Various factors could be responsible for these requests, such as malware, an IP ban, a browser issue, or a problem with your Internet service provider. As such, if you’re frustrated by this error, and it’s preventing you from enjoying your favorite show, here are some fixes you can apply to fix it.
Some Quick Fixes You Can Try
Make the following preliminary checks before you roll up your sleeves and begin performing more complicated solutions:
Close and reopen the YouTube tab. Relaunch your browser. Access YouTube without signing in or sign in with a different account. Restart your computer. Reboot your router once. Turn off Wi-Fi on your device and set up an Ethernet connection. If you’re using a VPN, turn it off.
If the above checks and fixes are unsuccessful in resolving the issue at hand, then you can implement the following fixes.
1. Make Sure It Isn’t a YouTube Technical Issue
To begin with, make sure YouTube itself isn’t responsible for the error you’re experiencing. To confirm, you should check YouTube’s official Twitter account to see if any technical problems have been reported.
If there is a technical issue, skip everything and wait for YouTube to fix it. If the problem only affects you, there is something wrong on your end. If that’s the case, start implementing these fixes.
2. Make Sure Your IP Address Hasn’t Been Banned
Online servers can respond to a limited number of requests from a client (your browser) using the same IP address. When this number is exceeded, the server may consider these requests spam. As a result, it may ban your IP address.
The best way to eliminate the possibility of your IP address being banned is to change it. For that, either enable a VPN or check out our article detailing how to change your IP address on Windows if you are not sure how to do that.
3. Disable Ad Blockers and Other Interfering Extensions
Ad blockers work by interfering directly with YouTube’s source code to prevent ads from showing up. In rare cases, this interference can cause unforeseen problems. Therefore, you should turn off any ad blocker extensions in your browser. In addition, disable any download managers you are using.
Likewise, if you’re using other extensions to enhance the functionality of YouTube, it’s best to disable them temporarily to eliminate the possibility of extension interference. If that does not resolve the problem, move on to the next fix.
4. Clear Cache and Cookies
The YouTube page you’re encountering the error on may have already been cached in your browser cache, but when you access it again, the browser fails to retrieve it. Perhaps these failed attempts are why the YouTube server is receiving too many requests from your end, resulting in the error.
To eliminate this possibility, you should clear the cache in your browser. The process of clearing the cache varies from browser to browser. If you’re not familiar with the process, check out our guides for clearing the cache in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
5. Check Your Computer for Viruses
The presence of malware on your device has the greatest chance of generating too many requests without your knowledge, resulting in the error described above. Therefore, if no fix has worked for you, you should run a malware scan on your device. It will eliminate the possibility of malware interference being the cause.
It is recommended that you use Microsoft Defender to remove viruses from your computer, but you can also use a third-party antivirus if you’d like.
6. Scan Your Browser for Hijackers
Just as you have scanned your computer for viruses, it’s equally important to scan your browser. This is because you may have a clean computer, but your browser is infected with a hijacker, causing your browser to overload with requests.
Because of this, you must scan your browser for hijackers and remove them. If you’ve never cleaned a hijacked browser before, check how to remove the Quick Search Tool hijacker from your browser. The instructions should be applicable for all kinds of hijackers.
7. Change the DNS
Your DNS server may not have been able to correctly translate your URL into an IP address. If that occurs, you’re likely to encounter the error under discussion. It is, therefore, imperative to rule out this possibility. The easiest way to do that is to change your DNS address. If you’ve never changed it before, check out our article about changing your DNS server in Windows.
8. Flush Your DNS Cache
An excessive number of requests to YouTube can also be sent due to an outdated record in your DNS cache that your DNS failed to translate into a machine-readable IP address.
When you flush your DNS cache, you remove outdated DNS records and invalid or manipulated addresses stored in its memory. Therefore, flushing your DNS cache may solve the problem.
The DNS cache indeed clears out on its own after specific intervals, but there are times when it clogs up. To manually flush it, follow these steps:
In Windows Search, type “Command Prompt. " By right-clicking the Command Prompt app, select Run as administrator. Hit Enter after typing “ipconfig /flushdns. "
9. Reset Your Router
If rebooting your router failed to resolve the issue, nor have any other fixes worked in your favor, then you should perform a full router reset. A router reset reverts its settings to default, which holds a good chance of resolving the issue. The only catch is that it will wipe out most of the customizations you’ve made to your router settings.
Thus, before you reset your router, you should back up your router settings. If you have never reset your router before or don’t know how to back up its settings, we have explained how to do both in our guide on how to reset your router.
10. Call Your ISP
If all of the above remedies have failed to resolve your issue, your last resort should be to contact your ISP. So give them a call, let them know your problem, and hear what they have to say about it.
If they also fail to fix the issue, ask in your neighborhood if anyone else who uses the same ISP is experiencing the same problem. If you hear multiple reports of this error, the issue is likely coming from your ISP, so switching ISPs should be your last resort.
Enjoy Your Leisure Time on YouTube Again
Hopefully, you have resolved the problem by implementing the fixes outlined above. If nothing works despite the best efforts, raise the issue with YouTube via Twitter.
Do you regularly get annoyed by spam comments on your favorite YouTube channels? If so, we have good news for you. With improved commend moderation, YouTube aims to combat spambots more effectively than ever before.
