It can be a real bummer when you are trying to stream a game or watch movies with your followers, and your stream starts lagging. Your system might not need a glow-up to work again. But why is your Twitch stream lagging?

Some reasons why your Twitch stream may be lagging include:

  • Internet connectionBrowser-related issuesYour bandwidthYour hardware

In this article, we will check these issues to try to help with that lag issue. Keep reading to find out more.

Poor Internet Connection

For your Twitch stream, you will want a speed of 4 Mbps to stream live in HD. The first thing to do is run a speed test. 

A few speed test sites include: 

  • BroadbandsearchSpeedtestR1ch

The speed test tells you how fast the device uploads and downloads information. The speed definitely makes a difference during play. 

If your speeds come back sus, you need to look into upgrading your internet speeds with your internet provider. 

Streaming to your subs requires a lot of data to keep it smooth. Streamers should look into internet speeds of 1gig or higher to have the best possible outcome for their streams.

Browser Lagging Issues 

If your web browser is full of cache, it will stop functioning properly. Cache has a limit for storage, and once it reaches the limit, it will low-key act out and stop working.

It should be easy to clear out your web browser on your computer or laptop of unnecessary cache and cookies. 

Google support provides a step-by-step guide for clearing your cache and cookies:

  • Open Chrome.Hit MORE.Click on MORE TOOLS. Click CLEAR BROWSING DATA.Click ALL TIME, select a time span, then select delete all.Check “COOKIES and OTHER SITE DATA” and “CACHED IMAGES and FILES.”Hit CLEAR DATA.

Once you clear your cache, it should help with the lagging issue. 

A Wired Connection: Poor Bandwidth

Twitch uses more than 5 Mbps of upload. There are 8,000 Mbps in a GB per second! That means you probably use around 2.25 GB or more of bandwidth an hour. 

You can check your bandwidth with the speed test mentioned previously. The ISP you have may have different plans for you to check on if your speeds are not what they need to be.

Insufficient Hardware: Perform Some Hardware Acceleration

Insufficient RAM on your system could cause it to lag. You may be able to upgrade your RAM if your system is outdated and does not have the right hardware. 

You can check your system specs by following these easy steps:

  • Open settingsSelect SystemClick AboutLocate device specifications and start reading

Upgrading your system hardware could be the solution you are seeking. You may need to upgrade and get a new computer if you cannot upgrade the system to where you need it to be.

Twitch has specific streaming guidelines its users must follow in order to provide prime content to its subs. Ensure your system meets those guidelines for the best results.

Pay specific attention to the graphic card, motherboard, RAM, and processor you are looking to purchase. Some of the best options are:

  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA 2070 or higher or AMD 5600 or higherMotherboard: Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFICPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900XRAM: A minimum of 16 gigs or higher

Giving your system a glow-up is often the best way to solve Twitch streaming issues once and for all. So upgrade to keep streaming and gets your bits from your subs.

Plugins and Extensions Issues

The Chrome extension has caused this issue for many users. Because technology is ever-evolving, so are the extensions with web browsers.

Whether you use an extension to check your grammar or an extension to get coupons, these can inadvertently have a negative reaction to your streaming experience. 

The best way to fix this is to disable the hardware acceleration. This will help prevent laggy streams and improve upload speeds.

Let’s disable the hardware acceleration for it: 

  • Open your Chrome browser Go to the Chrome Menu. Scroll down and open the settings menu. Find the ADVANCED section and open System. Find the USE HARDWARE ACCELERATION WHEN AVAILABLE and turn it off. Now, restart your browser.

For other extensions that may cause problems, you can disable them. You can do this on a specific extension or on the Twitch extensions page. 

Start with the one you last installed and work your way up. Restart your browser, and hope your lagging issue is resolved. 

Twitch Has a Bug

As we all know, the issue may lie with Twitch. They are a streaming service that isn’t insusceptible to having bugs in their system from time to time. 

Simply log out of your account for a little while and try to start your stream again after a few minutes. If it was a bug on their end, the restart should resolve the lagging.

Insufficient VPN

One final thing to try would be to use a VPN to reroute the connection you’re using. There are ones you can find for free, or they also have subscriptions. 

A great VPN to choose from is VPNproxymaster. It is affordable, reliable, and user-friendly. You can download it online and begin to use it immediately.

Conclusion

We all like to play games and watch Twitch streams to pass the time, but it isn’t any fun when your Twitch stream lags. Use our troubleshooting tips to help solve the problem.

This way, you can start streaming your favorite games and interacting with your followers faster.