Among the oldest browsers out there, Opera has created a massive segment of a loyal fanbase for itself. And the reason for the same is hardly a secret. With a plentitude of baked-in features, a smooth user interface, and the fact that it is based on the Chromium source code, all seem to have worked wonders for it.
However, when it comes to processing and playing embedded videos from a website, it seems to give the users a hard time. There have been numerous complaints from users regarding their inability to play a video.
When they try to do so, they are instead being greeted with a message that reads out This video is either not available or not supported in this browser. Along with that, the Opera Browser also spells out an error code: MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED.
Well, if you are also getting bugged with this issue, then fret not. In this guide, we have shared a few nifty workarounds that shall help you rectify this error. So without any further ado, let’s check them out.
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Disable Opera VPN
Opera comes with a built-in VPN that allows you to route your network traffic via a foreign server and browse anonymously. However, in some instances, a website might not send back the data to the original client if it is running on a Virtual Private Network.
Therefore, if you have enabled the browser’s built-in VPN, it’s better to disable it now.
Here are the steps to disable the VPN connection in the Opera browser:
- Launch Opera browser on the computer.
- Click on the VPN icon situated left of the address bar.
- Disable the toggle next to VPN Connected, and your task stands complete.
Now try playing the video of your choice and check if the underlying issue has been fixed or not.
While a VPN comes with a plethora of goodies, including the fact that you could access geo-restricted content, some websites might not be able to function correctly if you have the VPN enabled. So it’s better to keep this virtual network turned off while you are interacting with such sites.
Enable Trackers
Trackers keep a tab on your daily browsing activities so that they could send you personalized content. However, many users see it as a privacy risk and prefer to keep them disabled.
But doing so could, albeit seldom, result in the breaking of some sites as well. Therefore, you could consider enabling these trackers so that they can carry out their default functionality.
Here are steps to enable the tracker’s functionality in the Opera browser:
- Launch the Opera browser on your PC
- Click on the Menu
situated at the top right. - Scroll to the Privacy & Security section.
- Disable the Block Trackers toggle button.
It will disable the tracker blocker in opera. Now refresh the site that could not play the video and verify if it fixes the Opera’s media_err_src_not_supported error.
Enabling back the trackers might spell out a less secure browsing environment, so you would have to decide on this trade-off accordingly.
Clear Cache and Data
It’s always a good idea to keep the temporary data at the very least. Not only could they slow the entire browser, but they could also have negative consequences in the proper loading of some sites as well. So it would be best if you considered deleting the browser cache and data at regular intervals.
Here are the steps to clear cache and cookies data from Opera browser:
- Launch Opera computer browser.
- Keypress the + + shortcut key combinations.
It will bring up the Clear Browsing Data dialog box. - Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files checkboxes.
- Hit on and wait for the process to complete.
Try playing the concerned video and check if the issue has been resolved or not.
Clearing these data might sign you out of various sites, but this is just a one-time scenario. Once you log into the sites, the cookie data will again get populated.
Turn off Media Flags
Opera has its separate Flags section that is used to test experimental features. Many tech enthusiasts usually give it a try to check out the latest bleeding-edge features before everyone else.
However, being experimental, flags could probably disrupt the normal flow of the browser. So if you have enabled any such flag belonging to the Media domain, then consider resetting it back to its default state.
Here are the steps to customize the Opera browser flags:
- Launch the Opera browser on a computer.
- Open the opera://flags/ page on the browser.
- Type in media in the search bar.
It will bring in all the media-related flags, make sure all such flags are set as Default.
- If you see any as either Enabled or Disabled, then change it back to Default.
Once that is done, restart your browser for the changes to take place. Then try accessing the media file and check if it fixes the media_err_src_not_supported error in your Opera browser.
These flags undoubtedly give you the option to test out new and intriguing features, which may or may not make it to the stable build. On the flip side, though, it comes with a few caveats as well, so for the general everyday usage, it’s better not to interact with these flags.
Switch to a Different Browser
The browser is quite infamous for not supporting particular codecs. Furthermore, according to Opera Forum Moderator, there are some codes that Opera can’t play, primarily due to licensing issues. As a result, it relies on the OS to play that media.
So if your OS can’t play those codecs, then the browser wouldn’t be able to do so as well. In such cases, there’s only one way out; consider switching to an alternate browser. In this regard, there are quite a few Chromium and non-Chromium browsers that you may give out a try.
Tweaks for Old Opera Builds
If for some reason, you are still using an older variant of Opera, then we would suggest you update Opera to the latest build right away. However, if you don’t plan on doing so yet, then there are a few tips that you need to keep in mind.
- First off, make sure to disable the Encrypted Media flag from the browser’s Flags page.
- Next up, it is also advised that you disable the Click to Play feature.
- Likewise, it would be best if you also considered disabling the Opera Turbo feature as well.
All these three features have already been removed from the newest build of the browser. So if you are on the latest version, you no longer need to look for these functionalities, as they have already been dealt with.
Bottom Line: Opera Media Error fix
So with this, we round off the guide on how you could fix the media_err_src_not_supported error in the Opera Browser. Out of the five fixes mentioned in this tutorial, the combination of first and third managed to spell out success for me.
The media codec issue was rectified by disabling the built-in VPN app and clearing the browser’s temporary data. I was able to play the video without any problem.
With that said, do let us know which method worked out in your case for fixing the MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED error in Opera. Also, if you have tried anything else that fixed the issue.
Lastly, here are the recommended web browsers for your computer and mobile phone that you should give a try.
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