How to Fix the ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE Chrome Error (Full Guide)

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Browsing issues prevent you from navigating the web, accessing your favorite websites, playing with your friends, and uploading important documents for work. All web browsers experience problems sooner or later, showing various error codes on the screen to let you know the nature of the problem. Even Google Chrome fails to work sometimes.

What does ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE mean?

ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE is a web browser error that can appear in Chrome and Chromium-based web browsers, such as Microsoft Edge or Opera. It means that, after sending data packets to a remote server, your computer is not receiving anything back (no response).

This error can occur on any platform, including Windows 10, Mac, Android, and iOS. It can be caused by various issues, but the most common one is that the website you’re trying to reach doesn’t exist or is down for maintenance. You have to wait it out and try again later or check if there’s a typo in the domain address.

Here are other possible causes for ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE:

The website you’re trying to reach doesn’t exist, has a typo, its domain expired, or is currently down for maintenance
Incorrect device or Internet connection settings
Outdated web browser, operating system, or drivers
Incompatible drivers, applications, or system updates
DNS servers are malfunctioning
Browser or system cache is full
Your computer is infected with malware
You have tried to reach the website too many times and your IP address is blocked

How to fix ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE on any device

Check out the following solutions to fix Chrome browsing errors. Before getting started, we recommend creating a system restore point.

1. Access other websites

If you can’t access a specific website, it could mean that it doesn’t exist, has a typo, or is currently down for maintenance. It might be necessary to clear your browsing cache or change your IP address in case the remote server is rejecting your connection due to too many requests. In some cases, you may need to reach blocked websites if the site has restricted access from your location.

However, if you get the ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE error even when attempting to access other websites, this indicates a bigger problem with your web browser, device settings, or Internet connection.

2. Try another browser

It could be your application’s fault, whether you’re running Chrome or another Chromium-based browser. To quickly test this theory, try to access the same website using a different application, such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

If you happen to have another Chromium-powered browser on your computer or mobile, such as Microsoft Edge, Opera or Brave, try using it, too. There might be a problem with Chromium if you get the same browsing error across all these applications.

3. Use Chrome on another device

The ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE error might not be tied to the remote server or Chrome but to your device. Try to access websites using Chrome on another desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone and see what happens. If the pages load without issues, your device configuration could be incorrect, which is good news since this can be easily fixed.

4. Run the ping command

The ping command helps you take a closer look at how your device attempts to establish a connection with the website you keep trying to access. For instance, it can measure packet loss so that you can figure out whether the remote connection doesn’t get established at all or is too slow.

You can run ping from Command Prompt or PowerShell on Windows, as well as from the Terminal app on Mac. However, if you prefer a graphical interface, then we suggest examining some third-party ping applications. On Android and iOS, there’s no other way except installing ping apps from Play Store and App Store, respectively.

How to use ping on Windows 10:

Click the Start button, search for Command Prompt, and open this app
To ping the Google homepage, run ping google.com and wait for statistics
Observe the % loss shown at Ping statistics

How to use ping on macOS:

Open the Apple menu and select Applications
Go to Utilities and click Terminal
Run ping google.com and wait until the test is over
At Server ping statistics, check out the packet loss

Now, let’s analyze the results:

0% packet loss is great. It means that your machine can successfully reach the remote server, so you shouldn’t be getting any errors when trying to access that website. Your web browser could have incorrect settings or might not be working properly
100% packet loss is the worst case scenario. It tells you that not a single bit of data can be transferred between your computer and the remote server. There’s something wrong with your device, Internet connection, or the website
Anything between 0% and 100% packet loss means that the connection gets established but isn’t stable because your device and the remote machine can’t exchange all information. The website exists, but there’s something wrong with your computer settings or Internet connection

5. Restart Chrome

It’s sometimes as easy as restarting the Chrome application to fix browsing errors like ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE. To do it correctly, though, make sure to terminate its processes before relaunching Chrome.

