Can only load youtubve videos with VPN ON. When off i cant load videos above 360p

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

I need answers..
When i have norton VPN turned off i simple cant load any yuotube videos above 360p. Then i turn on VPN and i works like a charm. Makes no sense, do i just need to remove this app entirely? or is there a fix?

Internet connection is good and every other website works like normal with or without VPN, its only YT that sucks.

Its the same on edge as on chrome.

2

Wonder whether Norton 360 VPN Ad Tracker Blocking is helping you.

YouTube’s Video Quality Is Broken here Published Mar 20, 2025

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i tried to log out and in again with VPN off, made no diffrence..
I got brand new PC with 5080 and one of the best CPU on marked but still not working, only when i turn on VPN..

Tested my internet too many times and that is not the problem either, unless 500/100 is not enough.
every other website works fine only youtube that is slow.

was fine the first day or two but the last couple of days i cant run youtube at all above 360p.
I have the 90 day trial with norton, dont know if that means something.

Adblock turned on and off dosent change anything.

windows 11

1 Like
4

Okay…any pre-installed device security/other trialware? that needed to be removed before installing Norton.

Oh, wait…Norton 360 is the 90 day trial?

Okay…lets ask @SoulAsylum, @peterweb to chime in.

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No. got windows defend ofc, but my pc came with norton installed as default and nothing els.

And yes was running the trial before.

i just change it to Norton GO deluxe, cause i already had a sub from my previous pc. It’s still buffering on yt.

But i’ma change back to trial cause the GO dont have VPN and i have to use it to watch YT……. :frowning:

6

It does sound like a YouTube issue if all other websites are not affected by the use of the VPN. Given the link bjm_ supplied about an issue in March, it could be something similar happening again.

Have you tried using different VPN virtual locations to see if there is any difference in the behaviour of YT?

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Yes, I’ve tried to use two different VPN apps and change location in both of them. It’s the same no matter which i use and what location :confused:
But i don’t think that it is Norton that is bugging it out, but i don’t know.
I tried sharing internet from my mobil phone and the issue was the same, that i had to use VPN to watch YT..
My only clue is that something in my new PC might be broken or just acting up, so i am in contact with those who build it trying to find a solution. But it all still makes no sense to me..

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@Daniel9600 If I may suggest. Your PC had an install of Norton when your first received it, Did you uninstall that version BEFORE going to Norton GO Deluxe? If not that COULD be a part of or all of your issue. Please give this scenario a go:

-Download the Norton removal tool and perform a “remove only” scenario. Once the removal is complete and a restart done, DO NOT reinstall any Norton product. Manually locate and remove ALL folders labeled Norton, Avast and Symantec. Reboot a second time. Next, log into your Norton account, download and reinstall your Norton product from there. Manually run Live Updates at least once if they do not do so automatically. Reboot and retest.

SA

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9

Hello @Daniel9600

AI Mode
This scenario is a classic indication that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is throttling your internet connection specifically for YouTube or general video streaming traffic.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of why the VPN changes your experience:
Without Norton VPN (Throttled Connection)

  • Visible Traffic: Without a VPN, your ISP can monitor your internet activity and identify that you are connecting to YouTube’s servers.
  • Traffic Shaping: ISPs sometimes use a technique called “traffic shaping” or “throttling” to manage network load, especially during peak hours. When they detect high-bandwidth activities like video streaming, they deliberately slow down that specific connection to conserve bandwidth or encourage subscriptions to higher-tier plans.
  • Automatic Quality Reduction: YouTube’s adaptive streaming technology automatically detects the slow connection speed and reduces the video quality to 360p to prevent constant buffering.

With Norton VPN (Full Speed Connection)

  • Encrypted Traffic: When you turn on Norton VPN, all your internet traffic is encrypted. Your data travels through a secure tunnel to the VPN server.
  • Hidden Activity: Your ISP can see that you are using a VPN and how much data you are transferring, but they cannot see the content of that data or the ultimate destination (e.g., that it is a YouTube video).
  • Bypassing Throttling: Since the ISP cannot identify the data as a “video stream,” they cannot selectively apply their throttling rules to it. Your traffic is treated as general, encrypted data, which is often prioritized differently or left unthrottled, allowing you to access higher resolutions like 1080p or 4K “like a charm”.

