The web browser provides the interface connecting the user with the internet. Google Chrome is one of the commonly used web browsers as it is user-friendly and is a package of all the web tools required. Along with the speed, efficiency, and accuracy of Chrome browser sometimes issues or glitches like the crashing of the web browser occur, and an error message is displayed as “ Google Chrome not responding”.
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Usually, when Chrome freezes or stops working you would simply shift to a new web browser, whereas it is not necessary to do so always as this issue can be easily resolved in a few simple steps!
It is really frustrating of the web browser keeps freezing or crashing, so, in this article, we are going to focus on the reasons behind Google Chrome not responding suddenly and the solutions to rectify and prevent it in the future.
Why does Google Chrome keep freezing?
The web browser similar to any other software or interfaces can perform face trouble in smooth running in situations where a large number of tasks are assigned at a time hence making it slow or completely frozen.
Some of the reasons that might have caused your Google Chrome unresponsive are:
- Usage of several or multiple tabs simultaneously.
- Running the browser on a low powered device.
- The trouble is caused by a faulty extension or a web page.
- Any other issue that causes the problem in the memory management of the browser and device.
You are most likely to face the Chrome freezing error when you work on a large number of tabs. So try to use fewer tabs and the following techniques would solve any other issue that might be causing it.
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Fix the Google Chrome not responding issue
Before beginning with the troubleshooting of Google Chrome do ensure that you have good internet connectivity. Try the following techniques to fix the Chrome browser in Windows or other operating systems on your PC or laptop.
Updating to the latest version
- To check and update to the latest version, open the Chrome browser and click on the three dots at the top corner to access the Settings menu.
- Click on the ‘Help’ option.
- Choose ‘About Google Chrome’ to get all details along with the updates if any. Google Chrome will automatically find and update your browser if required.
Clearing the Cache in Chrome
Google Chrome stores certain files and uses cookies for the ease of accessing the webpage, faster loading, and keeping them signed in.
These files might the reason behind slowing down your Chrome either due to overloading on the memory or due to the presence of faulty cache files. Hence, clearing the cache is a good solution to prevent the freezing of Chrome. Follow these steps to do the same:
- Click on the three dots at the top corner of your Chrome browser and from the list choose the ‘Settings’ option.
- Click on the ‘Site Settings’ option under Privacy and Security.
- Search for the ‘Cookies and Data’ settings from the list and click on the ‘See all cookies and data’ option.
- Now the list of individual websites that store and use cookies would be displayed.
- You can either use the ‘Remove All’ option to delete all the cookies or delete them individually by clicking on the trash-can shaped symbol across every website name.
- The unwanted cache and cookies of Chrome can be deleted manually by this method. To automatically delete them each time after you close the browser, choose and enable the ‘Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome’ option.
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Make sure that you delete the cookies of the least frequently used websites as deleting them would delete all the information such as login credentials, last visited link, etc. related to the website.
Resetting Chrome settings to default
You can try resetting the Chrome settings as it might remove any unwanted extensions or issues caused by updates that weren’t in the default one. You need not worry as this will not affect your bookmarks, credentials, or passwords saved in Chrome.
Follow these steps to reset Google Chrome:
- Click on the three dots at the top corner of your Chrome browser and from the list choose the ‘Settings’ option.
- Click on the ‘Advanced’ settings option from the list.
- Click on the ‘Reset settings’ option under Reset and Cleanup.
- Confirm the command by clicking on ‘Reset Settings’ again.
In the case of the operating systems other than Windows, follow these steps:
- Click on the three dots at the top corner of your Chrome browser and from the list choose the ‘Settings’ option.
- Click on the ‘Advanced’ settings option from the list.
- Click on the ‘Restore settings to their original defaults’ option under Reset Settings.
- Click on Reset Settings.
You would find the following changes on your Google Chrome browser after its reset:
- Google is set as your default search engine.
- All the pinned tabs, homepage, content settings, cookies and data settings, etc are set to default mode.
Note: If you cannot find your Settings menu in Chrome then try to uninstall it and then re-install it once again. Click here to download the Google Chrome browser.
Firewall Settings
The Chrome browser is usually set under the Windows firewall exception list but if it isn’t it might be causing issues with some webpages that are restricted by it.
To set Chrome in the firewall exception list follow these steps:
- Go to the Start menu and search for the Windows Defender Firewall option in the Control panel.
- Choose the ‘Allow an app through the Windows Firewall’ option from the left side panel.
- Click the ‘Change Settings’ option.
- Select Google Chrome from the ‘Allow another app’ option.
- Click on ‘Add’ and then on the ‘OK’ option.
This should solve any issue related to Google Chrome not responding due to the firewall in your device. Also, check if there are any restrictions made by any third party anti-virus software if you use any.
In this article, we have covered the reasons and solutions to fix your Chrome browser that keeps on freezing or displays an error of not responding.
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