Top 8 Fixes for Chrome Not Opening on Windows 10

What if your favorite browser stops working on the computer and you can’t open it? The same thing is happening with many Chrome users on Windows 10 computers. That is, clicking the Chrome icon will not open for them. Are you facing the same issue? Check out 8 fixes for Chrome not opening on Windows 10 issue.

Solutions range from reinstalling and renaming Chrome to changing Chrome’s compatibility settings. Sometimes even Windows 10 is responsible for the problem and thus the last two fixes focus on it.

Let’s check all the solutions in detail.

1. Restart the Computer

Don’t worry if Chrome isn’t opening on your computer for the first time. Just restart your PC. Hopefully, Chrome will open after restarting your computer.

2. Set the Correct Date and Time

Take a look at your computer’s date and time. Does your computer display the correct date and time? If you notice that the date or time is incorrect, you should correct it immediately.

Fly: Date and time missing from Taskbar? Learn how to show the missing date and time on your Windows 10 PC.

To do this, right-click on the clock in the taskbar and select Set date/time.

Enable the toggles next to Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically. Also, click Sync now.

3. Reinstall Chrome

Next, you should uninstall Chrome from your computer and reinstall it. To uninstall Chrome, open Settings > Apps. Click on Google Chrome and hit the Uninstall button. After uninstalling, restart the computer and then reinstall Chrome from the official website.

If Chrome is still not working, uninstall it again. Then open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\; where username is your own username. Inside the local folder, right click on the Google folder and delete it. Restart the computer and then install Chrome.

Note: If you don’t see any of the folders mentioned above, click the View tab in the explorer top bar and check the box next to Hidden items.

Fly: Learn how to check and update the Chrome browser.

4. Rename the Chrome Icon

This fix may sound strange, but it has helped many Windows 10 users when their Chrome browser is not opening. Here are the steps:

Stage 1: Open the Windows Explorer window. Use the Windows key + E keyboard shortcut to open the window.

Step 2: go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application.

Stage 3: Inside the application folder you will find the Chrome.exe icon. Right click on it and select Rename. Type a new name. Anything can happen. Let’s say Chrome2. Press Enter to save.

Fly: If you find the ‘New Chrome’ icon inside the application folder, click on it. Chrome should open. Create its shortcut on the desktop for faster access.

Note: If you can’t find any Chrome icons, search for Chrome from Windows search. Right-click the icon and select Open file location. You will reach the Chrome directory where you will find the Chrome.exe file.

Step 4: Right-click the new Chrome2 icon in the same folder and select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).

Step 5: Now go to your desktop and you will have the new Chrome2 shortcut. Delete the old shortcut if it exists. Right-click the new Chrome2 shortcut and select Rename. Change the name to Chrome and save.

Step 6: Restart the PC. Then double-click the Chrome icon to open it. Hopefully, Chrome should open without any issues.

Fly: Open Task Manager and end tasks for Google Crash Handler and Google Crash Handler (32-bit) before restarting your computer.

If Chrome is working properly now, you may also want to change the Chrome icon in the taskbar. In case the Chrome icon is added to the Taskbar, right-click on it and choose Pin from Taskbar. Then drag the new Chrome icon to the taskbar to pin it.

5. Change Compatibility Settings

In this fix, you need to change a few compatibility settings for Chrome. Here’s how to do it.

Stage 1: Right-click on Chrome’s icon and select Properties.

Step 2: Click the Compatibility tab in the Properties window. Click on Change settings for all users.

Stage 3: Click Run compatibility troubleshooter. See if you can run Chrome properly.

Step 4: If the problem persists, select Windows 8 under Run this program in compatibility mode. Press OK. Then try again.

Step 5: If steps 3 and 4 didn’t work, check the boxes next to Disable fullscreen optimization and Save to restart this program.

6. Disable Auto-Hide Taskbar

Many Windows 10 users have stated that enabling the Auto-Hide taskbar setting prevents Chrome from opening normally. Disabling this setting fixed the problem for them. To do this, go to Windows 10 Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Turn off the switch next to Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode.

7. Run Network Commands

You also need to manually reset the TCP/IP stack and DNS on your Windows 10 computer. Here’s how to do it.

Stage 1: Type Command Prompt in your Windows 10 search. Right click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Select Yes when prompted.

Step 2: In the Command Prompt window, type netsh int ip reset C:\RESETLOG.TXT and press Enter. Wait until the command is executed.

Stage 3: Then type netsh winsock reset and press Enter. Wait again.

Step 4: Medicine ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.

Step 5: Medicine exit and press Enter.

Step 6: Restart the computer.

After rebooting, hopefully, Chrome will work normally.

8. Reset Network Settings

You should also try resetting Windows 10 network settings. For this, go to Settings > Network & internet. Under Status, you will find Network reset. Click on it. Confirm when prompted. Learn in detail what happens when you reset network settings in Windows 10.

No Change Required

A browser is our gateway to the world wide web, and if it stops working, all hell will break loose. Of course we can use another browser like Edge instead of Chrome, but once you get used to something it’s not a good idea to change it. We hope we helped you fix the Chrome not opening issue on your Windows 10 PC.

Next: Tabs are the building blocks of a browser. Check out 21 helpful tips for managing Google Chrome tabs at the next link.