In essence, the VPN masks your activity, preventing the ISP from applying their specific slowdown measures against video streaming.

The behavior you are experiencing is a strong indication that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is deliberately throttling (slowing down) your connection when it detects high-bandwidth activities like YouTube video streaming.

Here is a breakdown of why this happens:

  • Traffic Identification (VPN Off): Without the VPN, your ISP can see the destination of your data and the type of activity you are engaging in (streaming video from YouTube). YouTube’s algorithms automatically adjust the video quality (down to 360p) based on the slow connection speed they detect, to minimize buffering.
  • Bandwidth Management/Throttling: ISPs may throttle specific types of traffic to manage overall network congestion, especially during peak hours, or to enforce data caps on your plan (even “unlimited” plans often have a threshold after which speeds are reduced). In some cases, it can be a way to prioritize their own services or push users toward more expensive, faster plans.
  • Bypassing Throttling (VPN On): When you turn on Norton VPN, all your internet traffic is encrypted and routed through a secure server. Your ISP can no longer inspect the contents of your data or determine that you are watching YouTube videos. To the ISP, it just looks like general encrypted traffic, which is then typically left unthrottled, allowing you to access YouTube at your full, unhindered bandwidth speed.

In essence, the VPN masks your online activity, preventing your ISP from selectively slowing down your video streams.

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ok, i got some homework to do. i will try to reinstall Norton and then i will email my internet provider about the ISP to see if they can fix that from their end.
Thanks a lot for helping btw. i’ma let u know if this is a fix or if the problem is still there, after doing all of this

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11

i’ve done a small amount of testing again, but not enough to say 4 sure. BUT
After i used the removal tool to remove Norton, it seems like youtube is running like it should. I can now watch even 4k p with no loading at all through out the video.
So i’m pretty sure that it was Norton, that was doing something weird, so i couldn’t watch YT..

I’ma try and install Norton again later on to see if the problem will be recurring. If it keeps bugging out my YT i’ma have to uninstall it for good, and only use windows defender out what ever that is called…

but now we know what made YouTube not work on my pc i guess. I’ma let y’all know IF it starts being weird again :)) and thx again to all 3 of ya!

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Hello @Daniel9600
So, your ISP is not selectively slowing down your video streams. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not deliberately throttling (slowing down) your connection when it detects high-bandwidth activities like YouTube video streaming.

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jeg har en tror godt jeg ved vad din fejl er det er en internet fejl i norton 360 der er lige nu de har snart en patch klar det er en internet og firewall fejl som de snart fixer men om den kommer i en hotfix miner eller i næste major 25.11 ved jeg ikke men de er klar over den så forvent det løst senest i 25.11 det var den sidste del af internet fejlen de ikke fik med i 25.10 men de arbejder på den nu de missede også noget af firewall fejlen jeg har alle fejl som bliver fix i 25.11 men det kan jo være noget af det kommer før

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i dont think so, but tbh i have no clue. i texted my internet provider to look into it but haven’t gotten an answer back. but everything seems as normal for now without Norton installed

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så prøv en total geninstallation når 25.11 kommer det vil nok hjælpe bare husk at fjerne alt 100% så skulle det virke

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det ville give mening! jeg prøver at hente Norton igen om nogle dage og se om det er blevet fixet, og så prøver jeg igen når de får en major update eller noget ligende som måske kunne hjælpe.

Det skal jeg nok prøve at huske, tak! :slight_smile:

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de fixer i den 4 mega fejl som du bare skal vide auto update er tilbage live update køre normal NortonUi køre normal så hele systemet er stabilt igen det retter mange små og store fejl samtidig og disk Optimizer bliver nu 100% stabil fra er fra og ikke kun ca fra

og hvis du har norton utilities glæd dig til 25.2 det bliver en mega nice update tjek siden der da der stå mange vigtig info lige

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Okay. Thanks.
It’ll be interesting…if everything goes wonky…with clean Norton install.

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