Monday, December 9, 2019

Chrome Crashing or Not Working? Here Are Some Fixes

Chrome Crashing or Not Working? Here Are Some Fixes

Chrome Crashing Not Working Featured Image


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.
Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome Menu More Tools Extensions
Remove or disable whatever you don’t use and delete any that shouldn’t be there.

Run a virus or malware scan

Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome 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.”
Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome Menu Help About 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.
Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome Menu Settings
Scroll down and click Advanced.
Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome Menu Settings Advanced
Click System.
Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome Menu Settings Advanced System
Toggle the “Use hardware acceleration when available” to Off if it’s On and then restart the browser.
Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome Menu Settings System Use Hardware Acceleration

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.
Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome Menu Settings Advanced Reset Cleanup
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.
Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome Menu Settings Advanced Reset Cleanup Restore Settings 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.”
Chrome Crashing Not Working Chrome Settings Apps Apps Features
Find Google Chrome, click on it and select Uninstall. Download a fresh copy of the browser.

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