How to Fix the “This site can’t be reached” Error in Google Chrome

Google Chrome’s “This site can’t be reached” error can be frustrating as it doesn’t let you access any websites. This problem usually occurs when you have an internet connection issue, or your web browser is faulty. We’ll look at a few ways to resolve the issue.

This is a common Chrome error that you may experience at some point during browser usage. It’s easy to get around this issue as all you need to do is tweak a few options here and there in your browser and on your system, and your problem is resolved.

Restart Your Router

When you encounter a network-related issue, the first thing you should do is give your router a reboot. Doing so turns off all of your router’s features and reloads them, fixing minor problems with the device.

You can reboot most routers by pressing the Power button on the device. If your router doesn’t have that button, use the power socket switch to turn the router off and back on. A few routers allow you to perform the restart process by visiting the device’s settings page in your web browser and choosing the reboot option.

Once you’ve rebooted your router, relaunch Chrome and try to access your sites.

Use Windows’ Internet Connections Troubleshooter

Microsoft’s Windows 10 and 11 operating systems include many troubleshooters. These tools allow you to find and fix various issues on your system. You can use one of these—Internet Connections troubleshooter—to detect and resolve problems with your connection.

These tools run on their own for the most part, so you don’t have to do much except for launching the tool and choosing a few options.

1. Open Windows Settings by pressing Windows + I.
2. Select Update & Security in Settings.
3. Choose Troubleshoot on the left and Additional troubleshooters on the right.
4. Select Internet Connections and choose Run the troubleshooter.

5. Wait for the troubleshooter to find and fix issues with your connection.

Turn Off Your Firewall

One reason you get the “This site can’t be reached” Chrome error is that your firewall is blocking your connection to the site. This usually happens when the firewall detects the site as a malicious item.

You can turn off your computer’s firewall to check if that’s the case. Here’s how to disable Microsoft Defender Firewall on Windows:

1. Launch the Start menu, locate Windows Security, and open the app.
2. Select Firewall & network protection on the app’s main screen.
3. Choose the network that says (active).

4. Disable the Microsoft Defender Firewall toggle.

5. Select Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
6. Reopen Chrome and try to load your site.

Disable Your Antivirus

Your antivirus program may have detected the site as a potential threat, blocking your access to it. In this case, you can disable your antivirus protection and see if that resolves the issue.

You can turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus protection as follows:

1. Launch the Windows Security app on your PC.
2. Select Virus & threat protection on the app’s main window.
3. Choose Manage settings under the Virus & threat protection settings header.

4. Turn off Real-time protection.

5. Relaunch Chrome, load a site, and see if the error occurs.

Clear Your Chrome Cache

Your Chrome browser caches various web contents to improve your overall surfing experience. Sometimes, this cached content becomes corrupt, causing random issues with the browser.

Your “This site can’t be reached” error may be the result of a bad Chrome cache. In this case, you can clear your browser cache and resolve your problem. Doing this doesn’t affect your browsing history, login sessions, saved passwords, or other items.

1. Launch Chrome, select the three dots in the top-right corner, and choose Settings.
2. Select Privacy and security on the left and Clear browsing data on the right.
3. Choose All time from the Time range drop-down menu.

4. Select Cached images and files and uncheck all other options.
5. Choose Clear data at the bottom.
6. Quit and reopen Chrome, then try to access your sites.

Delete Your DNS Cache

Your computer stores DNS cache to help your web browsers quickly translate domain names to IP addresses. Sometimes, this cache goes corrupt, preventing your browsers from reaching desired web locations.

In this case, you can clear your system’s DNS cache and resolve your issue.

1. Launch the Start menu, find Command Prompt, and open the tool.
2. Enter the following on the CMD window and press Enter: ipconfig /flushdns

3. Your DNS cache is now cleared.

Use Alternate DNS Servers

A possible reason Chrome displays the “This site can’t be reached” error is that your current DNS servers are facing an outage. If this happens too often, it’s a good idea to move to alternate DNS servers.

You can switch to Google’s public DNS or OpenDNS’ free DNS servers. Here’s how you can make that change on your Windows PC:

1. Open Windows Settings by pressing Windows + I.
2. Select Network & Internet to access your network settings.
3. Choose Wi-Fi on the left and Change adapter options on the right.
4. Right-click your network adapter and choose Properties.
5. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) on the list and choose Properties.

6. Enable the Use the following DNS server addresses option.
7. Enter 208.67.222.222 in the Preferred DNS server field. Type 208.67.220.220 in the Alternate DNS server field.

8. Select OK at the bottom.

Update Chrome

Google often pushes new updates for its Chrome browser, so your browsing experience remains as bug-free as possible. Your “This site can’t be reached” error may be the result of an outdated Chrome app.

In this case, update your browser, and your issue will likely be resolved.

1. Launch Chrome, select the three dots in the top-right corner, and choose Help > About Google Chrome.

2. Let Chrome automatically check for new updates.
3. Allow Chrome to install the available updates. Then, select Relaunch to reopen Chrome and bring the updates into effect.

Reset Chrome

If you still can’t get past your error message, reset your Chrome browser to the factory settings and see if that resolves the issue. The reset process wipes off all your custom setting options, fixing incorrectly specified configurations.

Note that you’ll lose all your saved data in Chrome when you reset the browser.

1. Open Chrome, select the three dots in the top-right corner, and choose Settings.
2. Select Reset and clean up in the sidebar on the left.

3. Choose Restore settings to their original defaults on the right.
4. Select Reset settings in the prompt.

Reach the Unreachable Sites in Google Chrome

Various factors can cause the “This site can’t be reached” error in Google Chrome on your computer. If you run into this error and aren’t sure how to fix it, make a few network and browser changes on your system, as described above.

Your issue will then be fixed, and you’ll be able to resume your browsing sessions. Happy using Chrome!