ERR_CONNECTION_RESET in Chrome: how to fix it on Windows 11

Applies to: Google Chrome on Windows 11 when a page shows This site can’t be reached with the code ERR_CONNECTION_RESET. The Windows steps also work on Windows 10, and the Chrome steps apply to Microsoft Edge in a similar form.

What ERR_CONNECTION_RESET means

Chrome reached the website, or started to, and then the connection was closed before the page finished arriving. Google’s page Get help with common error messages in Chrome describes the code this way: something interrupted your connection to the page, like an unstable internet connection, an outdated browser, a VPN issue or security software that blocks the page.

As general guidance, a reset is a deliberate close signal, not a slow timeout. It can come from the website’s server, but also from anything in between that inspects traffic: a router, a VPN app, antivirus software that scans HTTPS, or a filter run by a workplace, school or internet provider. That’s why the same page can fail on one network and load on another. Compare it with the codes Google lists nearby: ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED means the page didn’t let Chrome connect, ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT means it took too long, and ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED means your device switched or lost its network mid-load.

One site or every site?

Google’s Fix connection and loading errors in Chrome page starts here: if only one site is affected, the problem is likely that site; if several are, check your connection. This table maps what you see to the fixes below. The “Where to look” column is general guidance.

What you see	Where to look	Start with
One site fails, others load	The site, or a filter that blocks that site (security software, VPN, work network)	Fix 1, Fix 3, Fix 4
Every site fails in Chrome, Edge works	Chrome: extensions, cached data, an outdated version	Fix 5, Fix 6
Every browser fails on this PC, phone on the same Wi-Fi works	Windows: proxy, VPN, security software, network settings	Fix 3, Fix 4, Fix 7, Fix 8
Every device on the network fails	Router or internet provider	Fix 2
Fails only on the office or school network	Network filtering you can’t change	Work or school section

Fix 1: Reload, then test another browser and network

These quick tests tell you where the reset happens, so you don’t change settings you don’t need to. Google’s loading-errors page suggests checking the address for typos and reloading. The other checks in this list are general guidance.

1. Press F5 or select the reload button. A single dropped connection can clear on its own.
2. Open the same address in Microsoft Edge or another browser. If it loads there, the cause is inside Chrome (Fix 5 and Fix 6).
3. Try the site on your phone using mobile data with Wi-Fi turned off. If it fails there too, the site itself may be down or rejecting connections, and there’s nothing to fix on your PC.
4. If you can, connect the PC to a different network, such as a phone hotspot. If the error disappears, the cause is on your home or office network, not in Windows.

Google’s page also lists updating and restarting Chrome as a step. As general guidance, open More > Help > About Google Chrome to let Chrome check for an update, then select Relaunch if one is offered.

Fix 2: Restart the router and the PC

Google’s loading-errors page suggests checking your modem and router, restarting them and contacting your internet provider if the problem stays. As general guidance: turn the router (and the modem, if it’s a separate box) off, wait about half a minute, turn it back on and wait until its lights settle. Then restart the PC. If every device in the house gets resets or drops, and a restart doesn’t help, the router or the provider’s line is the place to look, not Chrome.

If Windows says it’s connected but nothing loads in any app, follow Wi-Fi connected but no internet in Windows 11 instead; that’s a broader problem than this error.

Fix 3: Turn off the VPN and any proxy

Google names a VPN issue as one cause of this code. Disconnect the VPN from its own app, reload the page, and see whether the error changes. If the site works without the VPN, try a different server location in the VPN app, update the app, or ask the VPN provider; some sites close connections that arrive from VPN addresses. That last point is general guidance.

A proxy that Windows sends traffic through can also cut connections. Microsoft’s Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows page tells you to turn off any manual proxy settings:

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > Proxy.
2. Under Manual proxy setup, turn off the proxy server if it’s set and you didn’t set it on purpose.

As general guidance, Chrome on Windows uses the Windows proxy settings, so this also covers Chrome’s own Open your computer’s proxy settings link. If a proxy reappears after you turn it off, an app or a work policy is setting it; check your recently installed software, and on a work PC ask IT before changing it.

Fix 4: Check antivirus and firewall HTTPS scanning

Google lists security software that blocks the page as a cause of ERR_CONNECTION_RESET, and its loading-errors page says to make sure a firewall or antivirus program isn’t blocking the connection. Its common-errors page, in the section on certificate errors, also suggests turning off antivirus software temporarily and contacting your administrator when a work proxy intercepts HTTPS traffic.

