To protect your system from hackers, your firewall and antivirus can restrict access from suspicious networks. However, sometimes these programs give false positives, labeling harmless networks as dangerous.
When this happens, Chrome might not let you access important websites and servers, resulting in errors like ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED orERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED.
However, you don’t have todisable your firewallorantivirus programjust to access these sites. you may allow Chrome to access the network by adding it as an exception in your firewall and antivirus settings.
Note: Before forcing your firewall or antivirus to allow Chrome, first tryresetting your internet connection. You may not be able to access certain websites due to DNS orinternet connection issues.
It’s better tochange your DNS serverto a public one like Google or Cloudflare as well.
Allow Chrome on Windows Defender Firewall
Windows Defender Firewall blocks unauthorized network traffic in and out of your device. It requires an authentic digital signature for any device or network that communicates with your device.
Follow the steps below to add Google Chrome as an exception to this rule if you think it is blocking your internet connection.
you may also check out our article on blocking programs on firewall for more information and additional steps. Simply select the opposite options to allow Google Chrome instead.
Note:You need to be logged in with youradministrator accountto make changes in your firewall settings.
If you don’t have an admin account you may access,change your local account to an administrator. You may need permission from your system administrator first.
Using Windows Virus & Threat Protection
The Virus & Threat Protection (previouslyWindow Defender) is the default anti-malware application in Windows. It can also block apps from connecting to certain web servers. To add Google Chrome as an exception in this security feature, follow the steps below.
Add Chrome as Exception in Third-party Security App
You may also need to add Google Chrome as an exception in any third-party anti-malware or firewall software.
