During prime time on the East Coast and the end of the workday on the West Coast, YouTube appeared to be taking a nap as more than 300,000 people reported the service, according to Downdetector. The outage began gaining momentum at 5:00 p.m. PT and quickly reached 338,308 reports as of 5:10 p.m.
Downdetector reports the start of a YouTube outage on February 17, 2026.
Screenshot by Patrick Holland/CNETCNET employees who noticed the outage saw the familiar YouTube home screen with a search bar and sidebar, but no videos. YouTube apps, like on an iPad, displayed 1980s-style pixel art and the message “Something went wrong.”
This is a developing story.
(Disclaimer: Downdetector is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)
YouTube responded to the outage about an hour after it occurred
By Jeff Carlson
This is standard communication in the event of an outage, but it’s always good to know that YouTube is aware of the problem and working to resolve it. The company posted this message on X about an hour after the problem started:
If you’re having trouble accessing YouTube right now, you’re not alone: our teams are investigating this issue and will give you updates here: https://t.co/7iTU5S9AgT
– TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) February 18, 2026
Blank screens on YouTube apps on all devices
By Patrick Hollande
This is a screenshot of the YouTube app on an iPhone taken at 5:53 p.m. PT.
Screenshot by Patrick Holland/CNETThe outage seemed to happen all at once, as devices either couldn’t load the YouTube website or the YouTube app showed a blank screen with a “something went wrong” message.
What does the YouTube outage look like around the world?
By Jeff Carlson
When we first spotted the YouTube outage, it looked like just under 300,000 people had reported the issue on Downdetector. Fortunately, since CNET and Downdetector share a business owner – and Slack channels – we were able to uncover more details, particularly the effect it had around the world.
Here’s what the outage looks like in a handful of countries (the top 5 based on number of reports) around 5:45 p.m. PT:
- United States – 837,973 reports
- Canada – 160,259 reports
- Brazil – 106,261 reports
- United Kingdom – 93,284 reports
- Germany – 42,994 reports
The total number of reports at that time was 1,688,679, with a peak reporting level of 719,234 at 01:30 UTC.
Smaller visual experience, smaller message on iPhone
By Jeff Carlson
As the outage continues, here’s what’s happening on my iPhone 17 Probut to be honest, I’m not an animal: I wouldn’t normally watch YouTube videos in portrait/large orientation.
Error message from YouTube on its iPhone application.
Screenshot from Jeff Carlson/CNETThis is what users of the YouTube app for iPad see
By Jeff Carlson
I have Google to thank for its error page: a matter-of-fact message of “Something went wrong” and a simple grouping of geometric patterns. Unfortunately, this offers no clarity on what happened or how long the outage lasted. Maybe they didn’t expect people to see that?
This is not what you want to see when you’re expecting Olympics coverage.
Screenshot from Jeff Carlson/CNET
