audio is freezing and tearing

Hello again. Please Open Command Prompt as admin, type sfc /scannow, let it finish, then run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. These check for and repair corrupted system files, which fits a problem that keeps getting worse over time.

Also check Device Manager (right-click Start, Device Manager), expand "Sound, video and game controllers," right-click your audio device, and try "Update driver" then "Search automatically." If that doesn't help, right-click again and check "Properties > Driver" for a "Roll Back Driver" option, useful if this started after a Windows update.

One more: restart both Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder services together (services.msc, right-click each, Restart), since they work together and a mismatch between them causes exactly this kind of gradual glitch.

Since it's only YouTube and both audio and video glitch together, that really points to the tab itself, not your system or drivers. YouTube tabs are known for slowly leaking memory the longer they run, especially with autoplay or a playlist going, so the tab just gets more and more bogged down until playback tears.

Try closing and reopening the YouTube tab every so often instead of leaving one running for hours, and see if that resets the problem. Also worth checking: go into YouTube's own settings (click your profile icon, then Playback) and see if playback quality is set to Auto or something high like 4K, since forcing it down to 1080p or 720p can ease the strain. If you use an ad blocker, try disabling it just for YouTube, since some blockers fight with YouTube's player scripts and cause exactly this kind of stutter. Clearing your browser cache (just for YouTube, or fully) is also worth a shot since a corrupted cache for that site specifically could be the cause.

Does it happen on YouTube in every browser you have installed, or just one?

Hi, let me help you.

Please try to open Task Manager while it's glitching and see if memory, disk, or one process keeps climbing. Then turn off hardware acceleration in your browser settings. In Chrome or Edge, open Settings, search "hardware acceleration," switch off "Use graphics acceleration when available" (or "Use hardware acceleration when available" in Chrome), then restart the browser. Test in a private window to rule out extensions. If it's still choppy, go to Settings > System > Sound, pick your output device, set the format to 16-bit 48000 Hz, and turn off audio enhancements. Setting your power mode to Best performance can help too.

If restarting the Windows Audio service (services.msc) fixes it for a while, it's most likely a driver, so check Device Manager for updates. Does it happen outside YouTube too?