How to fix ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED in Google Chrome (Windows)

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.

The IP address is your computer's ID card, to be able to connect to the Internet. Maybe the reason why you get this error message is the IP and DHCP configuration (click here for more information). If the configuration is the reason, releasing and renewing the configuration will do the trick.

To release and renew the IP and DHCP configuration, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the start menu and type command prompt or cmd;
2. Once the command prompt opens, type the following commands and press enter after entering each one:
   
   ipconfig /release
   ipconfig /renew
   
   
3. Close the command prompt window.
   
   

Feel free to watch the video below, if you don't feel confident enough to use the command prompt:

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 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.

Maybe incorrect LAN settings are the reason why you get the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error. In order for your device to be connected to the Internet, and Google Chrome to load the websites, the LAN settings need to be configured correctly. Also, if you use a proxy server, you may want to disable it, as proxies are not constant, and tend to be shut down, or replaced frequently.

To check the current LAN settings, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the start menu and type Internet Options;
2. Click on the Connections tab and then on LAN settings;
   
   
   
3. Make sure that the options inside are unchecked, especially the Use a proxy server for your LAN option.