When watching streaming video on various web resources, many users may encounter the Error Ref_expired error. Most often, users who prefer to spend their time watching movies in online cinemas complain about its appearance. The Error Ref_expired error can occur when launching a video in the site’s player, after a very long pause in the video, or even in a random place during viewing. It is worth noting that the Error Ref_expired error can manifest itself on absolutely any browser that exists at the moment.
Cause of Error Ref_expired error
After performing a thorough investigation, it was revealed that the reason for the Error Ref_expired error is extremely elementary: the settings of the player in which the user tried to watch streaming video were reset. The settings mean the selected video resolution, its volume, the use of subtitles, or the pause time if stopped. Simply put, the Error Ref_expired error occurred due to an accidental reset in the player or due to the fact that it was inactive for a long time.
Error Ref_expired solution
Based on the reason for this error, the most obvious and effective solution in this case is to simply update the page, which will allow you to easily return to watching the video in the site’s player. No, unfortunately, there is no way you can get around the Error Ref_expired error and return to the moment you need in the video (unless the player is able to return the video to the moment when the page was closed).
Nevertheless, some users claim that their Error Ref_expired error does not disappear even after updating the page with the video. In this case, the problem is definitely on the side of the user and his browser. If you have the same situation, then try the following list of solutions:
- Clearing cache and deleting cookies. If the error does not lag behind you even after several page updates, then it’s time to look for the culprit. Usually, these are the accumulated cache and cookies in the browser. Try to get rid of these two types of files through your browser settings and then reload the page again and check if that helps.
- Codec support. Perhaps the Error Ref_expired error does not disappear for the simple reason that your browser version does not support the codec used by the player. For example, your site may use HTML 5, but your browser does not support this standard. Fortunately, all modern browser versions support common codecs and HTML 5, so try updating to the latest version – especially if you haven’t done so in a while – and see if the error goes away after that.
- Disable VPN. If you are trying to watch videos over a VPN, try without it. In some cases, the Error Ref_expired error and similar errors may occur due to the use of VPN services.
- Disable Flash plugin. Try deactivating the Flash plugin while watching the desired video. Sometimes, it is he who is the culprit of various problems when surfing the World Wide Web.
- Disable ad blockers. Everyone needs to make money somehow and, most likely, the owners of the resource where you watch the video are no exception. Some sites may impose various restrictions on visitors who log into them with an activated ad blocker. Try disabling your blocker and try playing the video again.
- Reinstall the browser. Try reinstalling your browser one last time. Perhaps something happened with the browser files and now, when using its functionality, similar problems arise. Once done, check for the Error Ref_expired error.