programs, find Flash Player, right-click on the program and select "Delete".
   
   

   
   
   

3. Finish uninstalling the product. After this, you can start downloading it again. To do this, follow this link in your browser https://get.adobe.com/ru/flashplayer/ and make sure that on the left side the system has correctly identified your browser and the version of Windows you are using. In the central part, if necessary, uncheck the boxes, and then download the product by clicking on the button "Install Now".
   
   

   
   
   

4. When the program distribution package is downloaded to your computer, close Opera, and then run the installation file, installing the program on your computer.
   
   
5. When the installation is complete, launch Opera and check whether Flash Player is activated in its settings. To do this, click on the browser menu button in the upper left corner and go to the section "Settings".
   
   

   
   
   

6. In the left area of ​​the window, go to the tab "Sites", and on the right find the block "Flash". Here you should make sure that you have activated the item "Identify and run important Flash content" or "Allow sites to run Flash".
   
   

   
   

From now on, try to play a video on the Internet.

Reason 2: accumulated cache, cookies and history

If work with the Flash Player plug-in has been established, but the video in Opera still refuses to launch, it is worth trying to clear the information accumulated by the browser, such as cache, cookies and browsing history, due to which the content of the site can often be displayed incorrectly.

1. Click on the browser menu button and go to the section "Story".
   
   

   
   
   

2. In the upper right corner click on the button "Clear the history".
   
   

   
   
   

3. Select an option "From the very beginning", and then make sure that the checkboxes are set as in the screenshot below and click on the button "Clear browsing history".
   
   

   
   

After that, try playing the video in the Opera browser.

Reason 3: proxy work

If you have VPN add-ons or other tools on your computer that change your real IP address, then they are almost certainly the cause of this problem.

1. If you have an add-on installed, you will need to disable it. To do this, open the Opera menu and go to the section “Extensions” – “Manage extensions”.
   
   

   
   
   

2. A list of add-ons installed in the browser will pop up on the screen, in which you will need to disable VPN add-ons (in our case, this is friGate).
   
   

   
   
   

3. If you have other tools active that send your traffic through a proxy, you will need to disable them, after which you can check the functionality of the video in the browser.
   

Reason 4: viral activity

Almost certainly, when viruses get onto your computer, they try to disrupt the functioning of the browser. That is why, if Opera is clearly unstable, you should try to find and remove viruses on your computer.

To search for viruses on your computer, you can use either your antivirus, which probably has a scanning function, or a separate special utility, for example, which we have repeatedly mentioned Dr.Web CureIt (its peculiarity is that it is distributed completely free of charge).

If, after checking your computer, you still find viruses, you will need to eliminate them using the proposed method (either treatment or quarantine), after which you should restart the computer and check the functionality of the video in Opera. It is possible that viruses have seriously disrupted the functionality of the browser, which means that you will additionally need to use the recommendation given in the following method.

Reason 5: Browser crash

Various factors can cause Opera to not work correctly: a system failure, virus activity, conflict with other programs installed on the computer. Whatever may be causing this, the most effective solution is to reinstall the browser.

Please note that to remove the Opera browser from your computer if it does not work correctly, it is recommended to perform the removal not through “Control Panel” - “Uninstall Programs”, as we are used to, but using the special Revo Uninstaller tool, which will allow you to remove perform an additional scan and remove the remaining files, due to which, even after a clean installation, the browser may not start playing videos.

1. To do this, download the program Revo Uninstaller and install on your computer. Launch it (administrator rights are required here).
   
   
2. When the list of installed programs loads on the screen, find Opera, right-click on the browser and go to "Delete".
   
   

   
   
   

3. To begin with, the system soldiers a restore point so that you can roll back in case of problems, after which the built-in browser uninstaller will be launched on the screen, with the help of which you will need to perform the initial removal.
   
   
4. When the uninstallation is completed, the program will move to the scanning stage, thoroughly analyzing the Windows registry and displaying all browser-related results. You will need to delete only the selected keys and branches in the registry, since if you delete unnecessary ones, it may lead to the computer not working.
   
   
5. Next, the program will begin to search for files and folders remaining in Windows, which will also need to be deleted.
   
   
6. After completing the removal of the browser using Revo Uninstaller, you can immediately proceed to downloading the latest distribution from the official website of the developer http://www.opera.com/ru.
   
   
7. After downloading the distribution, run it, and then install the browser on your computer.
   

Reason 6: conflict in the system

In the event that some time ago the video in the browser worked fine, but now it does not want to play, instead of wasting time determining the exact cause that influenced the occurrence of this problem, you can immediately try to roll back the system, restoring its functionality by the time the browser was working correctly.

1. To do this, open "Control Panel" and go to the section "Recovery".
   
   

   
   
   

2. In the new window, select "Run System Restore".
   
   

   
   
   

3. The available rollback points will be displayed on the screen, among which you will need to stop at the one that corresponds to the period when the browser was still working normally.
   
   

   
   
   

4. Start the system restore process and wait until it finishes.
   

These are the main techniques that allow you to restore correct video playback in the Opera browser. If you have your own experience solving a problem that was not included in the article, share it with other users in the comments.