Most of the users using chrome browser face this weird annoying problem when the browser takes too long to respond and throws error “ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT”. But using simple fix given in this article you can easily solve this problem.
Table of Contents
Fix 1 – LAN settings
1. Press Windows key + R together on your Keyboard.
2. Now, Write inetcpl.cpl in it and press OK.
3. Click on Connections Tab.
4. Now, Click on LAN settings.
5. Just make sure that all the three items inside the red circle as shown below are unchecked.
Fix 2 – Cryptographic Services
1. Press windows key + r together to open run.
2. Now, write services.msc and Click OK.
3. In Service manager window, Locate Cryptographic Services.
4. Right Click on Cryptographic Services and Choose Properties.
5. Click on Log On Tab.
6. Select Local system account, and Check Allow service to interact with desktop.
7. Click on Apply and Close the window.
8. Right Click on Cryptographic Services and Choose Restart.
Fix 3 – Clear Browser Cache in Chrome
1. Open Chrome
2. Press CTRL + H keys Together.
3. Click on Clear Browsing data.
4. Click on Advanced.
5. Select All time as Time range from the dropdown.
6. Select Passwords and auto fill form data also.
7. Click on Clear data.
Fix 4 – Disable IPv6
1. Press Windows key + R together and write ncpa.cpl in run and Click OK.
2. Now, right click on your Adapter with which you are connected to the internet and choose properties.
3. Now, Locate and Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)
4. Click OK and close the window.
5. Restart your PC.
Fix 5 – Using Command Prompt
1. Search cmd in windows 10 taskbar search.
2. Now, right click on command prompt icon and run as administrator.
3. Now, run the commands given below and execute them one by one by hitting enter key.
ipconfig /flushdns ipconfig /registerdns ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew netsh winsock reset
Now, Close the command prompt window and restart your computer and check if your problem get solved or not.
Fix 6: Modify the Windows Hosts File
Step 1: Open Notepad, click on the File tab on the upper left and select Open.
Step 2: In the File Explorer window that opens, select the This PC shortcut on the left.
Now, copy and paste the below path in the address bar and hit Enter to reach the drivers folder:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers
In the drivers folder, open the etc folder and it should appear empty.
Step 3: Now, select All Files from the drop-down on the bottom right of the window and you will now see all the files that were hidden till now.
Double-click on the hosts file to open it in the Notepad app.
Step 4: Now, scroll down to the bottom of the Notepad and check if there are any website or IP addresses listed after the # 127.0.0.1 localhost and # ::1 localhost files.
If you see any website address or IP address listed, delete them.
Step 5: Now, press Ctrl + S shortcut keys to save the changes and exit.
Reboot your PC, open Chrome and try browsing the web to check if the error is gone.
Fix 7 : Flush /Renew DNS and IP Address
Step 1: Press the Win + R keys together on your keyboard to open the Run command window.
Step 2: Type cmd in the Run command search field and press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys together to open Command Prompt in admin mode.
Step 3: In the Command Prompt (admin mode), run the below commands one after another and hit Enter after each command:
ipconfig /flushdns ipconfig /registerdns ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew netsh winsock reset
Once done, exit Command Prompt and restart your PC. Open Chrome and browse the web. You should not see the “ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT” error anymore.
Fix 8: Change Cryptographic Services Settings
Step 1: Press the Win + X hotkey on your keyboard and select Run.
Step 2: In the Run command window that opens, write services.msc and hit Enter to open the Services window.
Step 3: In the Services window, go to the right side of the window and under the Name column, look for Cryptographic Services.
Right-click on it and select Properties.
Step 4: In the Properties window, select the Log On tab and under the Log on as section, select Local System account.
Also, check the box next to Allow service to interact with desktop.
Press Apply and then OK to save the changes and exit.
Step 5: Once you return to the Services window, right-click on Cryptographic Services again and select Restart.
Once done, open your Chrome browser and open a website to check if the error still shows up.
Fix 9 : Disable Firewall and Website Filtering
If you are using a 3rd party antivirus, it’s recommended to disable the web filtering/site filtering/url filtering option in its settings. Alternatively, you can turn of the Windows Defender Firewall on your Windows 10 PC.
Step 1: Right-click on Start and select Run. This will open the Run command window.
Step 2: In the Run command search box, write firewall.cpl and hit Enter to open the Windows defender Firewall window in the Control Panel:
Step 3: In the Windows Defender Firewall window, click on the Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off on the left side of the pane.