How to properly restart Chrome on Windows:

Press Ctrl + Alt + Del and select Task Manager
In the Processes tab, select the Chrome process tree
Click End task
Exit Task Manager to launch Chrome
Check if you can access websites now

How to properly restart Chrome on macOS:

Switch to the Google Chrome window
Open the Apple menu and click Force Quit
Start Chrome and check for browsing errors

How to properly restart Chrome on Android:

Go to Settings > Apps
Select Chrome and tap Force stop
Start the Chrome app and check results

How to properly restart Chrome on iOS:

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold in the middle
Swipe left or right to select Chrome
Swipe up to the app’s preview to close Chrome
Start Chrome
Try to access websites now

6. Restart your device

If restarting Chrome didn’t do the trick, you should restart the device. A better idea is to hard-reboot it, in order to properly shut down all processes and services as well as to clear the temporary cache.

How to hard-reboot your device:

Shut down your Windows PC or Mac the traditional way
Unplug the power cord. On laptops and notebooks, make sure to also remove the battery
Now, hold down the power button for 20-30 seconds
Put the battery back in the laptop or tablet
Reconnect your device to the power source and switch in on
After your operating system boots, check if you still have browsing errors

7. Reboot your router

In addition to rebooting your computer, you should restart your router to give a jolt to your Internet connection. It’s particularly useful for networks with dynamic IP addresses since restarting the router will change your IP address to something else.

So, if you can’t access a particular website because it rejects all requests from your origin, then modifying your IP should do the trick.

Here’s how to properly reboot your router:

Pick up and flip over your router to look for a small power button
Press and hold it for 10-12 seconds. If you can’t find it, just unplug the router from the power source and wait for that amount of time
Wait until your Internet connection is restored throughout your household
Try to visit the website now

8. Connect to another network

There might be a problem with the network connectivity. Try connecting to a different network to see if you can access websites without any more issues. If you’re in a public place, search for another open Wi-Fi network. It’s also a good idea to switch from wireless or Ethernet mode to 3G/4G mobile data plan (or the other way around) if possible.

9. Check for system updates

Browsing errors like ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE could occur due to obsolete or missing system features. To fix this problem, you should download and install the latest system updates. Under normal circumstances, your OS automatically checks for updates and prompts you to set them up. However, if that doesn’t happen on your device, here’s what you need to do.

How to update Windows 10:

Click the Start button, type Check for updates, and press Enter
If Windows doesn’t start the auto-search, click Check for updates
Wait a bit. If it finds anything available and doesn’t begin the download and install, click Download
Restart your PC after the update and check for browsing issues

How to update macOS:

Open the Apple menu
Select Software Update
Your Mac will begin checking for updates and downloading them right away
If prompted, specify the username and password associated with your administrator account to confirm the installing
Restart the device after it finishes, and try to visit websites now

How to update Android:

Ensure that your Android’s battery is at least 50% charged
Go to Settings > System > Advanced
Tap System Update
Android will reboot itself to finalize the update
Open the Chrome app and try to visit websites now

How to update iPhone or iPad:

Check the battery of your iOS device or plug it into a power source
Visit Settings > General > Software Update
Tap Download and Install
If there isn’t enough free space available, you might be asked to temporarily remove apps. Agree by tapping Continue since iOS will reinstall your apps later
Tap Install and use your fingerprint or passcode to confirm your identity
Restart your iPhone or iPad to complete the update
Launch the Chrome app and inspect results

10. Update Chrome

An outdated web browser might not be able to connect to certain websites if it doesn’t pass security checkups, resulting in error code ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE. By default, Chrome searches for updates and installs them every time you launch the application.

If that doesn’t happen on your computer, you might be stuck with an old version. However, you should be able to swiftly resolve this matter by updating Chrome.

