Netflix keeps buffering on your smart TV? How to fix it
When Netflix keeps buffering while the rest of the TV seems fine, the cause is nearly always the internet connection reaching the app, not Netflix itself. A handful of checks sort out most of it. Work through them in order, from the network to the app to your plan.
First, rule out the connection
Buffering in a video app is usually the network, so start there. If other streaming apps buffer too, it is your connection, and our full why does my TV keep buffering guide covers the fix, chiefly checking the real speed at the TV and going wired. Netflix needs about 25 Mbps for 4K, 5 for Full HD, and 3 for HD. Run our TV Speed Test on the television to see what actually reaches it, which is not the same as the speed on your phone or the number on your plan.
Restart Netflix and the network
Close Netflix completely and reopen it, rather than just backing out to the home screen. Then power-cycle the network: Unplug the router and the TV for a minute, bring the router back first, let it settle, then the TV. If that clears it, a stalled connection was the cause. Signing out of Netflix and back in also refreshes a session that has gone stale, and takes only a moment.
Clear or reinstall the app
If only Netflix misbehaves while everything else streams fine, the app itself is the likely problem. On most TVs you can remove the Netflix app and reinstall it from the store, which clears a corrupted cache that a simple restart does not. This is the single most reliable fix for a Netflix that buffers on its own, and it takes a couple of minutes.
Check your plan and the quality setting
Two Netflix settings decide the quality it even tries to stream. Your plan tier sets the ceiling: Only the Premium plan streams 4K, while the cheaper tiers cap at Full HD or HD, so a 4K TV on a basic plan will never show 4K no matter how fast the connection. And in your Netflix account the playback or data-usage setting, held per profile, can be set low or high; set it to Auto or High. If your connection cannot hold 4K steadily, leaving it on Auto lets Netflix settle at a level that does not keep re-buffering.
Why 4K Netflix is fussier
4K on Netflix asks for more than speed alone. It needs the Premium plan, a genuine 4K TV, a steady 25 Mbps at the set, and support for the HEVC codec that Netflix uses for 4K. Our TV Capability Test reports whether the device handles HEVC. If any one of those is missing, Netflix quietly drops to a lower resolution, and on a marginal connection that constant switching up and down is what you see as buffering.
Questions people ask
Why does Netflix keep buffering but other apps work?
Most often the Netflix app has a corrupted cache, or its per-profile quality is set higher than your connection can hold. Sign out and back in, or remove and reinstall the Netflix app, and set the playback quality to Auto. If other apps buffer too, then it is the network, not Netflix.
How much internet speed does Netflix need?
About 25 Mbps for 4K, 5 for Full HD, and 3 for HD, measured at the TV rather than on your plan or your phone. Run a speed test on the television itself. If it falls short, fixing the connection to the TV, ideally with an Ethernet cable, is the cure.
Why is Netflix not showing 4K on my 4K TV?
Usually the plan. Only Netflix's Premium tier streams 4K; the cheaper plans cap at Full HD or HD. You also need a steady 25 Mbps and a TV that supports the HEVC codec. If any of those is missing, Netflix drops to a lower resolution without telling you.
For the full network walk-through behind all of this, see why does my TV keep buffering, and to confirm the speed reaching the set, run the TV Speed Test.