Top 7 Ways to Fix Google Chrome Not Responding Error

Google Chrome is my preferred web browser on mobile and desktop. The browser perfectly syncs tabs from different devices and offers several chrome extensions. However, the Chrome experience is not without its problems. The browser is notorious for consuming an excessive amount of RAM. Another common problem with Chrome is that it sometimes stops responding on Windows.

Also, users cannot switch to any Chrome alternative because they have browsing history, extensions, bookmarks, and passwords saved in the Chrome browser. The transition is not as smooth as it seems.

Instead, you can follow this guide and fix the Google Chrome not responding error. Check the step-by-step instructions below and troubleshoot Chrome on Windows.

1. Make Sure You Are Connected To The Internet

First, check if your device is connected to a stable internet connection.

After confirming this, open the Settings app in Windows 10 (use the keyboard shortcut Windows + I). Go to Network & Internet > Status and make sure it says ‘You are connected to the Internet’.

If that’s the case, you’ll also want to test the internet connection with a different browser to make sure the problem is centered on Chrome only. Open Microsoft Edge or Firefox and try to open a few sites.

If you can’t connect to the web using other browsers, you know that there is still a problem with your internet connection and not Chrome. On the other hand, if the other browser is connecting properly, the problem is only with Chrome and you can continue with our troubleshooting guide.

2. Clear Cache and Cookies from Google

A corrupt cache can ruin your day. Clearing the cache is almost always safe, so there’s no reason not to try it.

If your Google Chrome has overloaded browsing data, this can cause the browser to slow down or become unresponsive.

So, when Google Chrome is unresponsive on Windows 10, you can clear your browser’s browsing history, cache, and cookies.

Stage 1: Open Google Chrome, tap the three-dot menu at the top.

Step 2: Go to More tools > Clear browsing data.

Stage 3: Go to Advanced from the menu below and select the Cache and Cookies files to delete.

Then restart the Google Chrome browser and check if the unresponsive Google Chrome issues are fixed.

3. Close Chrome Properly

Chrome sometimes stops responding because tabs you close over time never actually close the process. These Chrome processes add and consume a lot of RAM. The behavior eventually causes Chrome to crash, freeze, or not open at all.

To turn off Chrome completely on Windows 10, follow the steps below.

Stage 1: Press the Windows key and open the start menu.

Step 2: Type Task Manager and press enter to open the program.

Stage 3: Right-click the top-level Google Chrome process (with a number next to it) and select End Task.

This closes all running Chrome processes, frees up RAM, and allows you to restart Chrome. You should also keep an eye on other processes running in the background. Turn off irrelevant ones and this will free up more RAM space on your Windows 10 device.

4. Disable Chrome Extensions

Extensions play a vital role in the Chrome ecosystem. Using extensions, more features can be added to the core Chrome interface and functionality. However, some may not be actively maintained, be out of date, or develop incompatibilities with new Chrome builds.

If you have dozens of Chrome extensions installed, it can be difficult to figure out which of them is causing the issue.

Therefore, the easiest solution is to disable all extensions and then enable only the ones you need each time.

Stage 1: Open Google Chrome, tap the three-dot menu at the top.

Step 2: Go to More tools > Extensions.

Stage 3: It will open the extension menu. Tap on the Uninstall button and uninstall the Chrome extensions.

5. Reset All Chrome Settings

It can be helpful especially if you are enabling beta features as changing the wrong settings can eventually cause issues with Chrome.

You can fix all of this by resetting Chrome.

Stage 1: Launch Chrome and open Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down and click Advanced to open all settings.

Stage 3: Scroll down to the Reset and clean section and click Restore settings to their original defaults.

This will open a window with a warning that all Chrome settings will be reset. Simply select Reset settings to continue.

Note that this will disable all your extensions, clear temporary data and delete all cookies. But it does not affect bookmarks, history and saved passwords.

6. Use the Chrome Malware Scanner

If none of the above tricks worked, you might have malware blocking Chrome on your system. The good news is that Google has integrated an anti-malware scanner that will scan your computer and find any problems.

Stage 1: Open Chrome and go to Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down and click Advanced to open all settings.

Stage 3: Scroll down to the Reset and clean section and click on Clean computer.

This will open a window where you can start the Chrome malware scan. Simply select the Find button to start the scan.

7. Reinstall Chrome

Reinstalling Chrome is the full way to reset Chrome. You should uninstall Chrome from the add or remove programs menu.

Once the uninstall is finished, open the Chrome installer you downloaded. After a complete reinstall of Chrome, it should work normally again.

Start Using Google Chrome Again

You can easily fix Chrome not responding error on Windows 10 using the tricks mentioned above. While you’re at it, let us know the trick that worked for you in the comments section below.

Next: Looking to take your Google Chrome experience to the next level? Read the post below to learn the 21 best Google Chrome keyboard shortcuts.