YouTube Outage on February 17 2026 Restores Video Access for Millions of Users

More than 317,000 people in the US reported YouTube was broken on Tuesday night. This is one of the biggest outages for the site in recent years.
By Newsroom | Technology, Global |

A widespread outage impacted YouTube and its associated services, including YouTube TV and YouTube Music, for a significant period on February 17, 2026. Users worldwide reported an inability to access the platform, with a sharp increase in error reports beginning around 7:50 PM ET / 12:50 AM GMT. While YouTube has stated the issue is resolved, some users may have experienced residual problems with specific features.

YouTube says issue ‘resolved’ after more than a quarter million users report problems accessing website and app - 1

Outage Timeline and User Impact

Reports of widespread YouTube issues began to surface on the evening of February 17, 2026.

YouTube says issue ‘resolved’ after more than a quarter million users report problems accessing website and app - 2

  • Initial Reports: Problems started around 7:50 PM ET (12:50 AM GMT).

  • Scale of Outage:

  • Downdetector registered over 317,000 reports in the US and 38,000 in the UK at the peak of the incident.

  • Other reports indicate over 280,000 users in the US experiencing issues, with figures reaching as high as 331,912 on Downdetector.

  • Affected Services: The outage primarily affected the main YouTube website and app. YouTube TV, YouTube Music, and YouTube Kids also experienced disruptions. Some reports suggest Google itself may have faced related issues.

  • Duration: While the exact duration varied, initial reports of problems were noted around 7:50 PM ET. By 10:19 PM ET, YouTube announced the issue was solved. Partial fixes were reported earlier, around 8:21 PM ET, with the homepage returning for some users.

YouTube's Official Statements and Actions

YouTube acknowledged the outage and provided updates through its official channels.

YouTube says issue ‘resolved’ after more than a quarter million users report problems accessing website and app - 3

"If you’re having trouble accessing YouTube right now, you’re not alone — our teams are looking into this and will follow up here with updates." - YouTube via X

  • Initial Acknowledgment: YouTube confirmed the widespread problems, stating its teams were investigating.

  • Root Cause Identification: Later statements indicated the issue was related to the platform's recommendations system, which prevented videos from appearing across various surfaces.

  • Resolution: YouTube announced that the issue had been resolved, and service was restored for most users.

User Experiences and Reported Issues

Users across various regions, including the US (Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix) and the UK, encountered difficulties accessing YouTube.

YouTube says issue ‘resolved’ after more than a quarter million users report problems accessing website and app - 4

  • Error Messages: Some users reported seeing a "Something went wrong" error message.

  • Access Problems: The primary issues involved:

  • Inability to load videos.

  • Homepage not displaying content.

  • Problems logging into accounts.

  • App vs. Website: While the website and app were affected, some users reported that the homepage was back up while login functionalities remained problematic for a period.

Service AffectedStatus During Outage
YouTube WebsiteInaccessible/Error messages
YouTube AppInaccessible/Error messages
YouTube TVExperiencing issues
YouTube MusicExperiencing issues
YouTube KidsExperiencing issues

Expert Analysis and Observations

The scale of the outage, affecting millions of users globally, highlights the platform's critical role in online content consumption.

"A widespread outage like this on a platform as integral as YouTube underscores the fragility of even the most robust digital infrastructure. The speed at which reports surged and the subsequent confirmation of a system-wide recommendation issue point to a complex, interconnected failure." - Anonymous Cybersecurity Analyst

  • The number of reports on Downdetector served as an immediate indicator of the outage's severity.

  • YouTube's reliance on X (formerly Twitter) for official communication during the incident provided a public-facing update mechanism.

  • The reported cause, an issue with the recommendations system, suggests a failure in a core component that affects content delivery across the entire platform.

Conclusion and Next Steps

The YouTube outage on February 17, 2026, has been officially resolved, with service largely restored. The incident demonstrates the potential for significant disruption when a widely used platform experiences technical failures.

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  • Primary Finding: A malfunction in YouTube's recommendations system caused widespread inability to access content and services.

  • Resolution Status: YouTube has confirmed the issue is fixed, and monitoring suggests a return to normal operational levels.

  • Implications: The event emphasizes the importance of resilient infrastructure for major online services and the reliance of users on continuous access.

  • Future Considerations: It remains to be seen if YouTube will release further technical details regarding the specific failure within the recommendations system.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why did YouTube stop working for millions of people on February 17 2026?
YouTube had a technical problem with its recommendation system. This error stopped videos from showing up on the website and the app for users around the world.
Q: What time did the YouTube outage start and end on February 17 2026?
The problems started at 7:50 PM ET. YouTube fixed the issue and returned to normal service by 10:19 PM ET on the same night.
Q: Which services were affected by the YouTube outage on February 17 2026?
The main YouTube site, YouTube TV, YouTube Music, and YouTube Kids all had problems. Many users saw a message saying 'Something went wrong' when they tried to log in.
Q: How many people reported problems during the YouTube outage on February 17 2026?
Over 317,000 people in the United States and 38,000 people in the United Kingdom reported the site was down. This was a very large number of reports compared to a normal day.