Video lock

Hi there, Thanks for posting here in Microsoft Community. To answer your question it's because ads load separately from the main video. If an ad is blocked, fails to load, or conflicts with the browser or connection, the player freezes when it switches to the commercial.

If you don't have any more concern, feel free to rate the thread and have a great day.

Internet videos locking up when they go to commercial is usually caused by network or system performance issues that become noticeable when the stream switches to an ad segment.

Common causes and what to check:

1. Outside network factors

• Busy or overloaded sites and ad servers can slow or interrupt the stream when it switches to a commercial.
• Local Internet congestion (many people online at the same time, e.g., after school or evenings) can reduce available bandwidth right when the ad loads, causing freezing or buffering.
• If on a corporate or school network, proxy or bandwidth controls can affect streaming and ads differently than the main video.

2. Computer health and background activity

• Spyware, viruses, or other unwanted software can consume bandwidth and CPU, making video more likely to freeze when the stream changes.
• Browser add-ons (toolbars, media extensions, etc.) can interfere with video playback or ad playback specifically.
• Low memory or disk space, or many programs running at once, can slow the browser so that video stalls when switching segments.

Practical steps:

1. Run a full antivirus and antispyware scan and keep protection running.
2. Disable or remove unnecessary browser extensions/add-ons in Microsoft Edge.
3. Close other heavy programs and browser tabs while streaming.
4. Test at different times of day to see if congestion is the cause.
5. If on a school or work network, contact the network administrator if streaming issues are frequent.

If the problem happens only on specific sites, the issue is likely with those sites’ ad delivery or their servers being busy.

References:

• Why is my Internet connection so slow?