As a cross-platform browser, Google Chrome has long been top-notch. Regardless of whether you are rocking a macOS device, daily driving an Android smartphone or running a modern Windows PC, you can count on Google’s browser to live up to the mark with aplomb. Be it a huge set of customization features, the luxury of an ever-growing collection of rich extensions, or the deep integration with noted Google services, there is a lot to like about the browser.
That’s the reason why when Google Chrome starts malfunctioning on your Windows PC, it feels rather frustrating as rival browsers like Edge or Firefox can’t match its expertise. Having been on this very side of the annoyance umpteen times during my Windows journey, I know what it takes to fix the problem of Google Chrome not working on Windows 11. In this in-depth guide, I’m going to discuss and suggest a number of viable ways to overcome the hurdle. Keep reading to…
Fix Google Chrome Not Working on Windows PC
What has made Chrome unresponsive, preventing it from running smoothly on your PC? There are several reasons why this issue raises its head on Windows. Some of the major culprits of this problem include –
- Sluggish internet connection
- Faulty configurations
- Outdated version
- Malicious extensions
- Excessive use of resources by Chrome
- Corrupted cache and cookies
- Jealous antivirus program/firewall
- Greedy VPN/Proxy server
- Redundant hardware acceleration
- Incompatible websites/web apps
Taking these prime suspects into account, I’ve suggested the most effective ways to take control of the culprits and resolve the issue. Hopefully, you won’t have to dive too deep to flush it out and bring the malfunctioning Chrome back into action.
1. Restart Your Computer
When dealing with minor software glitches or the ones that seem to occur once in a while, I make sure to go for this handy solution. More often than not, it’s able to get rid of the temporary software glitches in a jiffy. So, it would be right to restart your PC and check if it solves the Chrome issues.
2. Check Your Internet Connection
As we all know Chrome is a demanding browser and requires a strong as well as stable internet connection to run smoothly. Failing to offer it a fully functional internet connection severely impacts the browsing experience.
- Press the Win+A keys to launch the Quick Settings panel > head over to the Wi-Fi menu and turn it off.
- Now, reboot your PC > Reconnect to the preferred Wi-Fi network > and launch Chrome to figure out if the browser is back on track.
3. Force Kill Chrome
For times when the Google Chrome browser doesn’t respond to clicks, crashes out at launch, or tends to freeze every now and then, force-killing comes into the picture.
- Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys at once to fire up the Task Manager on your PC > Select the Chrome browser in the left sidebar and click the End task button at the top.
- Once you have successfully force-quitted the browser > reboot your PC.
4. Update Google Chrome
When was the last time you updated Chrome on your PC? I suspect the outdated version is throttling the performance of the browser and causing it to misbehave.
- On your PC, launch Chrome and hit the triple-dot icon at the top right > Help.
- Now, click “About Google Chrome “to check for updates.
5. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Should the Chrome browser continue to lag or become unresponsive, disable hardware acceleration.
- On your Windows computer, launch Chrome and click on the Menu icon > Settings > System.
- After that, disable “Use graphics acceleration when available” and restart the browser.
6. Check Chrome’s Task Manager
It’s no secret that too much resource usage often makes Chrome face issues like sudden crashing or freezing. Therefore, check the task manager and take control of the resource usage.
- On your PC, open Chrome and press Shift + Esc to launch the Chrome Task Manager.
- Now, end all the processes like tabs and extensions and relaunch the browser.
7. Disable Extensions
Some extensions have the habit of causing conflicts. To ward off this possibility, disable all the Chrome extensions. If you are no longer using certain ones, altogether remove them from the browser.
- Open Chrome on your PC > click on the Menu icon at the top-right > More tools > Extensions.
- Now, turn off all extensions > close the browser, and relaunch it.
- After that, visit a website to check if disabling extensions has worked.
- If it has, turn on each extension one by one to nab the conflicting one.
8. Check Proxy Settings
Proxy settings and unwanted interference go hand in hand.
- To disable Proxy, go to the Settings app > Network & internet > Proxy.
- Altogether turn off, proxy settings.
9. Check for Windows Updates
If your PC is outdated, incompatibility might be a major factor. To get rid of this issue, installing the latest update would be the way to go.
- To download and install the latest update, head into Settings > Windows Update and download and install the latest updates.
10. Disable Experimental Flags
Are you using experimental Chrome flags on your PC? If yes, temporarily disable them as experimental flags are problematic and often tend to crop up a variety of miscellaneous issues.
- Launch Chrome on your PC and input chrome://flags/ in the address bar.
- After that, click Reset All and confirm when prompted to do so.
