Troubleshooting Hulu: How to Stop Buffering, Freezing, and Skipping

Hulu has native apps for nearly every operating system and device available today. However, Hulu occasionally experiences many of the same problems as other streaming platforms, which may interrupt your viewing experience through performance lags or other minor inconveniences. These performance issues occur due to a specific error code, making it harder to resolve. To solve such errors, take a look at these troubleshooting tips.

Besides the typical problems of buffering and freezing, Hulu users may also encounter less common problems, such as poor streaming quality and/or connection errors. If you experience any of these problems, please use the troubleshooting steps below. 

Please follow each solution in order and complete each step fully. After executing any fix, restart the Hulu app to see if the problem is fixed. If not, proceed to the next possible solution and repeat the process until the issues are resolved.

How To Troubleshoot Hulu Buffering, Freezing, and Skipping Errors

Solution 1: Power Cycle Your Streaming Devices and Internet

• Turn off your streaming device and unplug it from the power source.
• Wait 2 minutes, plug it back in, and turn it back on. 
• Do the same for your internet provider router or modem.

Solution 2: Verify your internet speed

Check your internet connection using a speed test to ensure it meets Hulu’s recommended speed requirements. The recommended speeds are:

• 3.0 Mbps for video-on-demand streaming
• 8.0 Mbps for video live streaming
• 6.0 Mbps for video 4K content

If your speed test shows close to 1.5 Mbps, it’s much more likely that you will experience quality issues. Small fluctuations in average speeds are common and are usually easily fixed, but big decreases have to be recognized and investigated with your local ISP immediately. It could also just be throttling from your ISP’s end. Here are a couple of things to try to improve your internet connection:

• Remove any/all other devices connected to the internet
• End any background running apps
• If applicable, move your device closer to your wifi router for a better signal
• If applicable, use a wired Ethernet connection to your device with your router

Solution 3: Check your Hulu App for Updates

Does any app update when a pending update is available? It could also happen to you at some point in time. When you’re ready, update your Hulu app from your device’s native app store and update the Hulu app to the newest version.

Solution 4: Clear All Caches and Data

If your Hulu app is crashing, there might not be enough data storage left. This is particularly common for devices with lower memory limits, like the Amazon Fire TV Stick. Struggling with memory limits could lead to frequent crashing, so you might want to double-check by going to the settings menu on your device and clearing all the cache and data accumulated up to date to create space.

Solution 5: Delete the Hulu App and then Reinstall

If you have exhausted your options, you can delete and reinstall the Hulu App. It is also a good way to make sure you are running the latest version of the app.