Fix STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH in Chrome and Edge

When Chrome or Edge crashes with the error STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH, the usual cause is security software injecting an unsigned DLL into the browser, which Chromium’s code-integrity protection then blocks. The right fix is to update that antivirus so it ships a properly signed component — not to disable protection.

Why it happens#

Chromium browsers (Chrome 78 and later, and Edge) refuse to load an unsigned or improperly signed DLL into the renderer process as a security measure. Some antivirus and endpoint tools inject their own DLL to inspect pages; if that DLL is not Microsoft-signed, the browser kills the process and shows STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH. So the block is the browser protecting itself, and the fault is the third-party module.

Fix	Note
Update your antivirus	Ships a signed DLL — the real fix
Whitelist the browser in the AV	Stops the injection into Chrome/Edge
Disable renderer code integrity	Last resort; lowers security

Update or whitelist the antivirus#

First, update your security software to its latest version — vendors fixed this by shipping a correctly signed DLL, so an update usually ends the crashes on its own. If an update is not available, add the browser to the antivirus’s exclusion or “do not inject” list so it stops loading its module into Chrome or Edge, which keeps the antivirus running everywhere else. If you are unsure whether you even need a third-party suite over Microsoft Defender, do you need antivirus weighs it.

Only as a last resort#

If you cannot update or whitelist and must use the browser now, you can disable the renderer code-integrity check with the Windows registry value RendererCodeIntegrityEnabled set to 0 — but this removes a real protection, so treat it as temporary and undo it once the antivirus is fixed. For crashes that are not this specific error, Chrome that keeps crashing and Microsoft Edge not working cover the general cases.

Common questions#

What does STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH mean?#

The browser blocked a DLL because its signature did not check out. Chromium refuses to load unsigned code into the renderer, so when security software injects an unsigned module, the page crashes with this error.

How do I know which program is causing it?#

It is almost always your antivirus or an endpoint-security agent. Updating or briefly pausing that software and seeing whether the crashes stop confirms it; the browser’s own extensions rarely cause this specific error.

Is it safe to set RendererCodeIntegrityEnabled to 0?#

Only as a short-term workaround. It disables a protection that stops malicious code being injected into the browser, so update or whitelist the antivirus instead and remove the registry value afterward.

Does reinstalling Chrome fix it?#

Usually not, because the injected DLL comes from another program. Updating or whitelisting the antivirus addresses the real cause; reinstalling the browser alone leaves the bad module in place.