Why is a guest buffering in watch together? Read the network numbers and fix it
When one guest keeps buffering, the session usually shows you why. Here is how to read it.
LAAGU··2 min readTimeline
Why buffering happens
In a session the video streams from the host's PC to every guest. So the host's upload speed is shared by everyone: two guests need roughly twice the upload of one. A slow host connection, a weak guest connection or a tunnel with limits can all make a guest wait for data.
The numbers Timeline shows
The member list shows live numbers so you can see who has the trouble:
| Who | What you see |
|---|---|
| The host | Upload speed and how many people are connected |
| A guest | Download speed, seconds loaded ahead, number of stalls and dropped frames |
A guest also has a ping (the delay to the host). When someone is loading, a one-line reason appears next to them, for example very slow or stopped download, host not sending, slow download, high delay, or catching up.
Try it in Timeline
Free for Windows 10 and 11. One installer, nothing else to set up.
What to try, by cause
| What you see | What to try |
|---|---|
| Guest's download is low | Guest: use a wired connection or move closer to the router, and close downloads and other streams |
| Host's upload is low, several guests | Host: use a wired connection and close uploads (cloud backup, game updates); fewer guests at once also helps |
| High delay (ping) | A tunnel far from both of you can add delay; try another region, or UPnP or the same network where possible |
| "Host not sending" | The host's app may be busy or paused; check that the host's video is playing |
Pause while someone is loading
If the host switched on Pause while someone is loading, a buffering guest holds the whole session, and Timeline shows "Waiting for (name) to load" until they catch up. Someone who takes more than 20 seconds is skipped, and the session continues without them. Turn that option off if you would rather not wait.
Stuck after a connection drop
If a guest's loading stalls after a drop, Timeline tries to recover by itself: it nudges play and seek on the same spot twice, a few seconds apart, and then reloads the stream from the same position. If a guest's own connection goes down, Timeline retries five times before leaving with a message.
Note. Upload is shown as the whole stream, not split per guest, so with several guests, expect it to be the sum of what each one pulls.
Tip. For a big group, lower the strain: ask guests to join on the same network as the host, or reduce the host's other uploads. A smaller or compressed file also needs less bandwidth.
Questions
Why does the whole session pause when one person buffers?
The host has Pause while someone is loading on. It holds everyone until the slow guest is ready, and skips them after 20 seconds.
What is a stall?
A moment when a guest's video ran out of loaded data while it was playing and had to wait.
Whose internet matters most?
The host's upload, because every guest streams from the host. A guest's download speed matters for that guest only.