You’re sitting on the couch. You’ve got your snacks ready. You open your media center, click on a movie, and instead of the opening credits, a little gray box pops up in the corner: one or more items failed to play. It’s the single most annoying notification in the world of home theater software. It tells you absolutely nothing. It doesn't say why. It doesn't say how to fix it. It just sits there while your screen stays black.
Most people see this error and immediately think their internet is down. Usually, it's not. This specific error message is a hallmark of Kodi, the open-source media player, though you'll see variations of it on VLC, Plex, and various IPTV "skins." It happens because the software is trying to talk to a file that isn't talking back. It’s a communication breakdown between your device and the source.
Honestly, fixing it is usually a game of digital whack-a-mole. You check the log, you clear the cache, you realize your VPN is acting up, or maybe—and this is the most common reason—the link you’re trying to access simply doesn't exist anymore.
The Log File is Your Only Real Friend
Kodi is built on a "check the logs" philosophy. When the one or more items failed to play error triggers, the software actually records the specific technical reason in a background file. Most users never look at it because it’s buried. If you’re on Android, it’s in your org.xbmc.kodi data folder. On Windows, it's in your AppData.
If you open that log, you’ll likely see a "404 Not Found" or a "Timeout" error. This is the smoking gun. It means the add-on you are using is pointing to a URL that has been taken down or moved. The internet moves fast, and streaming links move faster. If a server goes offline in the Netherlands, your Firestick in Ohio is going to throw that error every single time.
You can install a "Log Viewer" add-on directly from the official repository. It’s way easier than digging through system folders. Once you see the word "ERROR" followed by a specific URL, you know it's not your hardware. It’s the source.
Why Maintenance Tools are Often a Scam
There is a huge market of "Kodi Builds" and maintenance wizards that claim to prevent these errors. Most of them are bloated garbage. They pack your device with 50 add-ons you don’t need, which actually makes the one or more items failed to play message more likely to happen.
Why? Because these builds often use outdated dependencies.
A dependency is a small bit of code that helps a video player understand a specific website or file format. If "Add-on A" needs "Script B" to work, but your "Mega Build" has locked "Script B" to an old version, the player fails. It can't resolve the link. It gives up. Then you get the error.
Keep it simple. A clean install of Kodi with two or three high-quality add-ons is infinitely more stable than a "Free Movies 2026" build that some guy on YouTube told you to download.
The Invisible Culprit: ISP Throttling and DNS
Sometimes the file is there. The server is live. Your internet is fast. But you still see that one or more items failed to play. This is where your Internet Service Provider (ISP) comes into play.
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ISPs like Comcast, AT&T, or Virgin Media use something called "Deep Packet Inspection." They can see that you are trying to stream from a known media-sharing site or an unverified IPTV server. Instead of blocking the whole internet, they just "drop" the packets for that specific stream. Your player waits for the data, doesn't get it, and triggers the error.
Changing your DNS is a quick, free fix that works surprisingly often. Instead of using your ISP's default DNS, switch to:
- Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
- Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1
If that doesn't work, a VPN is the only way around it. By encrypting the traffic, the ISP can't see that you're hitting a streaming server, so they can't block the individual "items" from playing. It’s not just about privacy; it’s about making the software actually function.
Common Hardware Snafus
Don't ignore the box under your TV. If you are using an older Firestick or a cheap Android box from three years ago, you might be running out of RAM.
When you click play, the device tries to buffer a certain amount of the video into its "Cache." If the cache is full or the RAM is maxed out by other background apps, the video engine crashes before it even starts. The result? One or more items failed to play.
Clear your cache. Not just in the app, but the system cache. On a Firestick, go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications > Kodi > Clear Cache. Do not click Clear Data, or you'll have to set everything up from scratch.
The "Invalid Path" Problem
Sometimes the error is entirely your fault. If you moved your movies from one hard drive to another, or changed the name of a folder on your laptop, Kodi’s database still thinks the file is in the old spot.
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You click the movie poster. Kodi looks at D:/Movies/Gladiator.mp4. But you moved it to E:/Action/Gladiator.mp4.
Kodi doesn't know you moved it. It looks at the empty spot, panics, and tells you the item failed to play. To fix this, you need to "Clean Library" in your media settings. This wipes out the dead links. Then, run a fresh scan. It’s a basic step, but people forget it constantly.
Actionable Steps to Fix Your Stream Right Now
If you are staring at that error right now, do these things in this exact order. Don't skip around.
- Restart the Device: It sounds like tech support 101, but it clears the temporary RAM. Turn the TV or box off at the wall for 30 seconds.
- Check Your VPN: If it's on, turn it off and try again. If it's off, turn it on. Sometimes the server you're on is blacklisted by the streaming host.
- Update the Add-on: Go to your "My Add-ons" list, long-press the one you're using, and check for updates. Developers push fixes for broken links every day.
- Try a Different Link: If you're using a scraper (like Seren or Crew), don't just click the first link. If the first one fails, the second one might be on a different server that isn't blocked.
- Re-Authorize Real-Debrid: If you use a premium linking service like Real-Debrid or Premiumize, your account might have expired, or the "token" might have de-synced. Re-linking your account fixes 90% of playback failures for power users.
- Toggle Hardware Acceleration: Go into Settings > Player > Processing. Turn off "Allow hardware acceleration - DXVA2" (on Windows) or "MediaCodec" (on Android). Sometimes the device’s chip tries to decode the video in a way the software doesn't like.
If none of those work, the link is dead. Move on. No amount of clicking is going to make a deleted file reappear on a server halfway across the world. The best way to avoid one or more items failed to play in the long run is to maintain a lean setup, keep your scrapers updated, and always have a backup source ready to go.