Even though the Google Chrome browser is regarded as one of the most dependable, issues such as slowdowns, crashes, and freezes sometimes occur. We will discuss potential reasons and solutions in this content. Google Chrome does not work – reasons and solutions
Why doesn’t Google Chrome browser work?
There are various primary causes for the browser to become unstable or to cease working altogether:
- The antivirus blocks some files;
- viruses have entered the device;
- cache is full;
- you need to check your firewall settings;
- Too many tabs open or too many extensions active;
- too many programs are running at the same time, memory is very full;
- The program shortcut is damaged.
If you have no suspicions about what the problem is, for convenience it is better to check the options one by one.
Unblock antivirus
The browser may be blocked by the device’s antivirus software if it believes it to be a harmful application. These instances are known to have various “defenders.” As an illustration, consider Avast, Dr. Web, or Kaspersky.
It is advised that the browser add an executable file and a shortcut to the exceptions list in case the antivirus program has sent out a blocking signal. The settings menu is where you may do this.
Clean from viruses
It’s important to take care of this first because it’s frequently the source of issues. The overall sequence of events is appropriate for various antivirus software. You must download and install the antivirus software from the official or unaffiliated website if it isn’t already installed on the device.
- After launch, find the “Selecting scan objects” section.
- Select “My Computer” to check and start scanning.
- Depending on the number of files, the scan can last up to one and a half hours.
- All detected threats must be removed by clicking the “Clean/Remove” button.
Numerous antivirus programs have two scan modes that alter the scan time: rapid and complete. You should select a full scan for optimal results.
You must restart your computer after the scan is finished before attempting to open the browser once more.
Clear cache
All of the temporary files that the browser keeps to make it quicker to redownload them later are collected in a cache. On the other hand, issues with the browser’s startup and tab launching may arise if there are an excessive number of them.
There’s likely a cache issue if Chrome launches slowly and the data on open websites is not updated. Everything is solvable with a few easy steps:
- By clicking on the three dots to the right of the address bar, enter the settings menu.
- In the pop-up menu, select “Delete browsing data.
- ”In both tabs (“Basic settings” and “Advanced”), check the boxes next to the items with cached data and browsing history. Marking cookies and other data for deletion is not dangerous only if all important logins and passwords are saved. After all, after deleting cookies, all profiles will be logged out.
- Select the deletion period from the drop-down list: it can be one hour, a day or longer. Selecting “All time” will delete data for the entire time you used the browser since the last time you cleared the cache.
- Having made sure that everything is correctly marked, all that remains is to confirm the action by clicking “Delete data”. Also, if necessary, the action can be canceled before deletion begins.
Clearing the cache helps stabilize your browser in most cases.
Check your firewall settings
Errors in Windows’ firewall settings are another frequent cause of Google Chrome not opening. As such, you also shouldn’t rule out this alternative. Double-checking the settings is necessary, and here’s how you may do that:
- Click on “Start” and select “Settings” or press the “Win + I” combination.
- Select the “Update and Security” section.
- In the “Windows Security” tab, find “Firewall and network protection.”
- Open Windows Security settings.
- There you need to check the status of the firewall. A running and properly functioning option effectively protects the OS from various malicious files. However, sometimes it can interfere with the correct operation of browsers.
You can add Chrome to the exceptions list to find out if the issue is related to the firewall. Just choose a browser from the list in the same section to accomplish this.
Check tabs and extensions
An excessive number of tabs open in the browser at once may cause issues with its stability. Closing all tabs is required, or at the very least, leaving only the ones you really cannot live without right now.
This might also be true for installed extensions. You may find and install these particular browser apps in the Google online store. They are focused on various actions and are required to successfully increase the browser’s capability. This situation is identical to that of tabs. You can delete rarely used extensions completely and disable the majority of the current ones if your browser is running slowly, freezing, or performing poorly overall. This will lighten the load and facilitate Chrome’s operation. To quickly access their list, simply click the puzzle icon that is located next to the address bar.
Free your computer from unnecessary things
An increased CPU load may be the cause of browser freezing or startup issues if your computer is running a lot of apps at once. Chrome’s performance is also impacted by resource-intensive apps, which typically hog a lot of RAM.
To fix the problem, you need to close all open programs. For convenience you need:
- Open the Task Manager (by pressing the combination Ctrl+Alt+Del).
- See which applications are consuming the most resources.
- Close everything at once or do it one by one, starting with the heaviest ones.
Try starting the browser again.
Update shortcut
If using the shortcut to launch Google Chrome does not work, there is probably an issue with it. particularly if clicking results in a notice saying that the file cannot be located.
Necessary:
- Follow the path where the browser is installed. By default, this is the Program Files (x86) folder on drive C. If the x64 version of the OS is installed, then the (x86) designation will not appear.
- Open the “Google” folder, then “Chrome”.
- Go to “Application” and find the installation file chrome.exe there.
- Right-click and then select Create Shortcut.
- You must first remove the icon that did not launch. Also, if you have problems deleting files, you will have to reinstall the browser.
All these instructions can be used for Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 versions. (Google Chrome does not work – reasons and solutions)
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