General guidance for finding the setting: many third-party security suites have a web protection feature, called something like HTTPS scanning, encrypted connection scanning or web shield. It sits between Chrome and the site, and when it decides to block something, Chrome sees the connection closed. Open the security app, look for a recent block or quarantine entry for the site, and add an exception for that site if you trust it. To test, pause web protection for a few minutes, reload, and turn it back on right away whatever the result.

Fix 5: Test Incognito and turn off extensions

Google’s loading-errors page suggests opening the site in Incognito mode and, if it works there, turning off extensions or clearing browsing data. Open an Incognito window with Ctrl + Shift + N and paste the address.

Incognito runs without most extensions (general guidance), so a page that loads there points at an extension. Google’s page says to turn off all extensions and then turn them back on one at a time to find the one causing the error. As general guidance, you can reach the list by typing chrome://extensions in the address bar. Look first at ad blockers, privacy and script blockers, VPN or proxy extensions and anything you added recently. When you find the extension, check its settings for a site exception, update it or remove it.

Fix 6: Clear Chrome’s cached files

Google’s loading-errors page includes deleting browsing data such as history, cookies and cache. As general guidance, start small so you don’t sign out of every site:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete to open Delete browsing data.
2. Set the time range to All time.
3. Select only Cached images and files and select Delete data.
4. Reload the page. If it still fails, repeat with Cookies and other site data selected too. That signs you out of most sites, so have your passwords ready.

If Chrome itself keeps misbehaving beyond this error, Google’s page lists resetting Chrome settings as a later step. Our guides to the Aw, Snap! error and Chrome not opening in Windows 11 cover tab crashes and launch problems.

Fix 7: Reset Winsock and flush DNS

If every browser on the PC gets resets but other devices on the same network are fine, reset the Windows network stack. Microsoft’s Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows page lists these commands, in this order, for an administrator Command Prompt. It says to open it by searching the taskbar for command prompt, choosing Run as administrator and selecting Yes at the prompt. Run each command on its own line and press Enter after each one:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

What each one does, as general guidance: netsh winsock reset restores the Windows sockets catalog that apps use to open connections, which matters if a VPN or security app left it damaged; netsh int ip reset sets the TCP/IP settings back to defaults; ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew drop and request the PC’s IP address, so you lose the connection for a moment; ipconfig /flushdns clears saved name lookups. Microsoft’s page doesn’t say to restart, but the netsh commands may print a message asking you to, so restart the PC before you test again.

If the commands say access is denied, the window isn’t elevated; see how to open Command Prompt as administrator. If you set a fixed IP address or DNS servers by hand, note them first, because the IP reset can clear them. For DNS-specific errors such as DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG, our DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG guide goes further into DNS servers.

Fix 8: Use Network reset in Windows 11

Use this when the commands in Fix 7 didn’t help. The steps on Microsoft’s page:

1. Select Start, open Settings and select Network & internet.
2. Select Advanced network settings, then Network reset.
3. On the Network reset screen, select Reset now, then Yes to confirm.
4. Wait for the PC to restart. Windows reinstalls the adapters with default settings.

After the restart, reconnect to Wi-Fi, set the network back to private if it’s your home network, and reinstall or reconnect your VPN app if you use one.

On a work or school network

If the error appears only on an office, school or campus network, the network may be closing the connection on purpose. As general guidance, organizations often run web filters, firewalls or proxies that block categories of sites, and some of them block by resetting the connection rather than showing a block page. Google’s common-errors page notes that work proxies can inspect HTTPS traffic and tells you to contact your administrator in that case.

Changing settings on your PC won’t get around a network filter, and trying to bypass it with a VPN or proxy may break the network’s rules. If you need the site for work or study, send IT the address, the time it failed and the error code. On a managed PC, also leave proxy and security settings alone; IT sets them through policy and they can come back after a restart.

Known issues: as of November 2026, the official Google and Microsoft pages we checked don’t list a current known issue that causes ERR_CONNECTION_RESET in Chrome on Windows 11.

Related guides

• DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG: 7 ways to fix it on Windows
• Wi-Fi connected but no internet in Windows 11: how to fix it
• How to open Command Prompt as administrator in Windows 11 and 10
• Google Chrome won’t open in Windows 11: how to fix it
• “Aw, Snap!” error in Chrome: what it means and how to fix it

Official sources

• Google Chrome Help: Get help with common error messages in Chrome
• Google Chrome Help: Fix connection and loading errors in Chrome
• Microsoft Support: Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows