How to Fix ERR_CONNECTION_RESET in Chrome on Windows

ERR_CONNECTION_RESET means Chrome opened a connection to the site, then had it cut off before the page finished loading. The fix is to work from the browser outward: clear the cache, flush DNS and reset the network stack, then rule out anything that intercepts traffic, such as a VPN, a proxy, or antivirus that scans HTTPS. Start at the top of the list, because the first couple of steps clear most cases.

What ERR_CONNECTION_RESET actually means#

Unlike a page that simply times out, a reset happens when the connection is established or in progress and then dropped mid-stream. At the network level, one side sends a reset packet and Chrome gives up. That is a useful clue, because it points at something between your browser and the server actively closing the pipe, rather than a site that is completely offline.

It is easy to confuse with a sister error. ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED means the server was reached but turned the connection away, usually because nothing is listening on that port or a firewall rejected it outright. A reset means the handshake got further and then broke. If one site throws the error while everything else loads, suspect that site or its firewall. If every site resets, the cause is almost certainly on your PC or your local network.

Symptom	Likely cause	First fix
One site resets, others load fine	That server, its firewall, or a stale cached copy	Clear the cache; try the site in Incognito
Every site resets on one PC	Corrupt network stack, proxy, or driver	Flush DNS and run the netsh reset commands
Resets only with the VPN on	VPN client or its kill switch	Disconnect the VPN and retest
Resets began after installing security software	Antivirus HTTPS or “web shield” scanning	Pause HTTPS scanning and retest
Large pages or downloads reset partway	MTU mismatch on the link	Lower the interface MTU
Resets on Wi-Fi, fine on Ethernet	Unstable wireless link	Move closer or switch to a cable

Start in the browser#

Rule out Chrome’s own stored copy of the site first. Open the menu (the three dots at top right) and choose Delete browsing data — older builds label it Clear browsing data — or just press Ctrl+Shift+Delete. Set a time range, tick Cached images and files, and select Delete data (Google Chrome Help: clear cache and cookies). Reload the page.

Two quick cross-checks narrow things down. Open the site in an Incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N), which runs without extensions and without most cached data; if it loads there, an extension or the cache was the culprit, and disabling extensions one at a time finds which. If clearing the cache helped but sign-ins now nag you, clearing cookies in Chrome is the related step and explains what you lose. Should the browser feel sluggish in general as well, why Chrome runs slow covers the extensions and settings behind that.

Reset Windows networking#

When every site resets, refresh the networking software underneath the browser. Open Command Prompt with admin rights: select Search on the taskbar, type Command Prompt, and to the right of the result choose Run as administrator, then Yes. Run these in order, as Microsoft documents for connection problems (Microsoft Support: fix Ethernet connection problems in Windows).

Command	What it does
netsh winsock reset	Rebuilds the Winsock catalog that every network app uses
netsh int ip reset	Returns the TCP/IP stack to its default state
ipconfig /release	Drops the current IP lease from the router
ipconfig /renew	Requests a fresh IP address
ipconfig /flushdns	Clears stale entries from the DNS cache

The winsock reset needs a reboot to finish, so restart the PC after the last command. One caveat: this wipes any custom DNS servers or static IP you set by hand, so note those down first if you use them.

Rule out VPN, proxy, and HTTPS scanning#

Anything that sits in the middle of your traffic can send that reset, so test each layer in turn.

Turn off any VPN and retest. A dropped tunnel or an over-eager kill switch shows up as exactly this kind of mid-request reset. If you rely on one, whether you actually need a VPN is worth a look before you troubleshoot around it. Then check the proxy: go to Settings > Network & internet > Proxy, leave Automatically detect settings on, and switch Use a proxy server off unless your workplace requires one.

Security software is the other common culprit. Many suites inspect encrypted traffic through a feature called HTTPS scanning, SSL scanning, or a “web shield,” and when it misfires it cuts the connection. Pause that feature, or the antivirus briefly, and reload; the exact toggle depends on the product, so check its settings. Whether you need third-party antivirus at all is a fair question on modern Windows. If pausing the scanner fixes it, the culprit is confirmed — re-enable protection and add an exception for the site or for Chrome rather than leaving scanning off.

When it is the connection itself#

If resets survive all of the above, look at the link. On Wi-Fi, an unstable signal drops connections mid-transfer, so test on Ethernet or move closer to the router to confirm. A stale or buggy network driver does the same: open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right-click yours, choose Update driver, then Search automatically for drivers.

A subtler cause is an MTU mismatch, where packets are too large for some hop along the way and get dropped, often on DSL or certain VPNs. Check the current values with netsh interface ipv4 show subinterfaces, then lower one interface, for example netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "Wi-Fi" mtu=1472 store=persistent, matching the name to your adapter. Set it back to mtu=1500 if it makes no difference. MTU tuning is a last resort, not a routine fix.

Once pages load again, note which step fixed it, because the same machine tends to fail the same way. If a VPN or an antivirus feature was to blame, keep it updated rather than off; if the network stack was, the netsh sequence is a safe first move next time. And if only one site keeps resetting while the rest of the web is fine, the problem is almost certainly at that site’s end, not yours, so wait it out or contact the owner instead of resetting your own PC again.