How to Fix ERR_CONNECTION_RESET in Chrome

By ErrorFix · Updated October 17, 2026 · 7 min read

What ERR_CONNECTION_RESET means

ERR_CONNECTION_RESET means your browser started talking to the website but the connection was cut off before the page could load. Think of it like a phone call that gets disconnected mid-sentence: the call connected, something answered, and then the line went dead. That "something" is usually in the middle of the route — your router, your VPN or proxy, your firewall or antivirus, or the website's own server giving up on you.

The most common triggers are an unstable network dropping packets (a weak Wi-Fi signal or a flaky router is the classic case), a VPN whose server is overloaded or blocked, a security tool that considers the connection suspicious and kills it, or the site's firewall resetting connections from your IP. Because the error comes from the connection being cut rather than never made, the fix is a process of elimination: test your network, then remove each middle layer — VPN, proxy, extensions, firewall rules — until pages load normally again.

Common causes

• Unstable internet connection: a weak Wi-Fi signal, a flaky router, or ISP packet loss drops connections mid-load — the single most common cause.
• VPN or proxy interference: an overloaded VPN server or a stale proxy setting cuts the connection between you and the site.
• Firewall or antivirus web shield: your security software can terminate connections it flags as suspicious, especially on unfamiliar sites.
• Corrupted browser cache or cookies: a damaged cached copy of the page can break the connection when Chrome tries to reuse it.
• The site's server or firewall dropping you: rate limits, security rules, or a crashing server on the site's end can reset your connection on purpose.

How to fix ERR_CONNECTION_RESET — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Most cases are fixed by step 1, 2, or 5.

1. Restart your router and check your connection. The connection reset often starts at your own network. First, test whether other websites load — if nothing loads, the problem is your connection, not the site. Unplug your router and modem from power, wait a full 30 seconds, plug them back in, and wait until the lights are steady. Then try the site again. If you are on Wi-Fi, move closer to the router or switch to a wired connection temporarily, because a weak or dropping signal is one of the most common causes of this error.
2. Disconnect your VPN and clear your proxy settings. VPNs and proxies sit between you and every website, so they are prime suspects when connections get cut. Disconnect your VPN completely and reload the page. Then clear any stale proxy: on Windows, open Settings, go to Network and internet, then Proxy, and turn off Use a proxy server under Manual proxy setup. On a Mac, open System Settings, go to Network, select your Wi-Fi, click Details, then Proxies, and uncheck everything. Retest before doing anything else.
3. Clear Chrome's cache and cookies, then test in incognito. A corrupted cached copy of the page can trigger a reset when Chrome tries to reuse it. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows (Cmd + Shift + Delete on a Mac), set the time range to All time, check Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data, and click Clear data. Then open an Incognito window with Ctrl + Shift + N and load the site there. Incognito uses no cache and no extensions, so if the site works there, the problem is cached data or an extension.
4. Disable extensions and reset Chrome's settings. Extensions that touch the network — ad blockers, VPN extensions, download managers, security toolbars — can cut connections mid-load. Type chrome://extensions in the address bar and toggle every extension off, then reload the site. If it works, re-enable them one at a time to find the culprit. As a deeper reset, go to Settings, then Reset settings, then Restore settings to their original defaults. This clears extensions' configurations without deleting your bookmarks or saved passwords.
5. Flush DNS and reset the TCP/IP stack. Broken DNS records and corrupted network settings can drop connections as they are established. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run ipconfig /flushdns, then netsh winsock reset, then netsh int ip reset, and restart your computer. On a Mac, open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache followed by sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. If the error continues, switch to a public DNS: on Windows go to Settings, Network and internet, Wi-Fi or Ethernet, edit the DNS server assignment, and enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
6. Check your firewall, antivirus, and the site itself. A firewall or antivirus web shield can terminate connections it considers suspicious. On Windows, open Windows Security, then Firewall and network protection, then Allow an app through firewall, and confirm Google Chrome is checked for both Private and Public networks. Try pausing your antivirus web shield briefly as a test and re-enable it immediately afterward. If everything else loads but one site keeps resetting, that site's server or firewall is likely dropping you — check DownDetector, and if the site is up for everyone else, contact the site owner or wait and retry later.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• Pages load without the reset error
• Other websites work, so the connection is fine
• The site loads with the VPN disconnected
• The error is gone in an incognito window

If the error is gone in incognito but still appears in a normal window, an extension or corrupted browsing data is still the cause — keep extensions disabled and clear browsing data one more time with All time selected. If resets happen only on your home Wi-Fi but nowhere else, check your router's admin page for parental controls or "attack protection" features that may be killing connections, or ask your ISP whether they throttle or block the site. And if one specific site keeps resetting your connection after every step here while it is up for everyone else, the site's firewall is almost certainly dropping your IP — contact the owner with your IP address, or try again after a day.