Google Chrome is a fast and secure web browser with multiple useful features. But it’s also not free of errors. Most of the time, users face difficulties understanding the proper reason behind the error message, complicating the issue. In this article, we’ve provided some proven methods to fix the ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED error in Google Chrome.
What does Err_connection_closed mean?
The “ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED” error in Chrome means your browser is unable to establish the connection with the website you want to open. It’s because of a poor internet connection or your access to that website has been blocked by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
How to fix ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED Error in Google Chrome
Before applying the advanced solutions, you can check the internet connection by clicking the network symbol in the system tray. Also, you can visit other websites to check if they’re opening properly.
Apart from these, you can disable the antivirus software temporarily or remove the VPN connection from your browser. If these don’t solve your issue, here we’ve listed some potential solutions to fix ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED.
Scan and Remove Viruses or Malware from Computer
You can start with scanning the computer for viruses and malware to ensure that your device has no virus threat. To do that, use Windows Security in Windows 10:
- Click the Start menu and select Settings>Update & Security > Windows Security.
- Select Virus & threat protection > Scan options.
- Choose Windows Defender Offiline scan and click Scan now. The scanning may take about 15 minutes and the computer will restart.
- After restart, again open Windows Security.
- Select Virus & threat protection > Protection history.
- Now Windows Defender Offiline scan will automatically scan, detect and remove viruses and malware.
Disable Antivirus and Firewall Temporarily
Antivirus software and firewall protect your computer from virus threats. However, often due to misconfiguration or incompatibility problems with the settings, they create errors.
So, first, make sure that your antivirus software is updated and it’s not blocking your access to that specific website. If you know the website is secured and trusted, disable antivirus with its firewall temporarily to fix the error.
- Search for Windows Defender Firewall using the Windows 10 search bar.
- Select Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off from the left side.
- Uncheck the Block all incoming connections box.
- Click Ok and check if you can open the site.
- If the site is still not opening, repeat the process and select the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall(not recommended).
- Click Ok.
If you have a third-party antivirus installed, disable that also and check whether it solves your issue.
Clear Browser Cache and Data
In order to clear browser cache and data, here’re the steps:
- Open Chrome and select the three dots menu in the upper right corner.
2. Click More tools > Clear browsing data.
3. On the next screen, select All time from the Time range and checkmark the options Browsing history, Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. Now click Clear data.
After clearing data, try opening the website and check if it still shows the error.
Reset Google Chrome to Default Settings
For resetting Google Chromes to its default settings, follow these steps below:
1. Open Chrome and click the three dots at the top right corner.
2. Select Settings> expand Advanced.
3. Click Reset and clean up >Restore settings to their original defaults
4. Click Reset settings.
4. Restart your browser.
Disable Proxy Server in Chrome
Proxy servers act as a gateway between your browser and the other internet servers to keep your privacy safe. You can go online while proxy servers hide your IP address and filter out the communication between other servers. However, it means that they interrupt the data transfer and can be a reason behind the connection error.
Hence, you can disable proxy servers and check if that’s the actual case. Here is the simple process to do that:
1. Select Chrome’s Menu button and click Settings.
2. Expand the Advanced tab to choose System.
3. Click Open your computer’s proxy settings. It’ll open your computer’s Proxy Settings.
4. Toggle off Use a proxy server.
Check if the error still persists.
Change DNS Server Settings
DNS or Domain Name System translates domain addresses to readable IP addresses. When you open a site, both your browser and DNS server save this information in their cache that allows the site to load faster.
But if the cache file becomes corrupted or DNS entries get outdated, the site won’t load, causing the ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED issue. To fix it, you need to change DNS server settings.
Follow the steps below:
1. Right-click on your active network icon at the Taskbar and select Open Network and Internet settings.
2. Select your network card and choose Change adapter options.
3. Right-click the active network and select Properties.
4. Choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
5. Select the Use the following DNS server addresses: option and type the following DNS server addresses:
Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
6. Hit Ok.
7. Restart the computer.
Disable Chrome Extensions and Add-Ons
Google Chrome extensions and add-ons may be helpful to upgrade the browser’s functionality, but they often create errors. Sometimes, the developers don’t update the extensions to match the browser version. Hence, it may create the ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED error.
You can disable such extensions and add-ons in order to resolve the error. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Type cmd in the Windows search box and select Run as administrator to open Command Prompt.
2. Type the following command and hit enter:
netsh winsock reset catalog
3. Restart the computer.
Reinstall Chrome
If you’re still getting the same error, you need to uninstall and reinstall the Chrome browser to get rid of the ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED issue.
1. Select Start>Settings > Apps on your Windows 10 PC.
2. Find Google Chrome in the Apps & features screen.
3. Select it and click Uninstall.
4. click Uninstall again to confirm.
5. Once it’s done, download the latest version of Goole Chrome.
That’s all. Try out the above-mentioned solutions and hopefully, one of them will fix the “ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED “ issue on your web browser. If you know any other tips, share them with us in the comment section below.