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Firestick Netflix Not Working

I’ve recently got a Fire TV stick and installed Netflix on it, but for some reason it wasn’t working. I did a bunch of research and read the official Netflix and Fire TV help documents and here’s what I found to get it working.

Generally, you should start by restarting your Fire TV stick device. It can be unplugged at the power source or it can be restarted in the Settings menu. To do that select ‘My Fire TV’, then select ‘System/device’ after that select ‘Restart’.

Family movie night in living room

After that your Fire TV stick will power down and then turn itself back on. Once it does try to open Netflix again. If it still isn’t working there are a few other steps to do until it starts working again.

They are: check the internet connection, clear the Netflix app cache, and uninstall and reinstall the Netflix app. Below I will explain exactly how to do each of these steps yourself to get Netflix working on your Fire TV stick again.

Firestick Won’t Play Netflix

Family watching TV at night

When you open up Netflix and select one of your favorite shows or movies it will typically always start playing immediately. However, you may run into an issue where it won’t play. Below, is a summary of how to fix this problem when it happens:

Generally, it is caused by no internet connection. However, if the internet connection is working then the Fire TV stick should be restarted, and the cache should be cleared. If it still won’t play then the Netflix app should be uninstalled and reinstalled.

Here’s how to do each of these step by step:

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on June 30, 2021.

1. Restart Firestick device

As you may know, back in the day computers used to freeze. And you would get a blue screen with white writing on it. The only way to get it to work again was to restart it using the restart button.

The same also happens with apps on devices like Fire TV sticks. From time to time they can crash, and by turning your Fire TV stick on and off again it can fix the problem. To restart it, unplug it from the power source, and wait for around 30 seconds then plug it back in again and wait for it to go back to the home screen.

From there see if Netflix is working now. If not, move on to the next step.

2. Check internet connection

For Netflix to stream TV shows and movies it needs to download them from the internet. If your internet connection is running slowly, or is disconnected then Netflix won’t play. To check the internet connection on your Fire TV stick go to the following menu.

A good first step is to reset your Wi-Fi router. You can do this yourself, or call up your internet service provider and have them help you do it over the phone.

Once, you’ve got your internet connection working 100% then see if Netflix is working now. If not, try the next step.

Home screen > Settings > Network > Press the ‘Pause and Play’ button. Doing that will display a menu and if there is an issue with your internet connection it will have a note describing the problem.

Following that you should check that the Wi-Fi is working by connecting to it using your smartphone or computer. Then go to some webpages like Youtube on your smartphone or computer and see how well the internet connection works. If it doesn’t stream at all then there is an issue with your internet connection.

In that case it’s best to contact your internet service provider to have them fix your internet with you over the phone.

3. Clear cache

The cache is a folder with stored files in it. Each app has a unique folder, however, when it gets full it can slow down the app. Some of the cached files can also cause errors behind the scenes and freeze the Netflix app.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on June 30, 2021.

As a result, deleting all the files in the Netflix folder or ‘clearing the cache’ can get Netflix working again. To clear the Netflix cache go to Settings in the top menu on the Firestick home screen.

Then select ‘applications’. After that select ‘manage installed applications’. Finally, select clear cache and then clear data. After that, reopen Netflix and see if it’s working now. If not, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Netflix app.

4. Uninstall and reinstall the Netflix app

To uninstall the Netflix app go to the Apps menu by selecting ‘Apps’ at the top of the home screen. Highlight the Netflix app and press the button on your Fire TV remote that has three horizontal lines.

Doing that will open up a menu to the side of the screen and one of the options is to uninstall. Select that and wait for it to uninstall. Next you’ll want to install the Netflix app again.

To do that go to the same Apps menu from the Fire TV home screen. Select the magnifying glass icon to search for the Netflix app. Type in Netflix using the keyboard and then press download.

Once it downloads – it only takes a minute or less – it will automatically install. After that the install icon will change and display an open icon. Select that to open Netflix to see if it works now.

Netflix Keeps Freezing/Crashing on Firestick

Mom and kids lying on floor watching TV

Sometimes you can be watching Netflix just fine and then it closes itself and returns to the home screen. Or, it just freezes. Below is the best way to fix Netflix when it keeps crashing and freezing.

As a general rule, restart the Fire TV stick, then clear the Netflix cache. After that uninstall and reinstall the Netflix app. If it still does not work then it is advised to do a factory reset on your Fire TV stick.

All of the instructions for how to restart your Fire TV stick, clear the Netflix cache, and uninstall and reinstall the Netflix app are outlined above in step 1, step 3, and step 4. Go ahead and do each of these steps, and if it still doesn’t work then perform a factory reset. Below is how to do that:

Factory reset your Fire TV stick

A word of caution before doing a factory reset: it will delete all of your apps. Reinstalling the apps is very fast and easy to do, however, none of your settings will be saved. For example, if you have programs that are scheduled to be recorded.

But, here’s how to do it: Simply hold the back button and the big round center button on your Fire TV stick remote. After holding it for 10 seconds a menu will pop up that will ask you whether you want to do a factory reset or want to cancel. Choose continue with factory reset.

After that go to the Apps option on your Fire TV stick and download Netflix again. From there see if it’s now working.

Firestick Netflix Not Loading/Opening

Family sitting on sofa in front of TV

Once you have Netflix installed and you select it to open it you may get an error where it won’t load or open. This is caused by an error with the Netflix app. To fix it so that it works again, here’s what you should do:

Do each of these steps until Netflix begins working again:

  1. Restart the Fire TV stick device – by unplugging it and plugging it back in
  2. Verify the internet connection to your Fire TV stick is connected.
  3. Clear the Netflix app cache
  4. Uninstall and reinstall the Netflix app

I’ve explained how to do each of these steps in step by step detail above. Follow the detailed instructions by going through each of the numbered steps above near the start of this article.

If you try each of these steps and it still doesn’t work, then you should open a support ticket with Netflix and with Amazon.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on June 30, 2021.

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