Update: An issue with our recommendations system prevented videos from appearing across surfaces on YouTube (including the homepage, the YouTube app, YouTube Music and YouTube Kids). The homepage is back, but we're still working on a full fix – more coming soon!
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) February 18, 2026
YouTube Down Global Outage Sparks Chaos for Millions of Users
You are not the only viewer who experienced difficulties tonight, as your attempt to watch your preferred channel resulted in a blank screen or a Something went wrong error message. YouTube experienced a widespread global outage on February 17, which resulted in the system going down for multiple users in various locations. The outage created severe operational problems for all YouTube services, which reached its highest intensity during 8:00 PM EST.
The numbers are staggering. The United States witnessed a surge of over 320,000 reports to Downdetector, which reached its peak number of complaints within a few minutes. YouTube TV experienced troubles beyond its main video platform, as almost 10,000 users reported that they were unable to stream their live television broadcasts. The mobile application experienced the highest level of disruption, but desktop users encountered kaput pages which displayed only the sidebar content.
Social media users expressed their complaints about the outage through various online platforms. Users reported two types of difficulties, as some could not access their accounts while others could only use specific playlists like Liked Videos. Users shared their dinner preparations but they had no shows to watch, which created an unfortunate timing for users who thought it was perfect timing.
- Main Error The system shows an error message that states Something went wrong on a grey background.
- Visuals The homepages show empty spaces while the search bars fail to function.
- Platforms The applications for iOS, Android, and Smart TV systems have suffered the greatest amount of damage.