Step 4: Next, go to the Private network settings section and select the box next to Turn Off Windows Defender firewall (not recommended).
Now, go to the Public Network Settings sections and select the box next to Turn Off Windows Defender firewall (not recommended).
Press OK to save changes and exit.
Now, try browsing the web in your Chrome browser and the problem should be resolved. h
Fix 10 : Change your DNS Settings
Step 1: Press the Win + R keys together on your keyboard to open the Run command box.
Step 2: In the Run command window, type ncpa.cpl in the search field and press OK to open the Network Connections window.
Step 3: In the Network Connections window, right-click on the active internet connection and select Properties.
Step 4: In the WiFi Properties window, under the Networking tab, go to the This connection uses the following items section.
Here, select the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
Now, click on the Properties button below.
Step 5: In the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window, select Use the following DNS server addresses.
Now, enter the below values in the respective fields:
Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8 Alternative DNS Server: 8.8.4.4
Step 6: Press OK to save the changes and return to the WiFi Properties window.
Here, press OK again to save the changes and exit.
Now, open your Chrome browser and check if the “ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT” issue is resolved.
Fix 11: Delete your Default folder
Step 1: Press the Win + E shortcut key on your keyboard to open the File Explorer window.
Step 2: Copy and paste the below path in the File Explorer address bar and hit Enter:
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\
This will take you to the User Data folder Here, select the Default folder and hit Delete.
Now, restart your PC, launch Google Chrome and the error should be fixed now.
Fix 12 : Update Network Drivers
Step 1: Right-click on Start and select Device Manager from the right-click menu.
Step 2: In the Device Manager window, expand the Network Adapters section, right-click on the network driver and select Update driver.
Step 3: In the Update Drivers window, click on Search automatically for drivers.
Step 4: Now, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update process.
Restart your PC, open Chrome and try browsing web to check if the “ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT” issue is resolved.
Fix 13: Download and Install Visual C++
For some users, the MSVCP140.dil and VCRUNTIME.dil files can be missing resulting in the “ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT” error. In such a case, you would need to download and install the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015.
Step 1: Visit the below website (on any other browser) to download both the x64 and x86 versions of Visual C++:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=48145
In the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015 window, click on the Download button.
Step 2: Next, select both the x64 and x86 versions and press the Next button below.
Step 3: Click on the setup files one by one and complete the setup based on the on-screen instructions.
However, if the files are already installed, you will get a prompt to uninstall the previous file and then once it’s done, you can proceed with the installation of the fresh Visual C++ file.
*Note – If you do not see the prompt to uninstall the file, you can go to Run command > appwiz.cpl > Programs and Features > Uninstall or change a program > Right-click on the Microsoft Visual C++ programs one by one > Uninstall.
Fix 14: Reset Chrome Settings
Step 1: Open Chrome, click on Customize and control Google Chrome (three dots) on the upper right side and select Settings.
Step 2: In the Settings window, scroll down and select Advanced.
Step 3: Now, go to the Reset and clean up section and click on Restore settings to their original defaults.
Step 4: In the Reset settings pop up, click on the Reset settings button below to confirm the action.
Now, relaunch Chrome and try opening a website to check if the error persists.
Fix 15: Using System Restore
Step 1: Right-click on Start button and click on Run in the menu.
Step 2: This will open the Run command window. Here, type rstrui and hit Enter to open the System Restore window.
Step 3: Select the Recommended restore option (if it shows in the window) and click Next to follow the further instructions to complete the system restore process.
Step 4: Alternatively, you can also select Choose a different restore point and click on Next.
Step 5: In the next window, select the restore point and click on Next.
Now, wait for the system restore process to complete. It takes a while so wait patiently. Once over, your system will be back to its previous state. You can now open Chrome and access the web without any error showing up.
However, if none of the above method works, you may try the chrome cleanup tool and see if the issue gets resolved. You can also turn off any 3rd party antivirus software on your system to check if it was blocking a website and hence, you see the error. Alternatively, you can contact the Internet Service Provider (ISP) for limited internet access. But, if even these methods don’t work, try using another browser or a different OS platform like, Windows/Mac/Android/iOS.
Saurav is associated with IT industry and computers for more than a decade and is writing on The Geek Page on topics revolving on windows 10 and softwares.