Occasionally your streaming may get interrupted when you are trying to enjoy a show, and you may ask why does Hulu keep freezing?
I have made a troubleshooting guide to fix Hulu freezing issues and will look at the causes and potential solutions to these problems.
Why Does Hulu Keep Freezing?
Hulu usually will keep on freezing if you have a slow internet connection which is generally due to an overworked router limiting bandwidth to your streaming device.
Over an extended period, your router will slow down and can cause Hulu buffering issues when trying to stream content.
Freezing can also occur due to outdated or unoptimized software on your streaming device, and this can cause Hulu to act slow performance-wise.
Here are some tips on how to make stop Hulu from freezing:
- Restart your router
- Restart the Hulu app
- Sign out of the Hulu
- Restart your streaming device
- Update the Hulu app or web browser
- Update your streaming device
- Disconnect devices from the internet
- Close any other apps that are running
- Use an Ethernet cable rather than a Wi-Fi
- Improve your Wi-Fi connection
- Disable VPNs or Ad blockers
- Upgrade your Internet Connection
- Check the Server Status of Hulu
- Contact the Hulu app Support
How to stop Hulu when it keeps freezing
Method 1: Restart your Router
I find that a simply restart of your router is the most effective way to stop Hulu from freezing.
How do I reboot my router?
You can reboot your router be unplugging it for 30 seconds and then plug it back in!
Why does restarting your router reduce Hulu freezing?
Routers are like computers, when they are reset, they usually have a performance boost and can allot more bandwidth to streaming Hulu content.
Your router performance will slow as more tasks and devices are added to its workload.
Method 2: Restart the Hulu app
Restarting the Hulu app helps when you encounter freezing by allowing updates to install and establishing new internet connections with the Hulu servers.
Method 3: Sign out of Hulu
When freezing occurs on Hulu, you should sign out of the Hulu account.
When you log back in, please check if Hulu keeps freezing when streaming shows.
Method 4: Restart your streaming device
It would help if you did a complete restart of the streaming device on which you are encountering freezing issues with the Hulu service.
Just like your router, as we mentioned earlier, your streaming device will also slow down performance-wise over an extended period and this can cause freezing.
Please do a complete restart of your streaming device by unplugging it for 60 seconds before plugging it back in.
When you reboot the streaming device, you should have a better streaming performance on Hulu.
Method 5: Update your Hulu app or web browser
Whether using the Hulu app or a web browser, you should ensure that these are updated to the latest software versions to help prevent Hulu freezing problems.
For those using a web browser to access Hulu, experiment with different browsers to see which ones perform best when streaming
Method 5a: Web browser users – reduce extensions
Whichever web browser you use to stream Hulu, be aware that having multiple extensions activated simultaneously can cause Hulu to freeze.
The more extensions you have installed, the more likely you will experience slow performance that impacts your streaming abilities.
Please limit the number of extensions that you have enabled on your browser or you could use a lightweight browser exclusively to stream content.
Method 6: Update your streaming device
When watching Hulu on a games console, computer, TV or streaming stick, please ensure your streaming device runs the latest firmware, software or OS when streaming.
New system software will often offer better performance and more features versus outdated software that is more likely to cause freezing on Hulu
Method 7: Disconnect devices from the internet
Limiting the number of devices connected to your internet router will stop it from becoming slower and overloaded.
Every device connected to the router in your home limits the internet bandwidth and you are more likely to experience Hulu freezing.
Method 8: Close any apps that are running
More applications mean more system and internet resources not being allocated to your Hulu stream.
Close any apps you are not using to improve your ability to stream Hulu without freezing.
Method 9: Use an Ethernet cable rather than Wi-Fi
Ethernet (wired) will give you a more reliable internet connection than Wi-Fi.
It can also reduce freezing issues on Hulu as it generally transmits data faster and more consistently than Wi-Fi.
Method 10: Improve your Wi-Fi connection (If you have to use it)
If you cannot use a wired internet connection, then there are things you can do to improve your Wi-Fi connection.
Things you can do to improve your Wi-Fi connection
- Move your router closer to your streaming device
- Try and eliminate any objects between your device and router
- Add Wi-Fi signal extenders to your home
- Limit the number of devices connected to your Wi-Fi
Method 11: Disable any ad blockers or VPNs
Don’t neglect to review your use of a VPN or adblocker when Hulu keeps freezing.
Generally, VPNs and adblockers do not play well when you are streaming content online.
Streaming providers are against using VPNs and adblockers, and their use creates another dependency that can cause issues.
Method 12: Upgrade your Internet Connection
If you have access to fast internet connections in the area in which you reside, it may be worth considering upgrading your internet connection.
A 10mbps connection will stream content slower than a 1gbps connection. Could the Hulu freezing issues be linked to your purchased internet speed?
Method 13: Check to make sure Hulu servers are operational
Most issues will be with your network or playback device when Hulu keeps freezing.
It is worth checking that there are no issues or outages with the Hulu platform.
Method 14: Contact Hulu Support
If, after following this guide, Hulu continues to freeze, we recommend contacting Hulu support.
Conclusion
When you encounter freezing on Hulu, it is likely caused by your router, home internet or a software configuration issue.
The methods outlined in this article will improve your streaming performance when using Hulu, hopefully to the extent of resolving your freezing issues.
Happy streaming!