Chrome Crashing or Not Working? Here Are Some Fixes
Chrome is the leading and most popular web browser in 2019, beating Apple Safari, Internet Explorer/Edge, and Firefox, which rank second, third and fourth respectively. Despite being number one, it has its downsides and its malfunctions, too. Many of its users have reported Chrome crashing, freezing, not responding or just not working.
As frustrating as it can be, the good news is there are several fixes to resolving the problem. Before you switch to a different browser, here are some tried and tested solutions you can use to get Chrome back to a stable state.
Preliminary checks
Check the address bar for any typos in the URL
If the page takes too long to load, either your connection is slow or the page is busy.
If you’re using a VPN, a particular website may hinder the browser from connecting
If you’re getting the “Aw Snap!” message, a plugin could be causing Chrome to crash
Refresh the page if any connection was interrupted while loading
Try using an incognito window. If the site works while in incognito, clear your browsing data
Restart Chrome
This is one of the most basic things to do before you try to troubleshoot why Chrome is crashing. It just involves closing Chrome completely and then reopening it, then trying to reload the page again to see if the problem disappears. You can also reopen the tabs you hadn’t closed and see if they all load again.
Try a different browser
If you want to zero in on whether the issue is with your system or the browser itself, try using a different browser. If the page loads in a different browser, the issue is with Chrome. In this case, you can uninstall and reinstall Chrome as well as the extensions, which could be causing problems, and then add them back one at a time.
Restart your computer
A restart helps fix any software glitches that would cause the Google Chrome browser not to work or to crash. Sometimes apps and programs can stop pages from loading properly, so try to restart your computer and load the page or pages you had open on your browser again.
Close extensions, tabs and apps to free up memory
If your computer is low on memory, it may not be able to load sites and still run your apps, programs and extensions on your browser.
You can free up some memory by uninstalling unnecessary extensions, pausing downloads (file or app), quitting other programs or apps running in the background, and closing each tab that’s open except the one with the error message and try to reload the tab.
Having malicious extensions or many extensions can also slow down Chrome. Disable any extensions that may cause problems when using Chrome by going to “Chrome -> Menu -> More tools” and clicking Extensions.
Remove or disable whatever you don’t use and delete any that shouldn’t be there.
Run a virus or malware scan
Viruses or malware on your computer could cause several problems, including Chrome crashing or not working. You can run a malware or virus scan using your system’s security software to spot and remove any resident threats that would be affecting Chrome’s normal operations.
Check for any software conflicts
Sometimes Chrome can conflict with other software or with Chrome itself and cause it not to work or crash altogether. This can be anything from network-related software to malware and any others that interfere with the browser.
To know which software conflicts with Chrome, go to chrome://conflicts on your browser’s address bar, and press Enter. Alternatively, you can go to Google and check for the software that caused Chrome to crash or not work properly.
You’ll also find the steps you can use to resolve any conflicts Chrome has with conflicting software on your system, but at best, you probably want to update your software to the latest version and disable or uninstall the problematic software.
Check for Chrome update
Chrome may crash or refuse to work if the software isn’t updated to the newest version. A new version or update can help patch any software glitches that cause this problem.
To install a new version of update, go to “Chrome -> Menu -> Help” and click “About Google Chrome.”
Fix hardware acceleration issues
Hardware acceleration hands graphical tasks to a different component other than your computer’s CPU, usually the GPU, for Chrome to run better. However, it can sometimes cause Chrome to crash or stop working.
Disabling this feature helps resolve problems with how Chrome and your computer hardware work together. To disable it:
Click More (three vertical dots) at the top right side and select Settings.
Scroll down and click Advanced.
Click System.
Toggle the “Use hardware acceleration when available” to Off if it’s On and then restart the browser.
Fix Network and website issues
Chrome can also crash or stop working due to network or website issues. If the website doesn’t load properly, you can let the website owner know that you’re experiencing issues with it.
On the other hand, if you found that the page didn’t load when you tried a different browser, the issue could be your Internet connection or network. In this case, restart your modem or router.
Fix problematic apps stopping Chrome from working properly
To do this, open “Chrome -> More -> Settings” and click Advanced. Go to the “Reset and Clean Up” section and click Update or remove incompatible applications.
Note: if the option is available, it means there’s a problematic app. If not, there’s no problem app.
You can update the apps from the app store if there’s an available update or check the app developer’s site for more details. You can also remove each app from the list if you prefer.
Reset and reinstall Chrome
If trying a different profile didn’t help, you can reset Chrome by going to “Menu -> Settings -> Advanced” and clicking “Restore settings” to their original defaults.
This resets everything except your history, bookmarks, and saved passwords. If you want to remove Chrome completely, reinstall it by going to “Settings -> Apps -> Apps and Features.”