How to update Chrome on Windows and macOS:

In Chrome, open the More menu
Go to Help > About Google Chrome (or, enter chrome://settings/help in the address bar)
The tool should find and apply any updates, unless Chrome updates are disabled
Restart Chrome after the update
Check if you still have browsing errors

How to update Chrome on Android:

Open Play Store
Tap your Google account > My apps & Games
In the Updates section, find Chrome and tap Update
If the app’s not on that list, it means that no new updates are available
Launch the Chrome app and inspect results

How to update Chrome on iOS:

Open App Store
Locate Chrome and tap Update
If Open is displayed instead of Update, there are no new updates
Fire up the Chrome app and try to visit websites

11. Clear browsing data

You might be experiencing page navigation issues due to the web browser cache, which can be easily emptied. For example, if you keep trying to access a specific webpage but can’t get around the dreadful error, you can hard-refresh the web browser by pressing Ctrl + Shift + R, Ctrl + F5, or Shift + F5 on Windows, or Shift + Command + R on Mac.

When it comes to all website pages, you must manually empty the cache of your web browser. If you encounter a cache loading error, this could be another sign that clearing your browser data is necessary.

How to clear Chrome cache on Windows and macOS:

In Chrome, open the More menu and select Settings
Jump to the Privacy and security section
Click Clear browsing data (or enter the chrome://settings/clearBrowserData address)
In the Basic area, set Time range to All time
Enable these settings:
- Browsing history
- Cookies and other site data
- Cached images and files
Click Clear data
Restart Chrome

How to clear Chrome cache on Android and iOS:

In Chrome, open the More menu and select History
Click Clear browsing data
In the Basic section, enable these options:
- Browsing history
- Cookies and site data
- Cached images and files
Click Clear data
Restart Chrome

12. Disable browser extensions

Proxy, DNS and VPN extensions for Chrome take over your Internet connection settings within the web browser. If the IP configuration is incorrect, this could end up harming your browsing session and preventing you from accessing websites, resulting in error code ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE.

It can be difficult to identify the damaging extensions, so it’s a good idea to disable all of them in Google Chrome. Here’s how:

Click the More button to open a menu
Go to More tools and select Extensions (or enter chrome://extensions in the address bar)
Click the slider button to deactivate an extension. Do this for all of them
Try to access websites now

13. Use incognito browsing mode

An alternative solution to clearing browsing cache and disabling browser extensions is by navigating Google Chrome in incognito mode. It’s a privacy-based browsing session that prevents Chrome from saving your browsing history, information entered in forms, together with cookies and other site data.

Furthermore, incognito doesn’t allow extensions by default. So, if you don’t want to go through the trouble of deactivating your favorite extensions, the workaround is entering incognito mode.

How to use Chrome incognito on Windows and macOS:

Launch a normal browsing session in Chrome
Open the More menu from the top-right corner
Select New incognito window
- Alternatively, press Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows or Command + Shift + N on macOS

How to use Chrome incognito on Android and iOS:

Open the Chrome app
Click the More menu from the upper-right corner
Choose New incognito tab

14. Restore Chrome to default

If you can’t access any websites due to Chrome settings, the easiest way to fix this is by resetting the entire browser configuration to default.

How to reset Chrome on Windows and macOS:

Open the More menu and go to Settings
Select Advanced
Click Restore settings to their original defaults (or enter the chrome://settings/reset address)
To confirm, click Reset settings
Relaunch Chrome and inspect results

How to reset Chrome on Android:

Go to Settings > Apps
Find and select Chrome
Tap Storage > Manage storage
Tap Clear all data and OK to confirm
Restart the Chrome app and try to access websites

How to reset Chrome on iOS:

In Chrome, visit Settings > Privacy
Tap Clear Browsing Data
Select all options
Tap Clear Browsing Data
Restart and check Chrome

15. Reinstall Chrome

It might be necessary to reinstall the Google Chrome application on your computer or mobile, in order to get rid of error messages like ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE. Here’s how to make it happen.

How to reinstall Chrome on Windows 10:

Press Ctrl + Alt + Del and open Task Manager
Stay in the Processes tab
Find and select Chrome, then click End task
Exit Task Manager
Click the Start button, type Apps and Features, then press Enter
Locate and select Google Chrome
Click Uninstall and again to confirm
After the wizard completes, download Chrome from the official website
Set up the browser, open it, and try to access webpages now

How to reinstall Chrome on macOS:

Make the Google Chrome window active
Open the Apple menu and select Force

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Elena Constantinescu

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