ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED in Chrome – How to Fix

This error pops up on Chrome browser when one opens a website like Google, Gmail, Facebook etc. because it denies access to these web pages.

It is one of the most common errors and probably the simplest one to solve all by yourself with a little-rendered help from maybe ‘US’.

If you are at the receiving end of this error, then there is no need to panic, just following the solutions mentioned in the article below and this error would permanently vanish from your Chrome browser easing out your browsing sessions.

The error generally looks like this:

Any reason out of below mentioned can cause the Chrome Browser to throw this error:

If the accessed website is down or not working.
Your internet is not properly connected.
Firewall is blocking the web page.
A proxy server is being used to access the website.

Following the below methods and steps should be able to resolve this error on your device.

Method-1: Clear Your Google Chrome Browser Cache

Old cache files on the Chrome Browser can block websites and become a hindrance in accessing them. To fix this issue, you must remove all caches on the browser. To do this, paste “chrome://settings/clearBrowserData” on Chrome browser’s address bar and press Enter.

Pick the two options shown in the image below and click on ‘Clear browsing data’ icon. This will clear all caches from the browser and help in solving this issue.

Method-2: Disable Your Firewall or Antivirus Software

Sometimes Chrome’s firewall or the antivirus software can block few websites if it finds them unsafe while accessing. This again can cause the ‘ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED’ error to pop up in the Chrome browser. You will have to at once disable the firewall to access these websites.

To disable the firewall browse to ‘Windows Firewall’ in Control Panel. Then click on ‘Turn Windows Firewall on or off’ to switch off the firewall. A few steps and you are sorted.

Method-3: Check Your Proxy Server Settings

Most proxy servers are active for a limited time. Post their hosting time they go offline. If the proxy set on your mobile or laptop has expired, then the Chrome browser won’t be able to access websites as it will be using the expired proxy all the time.

Hence, it is always good to leave the proxy setting to default. To do this browse to ‘Internet Options’ in Control Panel. Click on ‘Connections’ tab and then hit the ‘LAN settings’ icon. Make sure that the ‘Proxy server’ is not checked in the window that pops up after hitting the ‘LAN settings’ icon.

This will enable the device to connect to the available active proxy server provided by your internet operator.

Method-4: Changing the DNS Address

Sometimes, the DNS server can cause trouble while accessing websites. If your DNS server is changed by mistake, then you will have to correct it by entering the right DNS address as provided by your internet operator. To update the DNS address, follow the below steps:

Right click on the ‘Network’ icon and select ‘Open Network and Sharing Center’.
Click in ‘Change Adapter Settings’ icon and then right click on your network icon and select ‘Properties’.
Now select IPV4 and click on ‘Properties’.
Add the correct DNS address and click OK.

This would resolve any issue related to your DNS server and you should be able to access websites now with extreme ease.

Conclusion

Any of the above-jotted solutions is to solve your issue at once in all probabilities. If there is any other method that rectified this error for you that we might just have skipped to mention, please share the same in the comments section below.

We would like to add it to our blog and share it with the other end users facing this same error.

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Last Updated On: July 24th, 2018