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YouTube Error 150: Fix The Error Using Search Parameters

YouTube Error 150: Fix The Error Using Search Parameters

Are you trying to watch an embedded YouTube video on your device but getting an error 150 or a “This video is unavailable” message displayed on the screen?

If you are getting the YouTube error 150 while playing an embedded video, this usually happens when the video is private, and the owner has not allowed you to play it. To fix this issue, change the YouTube search parameters to let the app show you error-free playable results.  

In this article, we’ll explore why you get the YouTube error 150 while watching an embedded video of a specific channel and discuss a few workarounds for this issue.

Why do I see Youtube Error 150 on Embedded Videos?

Getting YouTube error 150 on embedded videos

If you are experiencing the Youtube error 150 or YouTube Playback error while watching an embedded video on your device, this can be due to the following reasons:

  • Copyrighted music.
  • Age restriction or verification.
  • Content is blocked in your region.
  • Using a Chromeless player, which the publisher forbids.
  • The embedded video is private, and the owner has not allowed you to play it.
  • The embedded video ID or format is incorrect.

How Do I Fix Error I50?

Using Parentheses YouTube search operator

You can use the following YouTube search parameters to fix the error 150 code on your device.

After:[date]

Adding the After:[date] advanced YouTube search operator in your app or website will help you show only those videos that will not show you the 150 error. 

The after: [date] operator looks for videos whose upload dates are later than the one you enter, resulting in avoiding outdated content that the publisher might have banned. 

Note: If YouTube is not working on mobile data, the search parameters won’t work on your cellphone. In this case, switch to a Wi-Fi connection and try to sort search results afterward.

Before:[date]

You can also avoid seeing the 150 error by finding the YouTube content posted at a specific time using the before:[date] operator. 

Example:

  • Cars before July 1, 2005
  • English movies before the 1990s
Using Before: [Date] Youtube search operator

Description

The “description” search parameter displays the video according to the keywords used in the description. This way, you can fit multiple words in one search query and get the exact result without facing the 150 error. 

Note: The description search parameter works better if you are using the YouTube app installed on your PC.

Intitle and Allintitle

Another way to avoid YouTube error 150 is to use the “Intitle” or “Allintitle” search operators. Usually, YouTube will display all related videos when you enter a general search term. Many of these results, however, might not be particularly relevant to that subject.  

Therefore, you can use the “intitle” operator to find the exact match of the keyword you’ve entered and “Allintitle” to get specific results with multiple keywords.

Note: The Boolean operator “OR” can expand the search results to include multiple keywords in case you are unsure of what you are searching for on YouTube and end up playing a video showing the error code.

Minus sign –

With the “Minus sign -,” you can narrow down your YouTube search result by avoiding irrelevance and removing the specific keyword from your search.

For instance, when you search “famous wedding destinations in Italy -Amalfi Coast,” you will get search results that don’t mention the “Amalfi Coast.”

Using Minus Youtube search operator

Wildcard *

An asterisk instructs YouTube to use any available information to fill in the blanks. This wildcard operator really only aids in broad searches due to its open-ended nature and is most helpful when someone forgets the spelling of a word or a word inside a phrase.


The asterisk search operator will help find the right video and avoid any YouTube playback errors like error 150.

Quotation marks “ ”

The quotation marks search operator generates exact matches for what you’ve searched on YouTube and avoids the error code 150. This is useful when you know exactly what you are searching for.

Quotes also help if you have multiple words in search because they guarantee that the videos in the results will include all the searched letters.

Parentheses ()

Parentheses let you use multiple YouTube search operators simultaneously for complex searches. To do this, put the operators or keywords in parentheses to ensure they are all used together correctly to eliminate the chance of getting the error 150.

If you enter “Hoarding (clean up kitchen or home)” in the YouTube search, the search result will only show you kitchen or full house videos, and no other place will be included. 

Note: Some other YouTube advanced search operators, such as dollar sign, hashtag, plus sign, pipe symbol, and number range, can also help you avoid receiving the YouTube error 150.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve explained the reasons for the less-documented YouTube error 150 displayed on the embedded videos. We’ve also discussed refining your YouTube search by using a few search parameters to stop seeing these videos that show the error code on your device.

Hopefully, this article has helped you gain the correct knowledge, and you can now search, open, and view error-free videos.  

Author

  • Tauqeer Ahmed

    Tauqeer Ahmed is a technology expert with over 10 years of experience in the industry. He has a degree in Computer Science and specializes in network security and software troubleshooting. You can find out more about him at https://helpfixthat.com/tauqeer-ahmed/