11. Reset Network Settings
If the Chrome issues have cropped up owing to the faulty network connections, resetting the entire network settings may come in handy.
- To do so, go to the Settings app > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset > Reset now.
12. Reset Network Settings via Command Prompt
Should the issue persist, try resetting the network settings via the command prompt as it’s a comparatively more effective method.
- Launch Command Prompt on your computer as an administrator > run the below-mentioned commands one by one, and press Enter after each command.
- Reset TCP/IP Stack:
netsh int ip reset- Reset Winsock Catalog:
netsh winsock reset- Flush DNS Cache:
ipconfig /flushdns- Release Current IP Configuration:
ipconfig /release- Renew IP Configuration:
ipconfig /renew- Reset Network Adapter Settings:
netsh advfirewall reset- Clear Proxy Settings:
netsh winhttp reset proxy
Once you have run all these commands, reboot your computer to apply the changes effectively.
13. Clear Chrome Cache and Cookies
There are all sorts of reasons why you should declutter your browser from time to time, stopping the cached data from piling up. It not only helps the browser run smoothly but also enhances the security aspect. On top of all, it keeps problems like sluggishness and freezing at a fair distance.
- Inside the Chrome browser, click on the menu at the top right > Choose Settings > > Click on the triple-lines menu icon at the top left corner of the screen > Privacy and Security.
- Click on “Delete browsing data” and proceed to wipe out the entire clutter.
14. Reset Chrome Settings
Misconfigurations could also be a major factor in why Chrome is malfunctioning on your PC. The right way to troubleshoot this specific issue is to reset the browser to the default state.
- Open Chrome on your PC > hit the menu icon at the upper right corner of the screen.
- In the drop-down menu, choose Settings > triple-lines menu icon at the top left corner of the screen > Choose “Reset settings” in the left sidebar.
- Select “Restore settings to their original defaults” and confirm the action.
15. Use Chrome’s Built-in Cleaner
Chrome comes with a super handy cleanup tool to let you delete malicious software.
- In the Google Chrome browser, go to the menu icon at the top right > When the drop-down menu appears, choose Settings.
- Click on the triple-lines menu button at the top left > Select Reset settings > Clean up computer.
- Now, click on the Find option to nab the culprit and remove it.
16. Run Chrome in Compatibility Mode
Compatibility Mode lets you access websites or web apps that may not be fully optimized for the modern versions of the browser. By emulating older browser behaviors or rendering pages differently, this mode facilitates compatibility with the legacy system.
- Simply, right-click the Chrome shortcut and choose Properties in the menu.
- Navigate to the Compatibility tab and activate the “Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 10” option.
- Reboot the browser.
17. Check for Malware
Make sure your PC is not in the grip of malware. To detect and eliminate the malware, you can run a thorough scan with the help of “Windows Security” or a third-party antivirus service.
- To use Windows Security Shield, open the Settings app > Privacy & Security > Windows Security and run through the instructions to clean up the malware.
18. Reinstall Google Chrome
For problematic apps that keep causing issues, reinstallation often proves to be the ultimate remedy. Thus, it makes sense to go for this radical measure.
- To uninstall Chrome, head over to Settings app on your PC > Apps > Installed apps > locate the Chrome app and click on the triple-dot icon next to it.
- Click Uninstall in the menu and confirm.
- Then, re-download the browser by visiting Google’s website.
19. Disable Firewall Temporarily
Check if your antivirus program or Firewall is blocking Chrome on your PC.
- Head into the respective setting of the antivirus program and turn it off.
- Likewise, go to the Settings app > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection and disable it.
- Open the Chrome browser and play a YouTube video or visit a website to find out if the issue is gone. If it has, your antivirus software/firewall was at fault – and not Chrome.
20. Use a New User Profile
Ensure that there are no corrupt profiles as they are equally responsible for issues like crashing or freezing.
- On your computer, launch File Explorer and navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data.
- Now, you need to rename the Default folder to Default_old.
- Next, relaunch Chrome and create a new profile.
21. Test in Safe Mode
It would be apt to boot your Windows device in Safe Mode to discover if third-party programs are triggering the issue or making life difficult for the browser.
- Press Win + R on your device to launch the Run dialog.
- Now, type msconfig
- Navigate to the Boot tab.
- After that, activate Safe Boot and then restart your PC.
Wrapping Up…
There you have it! Hopefully, Google Chrome has eventually come back on track on your Windows device and so has your extensive browsing experience. With a wide range of viable solutions, I don’t see any reason why you can’t overcome the hurdle. But before you go deep into your tabs and windows, feel free to share your feedback about what has come to your rescue.
