Twitch has tons of users and is the top platform for gaming-related content and live streaming.
Similar to any other platform, it is not perfect.
Sometimes while browsing Twitch, or when trying to log into your account or reset your password, you’ll see the “Oops! We encountered an unexpected error” message.
Although this might seem scary at first, there are a few possible solutions you can attempt to address the problem. Find out more in the guide below.
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When Does The Error Occur?
It isn’t entirely clear why users encounter this problem, and the vague message that appears does little to make the issue any more obvious.
Based on individual feedback and experiences shared online, it appears that it often happens when users attempt to log into their accounts or reset their passwords through the password-resetting e-mail feature.
How do Twitch users fix this? There are a couple of options.
Fix 1: Open Twitch In Incognito Mode
This option is the easiest fix on this list, and you should try it before the others. Opening a browser window in Incognito Mode is quick and easy.
If you are using Chrome, Ctrl+Shift+N is the shortcut to open a new Incognito Window.
If you’re on the Firefox browser, Ctrl+Shift+P opens a new Private Browser Window.
If you’re wondering why this might help, it’s because most extensions are automatically disabled in Incognito Mode or Private Browsing. If Twitch works while in Incognito Mode, manually disabling your extensions may fix the issue!
Fix 2: Try Disabling Extensions On Your Browser
There are countless browser extensions available today, and many users depend on them to enhance their Twitch viewing experience.
Despite the handy features these extensions provide, they sometimes also cause issues. Some users reported that disabling extensions helped solve the Twitch error.
The Disable HTML5 Autoplay extension for Chrome is one that many Twitch users install to avoid having to manually mute or pause the homepage stream that plays when you open Twitch. It’s a useful extension, but some users stopped seeing the error after removing it from their browsers.
This extension is no longer undergoing maintenance by its developer, so it could cause more harm than good as it doesn’t receive any further updates.
As for the rest of your extensions, it’s recommended that you disable them all at once, then re-open Twitch and see if the problem persists.
If you no longer encounter the error, it means an extension was causing the issue. Gradually reactivate the extensions and reload Twitch after each one to pinpoint which extension was the cause.
After discovering the perpetrator, uninstall it from your browser or manually disable it each time you visit Twitch.
Fix 3: Clear Your Browser Cache, History, And Cookies
This is another possible fix that doesn’t take much time and is worth trying. Some users reported that doing this completely fixed their problem.
If you are clearing your history, cache, and cookies in Chrome, select “Beginning of Time” in the Time range dropdown menu. Clearing a shorter period of time may not solve the issue.
Remember to tick the boxes and include clearing of cookies and site data, not just the browsing history.
After you’ve done this, open Twitch again and see if the problem has been resolved. If not, it probably has nothing to do with your browser or extensions. The reason for the error may be related to your Twitch account.
Fix 4: Reactivate Your Twitch Account
It’s worth knowing that Twitch eventually deactivates accounts due to inactivity. It takes a long time for this to happen, but some users simply don’t use their Twitch accounts for lengthy periods.
If you happen to be one of them, you can try reactivating your account before it is recycled.
One of the reasons you may be seeing the error when trying to reset your password is that your account is “marked” as “inactive.” You can’t reset a password on a disabled account, but don’t worry. We can help!
Reactivating your account is easy. All it requires is for you to log into your account, click “Reactivate,” and it will be automatically removed from Twitch’s list of soon-to-be recycled accounts.
However, some users found themselves in a situation where this was not possible due to the unexpected error on Twitch. If this happens to you, try contacting Twitch Support.
A “deactivated account” is different from a “recycled account.” If your account is recycled, it means you can no longer reactivate it. Not even Twitch Support can help you to retrieve a recycled account.
This official article from Twitch explains their accounts policy.
Fix 5: Contact Twitch Support For Assistance
Unless you are dealing with a recycled account, contacting Twitch Support is a good idea. There don’t appear to be any reports of users receiving an unexpected error when contacting Twitch Support.
Twitch Support might be able to solve your issue, but out of all the solutions listed in this guide, this one is probably the slowest.
If the support team is experiencing an unusually high number of requests, you’ll likely have to wait at least a few business days before your ticket is answered.
Conclusion
Encountering the unexpected error on Twitch, which has unknown causes and isn’t explained by the popup, can be a frustrating experience. Still, if you follow the steps in the guide above, you should resolve it quickly.
Most of the time, this issue will be related to a conflicting extension. However, the problem can also be on Twitch’s end!
