What Is the “ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT” Error
When you try to access a website and get the error message “ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT,” you might easily assume that your local network connection is having issues. However, that isn’t always the case. When you want to visit a website, your computer sends a request to the server asking for access. Once the server validates your request, your browser connects to the website. When you ask a website for access, a timer will start to run. If you don’t get the approval before the timer ends, you will see the ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error in your browser.
Possible Causes of ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT Error
Some of the reasons that cause the ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error include the following:
Server not found: one of the most common reasons for the connection timed out error is when you ask a server for access but the server is currently down, or you have entered an incorrect website address.Server doesn’t respond: the server takes a long time to validate your connection request to give you access.Slow internet connection: a slow and unreliable internet connection can take a few seconds or minutes to communicate with the server. In such a case, the browser will terminate your connection because it is taking too long to reach the server for access.Server error: it is also possible that the server you’re trying to reach is slow and before it grants your access, the browser times out the connection.Firewall: at times, your firewall could block access to certain websites because it suddenly stopped recognizing them or the website was blacklisted.
How to Fix ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT
If you’ve come across this issue yourself, here are a few things that you need to try in order to get your browser up and running again. First off, check to see if your internet connection is working properly. After you’ve confirmed that, you can go ahead and try these fixes.
1. Turn Off Your Firewall
Your firewall may occasionally prevent you from accessing the Internet. So one thing to try when you can’t connect to the websites you want to visit is disabling your firewall. Tip: You can also completely disable Windows Defender if you want to. If disabling the firewall didn’t fix the connection timeout problem, try the other solutions from this list.
2. Change the Timeout Duration
If your internet connection is slow, changing the timeout duration can help you connect to the web successfully. Follow these steps to do that:
3. Delete Your Browser’s History & Cache
Another thing you might want to try is deleting your browser history, caches, and cookies to remove all accumulated files. It could be this data that is preventing successful communication with the server or slowing down the communication.
Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Mozilla Firefox
4. Flush DNS Cache
DNS (Domain Name System) is like a phonebook for the Internet that keeps a database of all publicly accessible websites and their IP addresses. Sometimes, the DNS file on your PC can get corrupted, and your browser can fail to read the DNS to route you properly. By clearing the DNS cache, you shall be resetting the DNS to its default state removing any corruption in the file that is causing the ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error.
5. Connect With a VPN
If you are getting an ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error, you might want to try accessing the web page in question with your VPN turned on. In case your access is blocked or restricted, a VPN can bypass these limitations and connect to the website successfully.
6. Use Your Browser in Compatibility Mode
If you recently installed the latest Windows update on your computer, there’s a chance that it may have caused this problem. Check to see if your browser functions properly on Windows 7 or Windows 8 by running it in compatibility mode.
7. Disable Proxy Settings
Another reason why you could be getting the ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error is proxy settings. Turning these off should let you connect to the Internet successfully.
8. Reset Your Web Browser to Default
A recent update or a glitch could have made your browser inoperable. This can be fixed by simply resetting your browser and relaunching it. Here’s how to do that:
Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Firefox
Image credit: Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels All screenshots by Abdul Moiz
Regularly clear the DNS cache.Clear your browser cache every few days, or at least once a week.Check if your browser is updated to the latest version.Don’t install add-ons from untrusted sources.
Connection time-out TCP: you see this error when there’s a misconfiguration of the TCP settings. You can fix it by manually changing your TCP configuration. Connection attempt timed out: you might experience this error because of a network issue. Check for any problems with the network diagnosis tool, and if any are found, fix them. The connection request timed out: this error is caused by your network settings. Configure your network settings correctly to fix this error. Connection server timed out: due to a network overload or problem, the server takes a bit longer to respond. This error is shown when the server has taken too long to respond to your connection request.
