How to fix
ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error
on Windows

Hi. Google Chrome won’t let me to access certain websites due to the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error. It does not show with all websites. What could that mean?

ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED is a browser-specific error, which shows up on Google Chrome[ref en-1] web browser exceptionally. It prevents people from accessing random websites including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google search, and so on.

The error shows up in a grayish background and reports that “This webpage is not available, ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED.” It indicates the problems with network configuration, browser’s cache, faulty settings, etc. so it’s rather a problem with Google Chrome, but not your operating system.

The best way to check whether the problem stems from router or network connection[ref en-2] in general, try to access the website that returns the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error using another browser, for instance, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer.

In case the other web browser’s open requested websites successfully, the we would strongly recommend addressing Google Chrome in the first place by clearing its case or resetting its default settings. Besides, try to reset/restart your router, and then disable Windows Firewall and your antivirus[ref en-3] temporarily. If these simple steps did not help to fix ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error, try the following methods.

Method 1. Renew and flush DNS

• Right-click on Windows key and select Command Prompt (Admin).
• Copy and paste the following commands in the Command Prompt window and press Enter after each of them:
  • ipconfig /release
    ipconfig /all
    ipconfig /flushdns
    ipconfig /renew
    netsh int ip set dns
    netsh winsock reset
• Finally, you should either type Exit and press Enter, or click on the X button to close Command Prompt.
• Finally, restart your PC.

Method 2. Configure DNS servers

Faulty DNS configuration is the second possible reason why "Server DNS address could not be found" error pop-up blocks pages on Chrome. To check and fix that, follow these steps:

• Press Windows key and type Control Panel.
• Select Control Panel option and the click on Network and Sharing Center.
• Select Change adapter settings and right-click on the connection icon (Local Area Connection or Wireless Network Connection).
• Select Properties and mark the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP /IPv4).
• Select Properties again and open General tab.
• Select Obtain DNS server address automatically and click OK.
• In case the Obtain DNS server address automatically has already been marked, select the Use the following DNS server address instead option.
• Now enter the following server addresses and click OK afterwards:
  • Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
    Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
• Finally, re-open Google Chrome and check if the issue has been resolved.

Method 3. Disable Proxy connection

• Click on the Connections icon positioned on the Windows taskbar.
• Select Network & Internet settings at the bottom of the window.
• Find Proxy on the left pane and click it.
• Slide a toggle below the Automatically detect settings to Off.

• Now open Control Panel and select Internet Options.
• Open Connections tab and select LAN settings.
• Check the box next to Use a proxy server for your LAN.

Method 4. Check search engine’s settings

Many people reported that the error occurred because Google Desktop 127.0.0.1 was set as a default search engine, so making it set to Google helped to solve the problem.

• Open Google Chrome and click on Menu button at the top-right corner.
• Select Settings and scroll down until you find Search section.
• Click Manage search engines button and set Google as your default search engine.
• Besides, remove all suspicious/unknown search engines included to the list.

Method 5. Check Windows Firewall settings

• Open Windows Firewall and select Allow an app or feature option.
• The list of apps should open. Click Change settings.
• Find Google Chrome on the list and check it in both Private and Public columns.
• Click OK and close Windows Firewall.

Method 6. Reset Internet Options

• Open Control Panel and select Internet Options.
• Now open Advanced tab and click the Reset button.
• Select Delete personal settings and click Reset button.

Method 7. Use Registry Editor

• Press Windows key + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
• Navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Internet Settings key.
• Find ProxyEnable DWORD on the left pane and double-click on it.
• Change its value to 0 and click OK.
• Close Registry Editor and check if the problem is gone.