How to fix ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED in Google Chrome (Mac OS)

Maybe restarting the device is all you need to do, in order to have this issue fixed. By restarting the device, you will restart all the apps and background processes, including the one which may have caused this issue in the first place.

Turn your device off, and turn it back on.

Browser extensions are meant to facilitate our user experience, while using Google Chrome, for work, or just for browsing privately. Maybe a browser extension you recently installed is the reason why you got the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error. Or, maybe a browser extension became outdated, and is not compatible with Google Chrome anymore. To test this, try disabling the extensions you recently installed, first, and if you were able to fix the error, remove the one that was causing it.

To disable web browser extensions, feel free to follow the steps below:

1. Click on the three-dot icon, select More tools and click on Extensions;
2. Click on the activate/deactivate toggle in the extension box.
   
   

   

To remove a web browser extension, then:

1. Click on the three-dot icon, select More tools and click on Extensions;
2. Click on the activate/deactivate toggle in the extension box;
3. Click on the Remove button.
   
   

   

You are able to connect to the Internet thanks to the router (in some cases through the modem). If the router isn't connected to the ISP (Internet Service Provider) correctly, or the connection is unstable, you won't be able to open websites, and errors can occur.

Restarting the router will help you fix this Google Chrome error and access the website you wanted to. To restart the router, unplug it from the power strip, and plug it back in after 2 minutes.

If the IP address is your online ID card, think of the DNS as your driver's license. You won't be able to drive a car without a valid, and not expired driver's license.

If you get the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error message on every website you visit, it is possible that the DNS is the issue. In this case, you need to "flush" the DNS, i.e. remove the bad DNS, and make way for valid and up-to-date, in order to fix this issue.

If you are not sure how to flush the DNS, feel free to consult the don't know how to flush the DNS guide.

Maybe the reason why you get this error message is the IP and DHCP configuration. If it really is the reason, to fix this error, you need to release and renew the configuration.

Follow the steps below, to release and renew the configuration:

1. Click on the apple button and select System Preferences;
2. Click on Network;
3. Select either Ethernet or Wi-Fi, depending on how you are connected to the Internet;
4. Click on Advanced and select TCP/IP;
5. Click on Renew DHCP Lease and then OK;
6. Restart your computer, if needed.

Maybe the antivirus software is the reason why you got this error message, as it might have considered the website a threat. Try to disable the antivirus, temporarily, and check if this error appears then. If the website opens, then check the antivirus settings, and reconfigure them (if you aren't sure how, you can check the help guides on the antivirus developer's website.

Note: If you get this message only when you try to access a particular website, ensure that the website is safe first, before you disable the antivirus.

Maybe an issue on the ISP's end (or the operator's end, if you rely on mobile data) is one of the causes for ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED issue. Maybe they were doing a scheduled maintenance in your area, or there is a recent malfunction for which they aren't aware yet, or they made DNS-related changes on their servers.

What you can do in this case is to let them know about this, and they will guide you on how to resolve it. If the issue was on their end, they will address it.

When you read a book, you use bookmarks so that you can continue where you left off. It's similar with all the programs installed in our computers. Web browsers, instead of reloading the website all over again, and removing your preferences (e.g. your login details, and ask you to log in all over again), they rely on cookies and cached data, where your interactions with the website, as well as website elements are stored. If one of those elements gets corrupt over time, as website owners tend to make changes on the website, cookies and cached data can become corrupt.

Maybe the browser's cookies and cache, are the reason for this error message. Try clearing them, which will remove all the old cookies and cached data, and replace them with fresh ones.

To learn how to clear the browser's cookies and cache, check out the how to clear the cache guide, and how to clear cookies guide.