How to fix ERR_TIMED_OUT error in Google Chrome

What is “ERR_TIMED_OUT” error

There has been quite a lot of users that keep facing this kind of error when trying to enter a website. After a long waited connection website fails to upload and shows the following message This site can’t be reached and ERR_TIMED_OUT. The reload or reboot of the browser is totally useless, otherwise, you would not be looking for this article.

How to fix “ERR_TIMED_OUT” error

This may be provoked by various kinds of issues starting with PC and browser hiccups and ending up with internet problems in an outside prism. In this article, our team has prepared a list of tools that you can apply to finally get rid of this problem and continue surfing calmly through the web.

How to fix “ERR_TIMED_OUT” error manually

1. Browse in Incognito Mode and delete plugins

Try to enable incognito mode to see whether the problem keeps popping up or not. If everything loads up perfectly in Incognito Mode, then the problem might be in plugins or browser extensions. Just try enabling extensions one by one concurrently checking if something changed. Once you found a plugin that blocks access to pages, remove it from your browser. There are also some plugins that may be installed right on your computer, so make sure you check them as well.

To enter Incognito Mode:

1. Open Chrome browser.
2. At the top right, click More (three vertical dots) and then New Incognito Window.
3. The Incognito window will appear. You can also use a keyboard shortcut to open an Incognito window:

   Windows, Linux, or Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Shift + n.
   Mac: Press ⌘ + Shift + n.

To manage extensions:

1. Open Chrome browser.
2. At the top right, click More (three vertical dots) and then More tools and then Extensions.
3. Turn off/on an extension by clicking on a blue toggle or delete it by clicking on the Remove.

2. Clear up browser data

This error can also be caused because of the junk accumulated in your browser throughout surfing. When you visit a page it leaves such pieces of data like cache, browsing history and other files like images and videos that can remain in Chrome and somehow disturb your browser’s activity. Try to clear up this data by following the steps below:

1. At the top right, click More (three vertical dots).
2. Click More tools and then Clear browsing data.
3. At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select All time.
4. Next to Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, check the boxes.
5. Click Clear data.

3. Reset Chrome settings to deafult

If the previous method did not work out, then you can try resetting your browser settings to default. This means that everything you have done in your browsers like cookies, passwords, settings, and other aspects will be rolled back to the clean sheet. This action will definitely ensure that you have not missed anything when implementing the previous step. Here is how to do this:

1. Open Chrome browser.
2. At the top right, click More and then Settings.
3. At the bottom, click Advanced.
4. For Chromebook, Linux, and Mac: under Reset Settings click Restore settings to their original defaults and then Reset Settings.
5. For Windows: under Reset and cleanup click Reset Settings and then Reset Settings.

4. Reinstall Chrome browser

Usually, 90% percent of problems are solved by installing a program once again. And Google Chrome is not an exception. Try to reinstall the Chrome browser on your computer to see if something changes. If not, go further below to learn other methods of rectifying this issue.

5. Delete default Chrome folder

As statistics show, this is one of the most effective ways to solve the “ERR_TIMED_OUT” issue. Generally, it does exactly the same function as the previous method, however in a slightly different way. Here are the steps to do so:

1. Press the Windows button + R combination.
2. Paste the following code in the bar %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ and click OK.
3. Now, you should close your chrome browser if it is opened.
4. You will see a new window. Find the folder named Default. Backup this folder anywhere else. Then delete it.
5. Then try to browse web pages after doing this and see what happens.
6. If this has not solved your problem yet, then do the next attached step below.

6. Disable Firewall and Security software

There is some antivirus software that can block off access to specific websites due to its preferences aimed to defend you. The firewall also can make a lot of sense. As Wikipedia says, “Firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls over all your incoming and outgoing network traffic based on advanced and a defined set of security rules” that can be in both antivirus software and initially integrated into Windows OS. Both of them can lead to this error. So, if you have any antivirus software, at first, try to disable the firewall or uninstall it at all. If this does not help, try to turn off the Windows Firewall by following these steps:

Windows 10, 8, 7 instruction:

1. Type and open Control Panel in the searching tab.
2. Then select System and Security.
3. Choose Windows Firewall.
4. Select Turn Windows Firewall on or off on the left side of the screen.
5. Select the bubble next to Turn off Windows Firewall (not recommended) and click OK to save the changes.
6. Did not help either? Let’s move on to the next options.

7. Change/Flush or reset DNS and internet settings

Sometimes, DNS changing or flushing can work out. Let’s try to change the automatic DNS server address to Google servers for the time being.

To change DNS:

1. Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections.
2. Double click on your connection name.
3. Click on Properties.
4. Double click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
5. Mark Use the following DNS server addresses.
6. Now, type DNS address as 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

8. Update Network Drivers

Drivers are very important for properly implementing any process on your computer. They stand for stability and system encouragement in favor of providing a better user experience. Ethernet or wireless drivers usually stand for connection purposes, so if there is anything wrong with them, you should try to update or roll them back manually or by using the driver utility. Here you can download best driver update utility – Driver Booster from IObit:

Driver Booster start screen

Driver Booster scan results

Driver Booster tools section

9. Try a different network

“ERR_TIMED_OUT” error can also be related straight to your internet connection. There can be restrictions on visiting certain websites implemented by country law or network providers. This means you should try entering a crushed website from other IP addresses. The best and easiest way to do this is by downloading VPN to your computer or via a browser extension. If you see that it works perfectly fine with VPN, Contact your ISP support team and let them know that you are facing this problem with their network. Before that, Also check your modem or router settings. If possible reset them and configure them again. Then see what happens. One of the best multi-device VPN services is NordVPN. Download it here:

10. Take a look into your “hosts” file

You can apply this method if you constantly face the problem on a specific page. Check whether it is listed out there and edit it by following the given information:

1. Go to Local Disk (usually C:\) -> Windows -> System32 -> Drivers -> etc.
2. Open the hosts file with notepad.
3. If you see the web address that you cannot visit, delete that entire line from the hosts file and save it.
4. Now open Chrome and see your problem has been solved.

11. Scan for malicious software

This one is quite rarely established, although, it cannot be overlooked in this article, especially if none of the above methods helped you. There is a category of malicious programs that can cause this kind of problem disrupting the internet-related protocols and settings. So try to scan your computer by any anti-virus software or remove the previously downloaded applications, if you know what could potentially induce the problem.

I hope that one of the methods gathered in this article has finally helped you resolve the “ERR_TIMED_OUT” problem. Otherwise, I do not see any other solution that could help you except contacting google support and asking for help in that direction.