Getting slapped by internet blocks when you’ve something crucial to do is frustrating. Nonetheless, these browsing errors happen to every one of us, and we search for speedy solutions. So, before going to the troubleshooting, it’s best the check the error page carefully: The first thing is to reload the web page–press F5. No luck? Check the domain name–ensure if it’s spelled correctly. Next, run the Windows diagnostics or check if it’s suggesting a solution. Ultimately, check the error code to search for suitable solutions. Subsequently, restart Chrome to see if the problem is resolved, followed by restarting the PC. If you’re still looking for a way out, try these common fixes first before diving into the detailed fixes:
Clear cache and other browsing data: This may be a quick fix, but you lose everything in a flash. However, you can turn on Chrome sync and choose what to carry over after you’re done with it.Disable antivirus, VPN, and proxies: Turn off everything that can interfere with the networking, primarily antivirus and VPN. Most antivirus has a custom firewall, and shutting this momentarily down helps you troubleshoot better. Similarly, VPNs and proxies directly handle connectivity and are the root cause of most internet connectivity issues.Sync time and date: A mismatch between the actual time and your computer clock can be problematic. You can resolve this by navigating to Settings>Time & Language>Date & Time. Afterward, turn on the toggle for Set time automatically.Update Chrome and Windows: Regular updating of outdated software is good for performance as well as security. So go ahead, and get the latest versions of your browser and OS.Check for third-party software: You may have many external packages in use. To ascertain if these are causing the networking issues, perform a clean Windows boot. Try incognito mode: Incognito runs the browser in a minimum state–without extensions and unnecessary scripts. An extension might be causing issues if Chrome is working fine in incognito. Try removing them one at a time to identify the culprit.
And if you’re still reading this, grab the error code and jump to the related section.
ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH
If you’re not using an outdated browser, the most probable reason for getting this error is the other side, the website you’re trying to visit. Ergo, the browser is trying to protect you by blocking an unsafe connection. However, one should try clearing the SSL cache to see if the problem resolves. For this, search Internet Options in the Windows taskbar search. Alternatively, navigate to Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Internet Options. Next, get into the Content tab and click Clear SSL state. Now restart Chrome and check if the subject website is connecting. There isn’t much to do at your end if you’re getting the same error except asking the website owner to update their security protocols.
DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN
You can get out of this error with a few fixes.
DNS Flush
We type domain names (like geekflare.com) but the computers understand IP addresses (ex. 142.52.789.21). This conflict is resolved using the DNS servers, which match domain names with IP addresses. However, our computers also store a local copy of DNS data (updating periodically), referring to the websites visited in the past to fast-track connections. And when the local DNS data gets outdated, you get DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN for specific websites. It will only take a single line command to perform DNS flush in Windows. Type cmd in Windows search, open Command Prompt as administrator, type ipconfig/flushdns, and hit enter. However, the browser you’re using may also keep a DNS cache. Depending on the browser, Chrome (and Chrome-based) or Firefox, the steps are different. You can go through as per this guide to clear DNS cache on Chrome, Firefox, etc. Additionally, try ipconfig/release and ipconfig/renew, one at a time. Next, netsh winsock reset is a known command that can repair Winsock corruptions, restoring connectivity. Lastly, restart the system.
Check Local Hosts
Hosts File is used to map a particular domain to a specific IP address. This is the first point of contact for the computer whenever we type in a web address. And you may have trouble connecting to a specific domain if it is mapped to a (wrong or outdated) IP address. For checking the hosts file, open Windows run by pressing 🪟+R, then paste %WinDir%\System32\Drivers\Etc, and press enter. The hosts file can be opened in a text editor such as Notepad. Now scroll down and check for the entries like in the following image: This will be in the format IP address domain name. One should update the IP addresses in the host file or remove the entries altogether. If you’re having trouble with this, check out our detailed guide for editing the hosts file in Windows.
Change DNS Servers
Just like we modified the local hosts file, there is a small chance your DNS servers are the root cause of this trouble. So changing the DNS servers might do the trick if you’re still trying your way out of this error. Although you can use paid custom DNS servers, the free ones do the job just fine for most users. Besides, using a good DNS server can also speed up the overall connectivity. You can change to a different DNS server by navigating to Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Network and Sharing Center. Subsequently, head over to the Change adapter settings from the left sidebar, right-click over the active network, and select Properties on the following screen. Now you have to scroll down, select Internet Protocol Version, and click Properties. Enter the public DNS server address and click OK. This was for IPv4, and you can repeat the steps for IPv6, sitting further down in the list. Coming to the Public DNS servers, there are a few you can search. I would suggest trying Google and Cloudflare. Restart the browser after making the changes.
ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED
This is very similar to the previous error. However, it also means that the domain name may not exist at all. So, double-check the web address and perform a WHOIS lookup to verify its existence. If everything is okay, apply the same solutions discussed in the preceding section.
ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR
This is a unique problem where users reported an internet block with Google Chrome while other browsers like Firefox worked fine. However, a few solutions are standard, and I would prescribe to clear SSL state (as mentioned in section one) and also apply remedies given in section two to see if it restores the connection. Subsequently, you can turn off QUIC: Type chrome://flags in the address bar, type quic in the search bar, then disable the Experimental QUIC protocol, as indicated in the preceding image.
ERR_ BAD_SSL_CLIENT_AUTH_CERT
This means an SSL error in the website you’re trying to visit or an issue native to your system. If you’ve already done with the common fixes listed at the start of this guide, the only other thing is disabling Chrome’s QUIC protocol, as mentioned in the previous section. Still stuck? Try resetting Chrome, as mentioned at the bottom.
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT/ERR_TIMED_OUT
Ideally, a simple reload should fix Timed_Out errors. Besides, you should check your internet connection if this is with every website you’re trying to load. Next, try sending all network settings to default by network reset. Navigate to Windows Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset and click Reset now. There are a few others if the problem still persists. You should go through with the solutions indicated in section two, including flushing DNS, checking hosts file, and changing DNS servers.
ERR_CONNECTION_RESET
This should also go away with reloading the specific web page. However, if you’re still getting this or with every web page, try going through the solutions mentioned in the previous section.
ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS
Almost all websites we visit store cookies in the browser for many purposes, such as to enhance our experience. These stored cookies can sometimes send us in a redirect loop with the browser showing many redirect errors. So type chrome://settings/siteData in the address bar, and click Remove all. Now restart the browser to check if the issue is still there.
ERR_SSL_FALLBACK_BEYOND_MINIMUM_VERSION
This primarily depends on the website. Still, you can try clearing SSL state as given in section one to see if the problem resolves. Next, clear Chrome’s DNS cache as given in section two. Finally, try contacting the website owner if the issue still persists.
ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE/ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED
Empty response or connection refused may be the result of an offline website. Ergo, head over to Geekflare’s Is It Down which checks if the subject server is live from multiple locations. But it’s time to troubleshoot further if you’re still jostling with this error. Apply section two solutions, including DNS flush and changing DNS server, if the common fixes given at the start of this article weren’t helpful.
NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID
This one is the easiest to put right. And frankly, you shouldn’t be here after syncing the date and time as mentioned in the common fixes section. However, there are a few tweaks to apply before going for a full-blown reset. I would first recommend switching to a different network, preferably not another public one. Subsequently, apply these solutions sequentially: clear cookies, reset SSL cache, and change DNS servers.
ERR_CACHE_MISS
A simple reload will solve this for good. Next, you should try restarting Chrome. If you’re still seeing this error, there may be some other issues asking for a bit more troubleshooting, including DNS flush, clearing cookies, and changing DNS servers.
Chrome Reset
Sometimes only a reset helps you come out of the issues. However, I consider a browser reset extremely tiresome, based on the number of bookmarks and passwords (though we advise using a dedicated password manager) you might have on your browser. Ergo, first we will briefly see how to backup bookmarks and passwords before jumping on to the Chrome reset. The easiest way is to use Chrome sync. Since you’re experiencing issues with present settings, it’s best to use Customize sync and choose only the necessary elements. Next, type chrome://settings/reset in the address bar and choose Restore settings to their original defaults. This will, by default, won’t delete bookmarks, browsing history, and passwords. Most probably, this should solve your issues. The only other way is a clean-slate uninstall, removing everything with a third-party free tool such as Revo uninstaller. If you’re wondering, the usual control panel uninstall doesn’t generally clean every trace of an outgoing program. That’s where post-uninstall scans of Revo come into the picture. And while there are other 3rd party uninstallers, Revo is my personal recommendation I’ve been using it for years without any issues.
Common Browser Errors
Chrome has a gigantic market share for good reasons. Regardless, it can be frustrating to see it blocking internet access in some cases. And as the errors closely resemble each other, most of the solutions are also common. You should be out of your issues by now. But the internet, by its very nature, is distracting. So, we thought to put together this list of Chrome extensions to remove distractions and help you focus.
