How to Fix “ERR_CONNECTION_RESET” in Google Chrome

The error message “ERR_CONNECTION_RESET” (accompanied by the notice “This site can’t be reached – The connection was reset”) occurs in Google Chrome when an active Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) socket session is abruptly terminated by the remote web server, a local firewall, or network hardware via a TCP Reset (RST) packet. Unlike timeout errors where the browser waits fruitlessly for data packets, a connection reset indicates that the connection handshake began successfully but was forcibly severed mid-stream. Resolving this issue involves flushing operating system network caches, resetting network socket catalogues, auditing Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) packet sizes, and disabling conflicting security software.

Understanding Why Chrome Throws ERR_CONNECTION_RESET

Every web page load involves an initial three-way TCP handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK) followed by TLS cryptographic negotiation. If at any point during this exchange an intermediate device (such as an antivirus SSL scanner, an ISP content filter, or a proxy server) detects an anomaly, it injects a TCP RST packet into the stream. This instructs Chrome to discard the socket immediately.

The primary origins of connection resets include:

• Corrupted Operating System Network Sockets (Winsock): Mismatched protocol parameters or fragmented TCP buffer queues in the local network stack. For related proxy-layer resets, see our guide on fixing ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED in Google Chrome.
• Antivirus and Firewall Deep Packet Inspection: Third-party security suites actively scanning HTTPS packets and dropping the connection when certificate handshakes mismatch.
• Incorrect Network MTU Packet Sizing: Network routers fragmenting large packets beyond the carrier’s supported threshold, triggering packet dropouts on specific domains.
• Stale Local DNS and Browser Cache Records: Outdated IP addresses routing HTTP GET requests to decommissioned or unresponsive server endpoints. (Explore our guide on fixing ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED in Chrome).

Layer	Role in Handshake	Failure Condition
TCP Transport Layer	Maintains reliable byte stream over port 80/443	Remote host or middlebox sends TCP RST flag
Winsock / Socket Layer	Coordinates OS network endpoints for applications	Corrupted Layered Service Provider (LSP) catalogue
Maximum Transmission Unit	Defines largest allowable unfragmented IP packet	Oversized packets silently dropped by ISP router
Antivirus HTTPS Shield	Intercepts and inspects encrypted web traffic	Terminates connection if cipher negotiation takes too long

Step 1: Reset TCP/IP Stack and Winsock via Elevated Terminal

Resetting the network socket catalogue removes corrupted routing entries, restores clean buffer tables, and clears transient connection locks.

1. Press Windows Key + X and choose Terminal (Admin).
2. Execute the following sequence of commands, pressing Enter after each:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

3. Restart your computer immediately to finalize the Winsock catalog reconstruction.

Step 2: Disable Third-Party Antivirus Web Shields and Real-Time Scanning

Many endpoint antivirus suites (such as Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, or McAfee) utilize an internal web shield that acts as a local proxy. When the shield encounters encrypted web traffic it cannot immediately parse, it severs the TCP socket.

1. Open your third-party antivirus management dashboard.
2. Locate the Web Protection, HTTPS Scanning, or Network Shield settings.
3. Temporarily disable web shield functionality for 10 minutes.
4. Launch Google Chrome and attempt to reload the affected website.
5. If the website loads successfully, update your antivirus suite or add the domain to its exclusion whitelist.

Step 3: Adjust the Network Adapter MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) Size

If your router or ISP enforces a lower MTU size (common with PPPoE broadband connections and VPN tunnels), sending standard 1500-byte packets causes packet fragmentation and connection resets.

1. Open Terminal (Admin).
2. Display your active network interfaces and their current MTU:

netsh interface ipv4 show subinterfaces

3. Note the exact name of your active connection (e.g., Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
4. Lower the MTU size to 1472 or 1450 to avoid fragmentation:

netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "Wi-Fi" mtu=1450 store=persistent

5. Test browsing in Chrome. A stable MTU size ensures packets traverse intermediate routing nodes without getting dropped.

Step 4: Clear Chrome Browsing Data and Flush Socket Pools

Chrome maintains an internal socket pool that reuses open TCP connections. If a pool entry becomes stale, Chrome repeatedly sends requests down a closed socket.

1. Open Google Chrome, type chrome://net-internals/#sockets in the address bar, and press Enter.
2. Click the Flush socket pools button.
3. Next, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete to open the clear browsing data dialogue.
4. Select All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and click Clear data.
5. Restart the browser.

Step 5: Change Public DNS Servers

DNS resolution failures or DNS server timeouts can trigger connection resets if the resolver returns an invalid IP address.

1. Press Windows Key + I and navigate to Network & internet > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet).
2. Click Hardware properties.
3. Next to DNS server assignment, click Edit.
4. Change from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual and toggle IPv4 to On.
5. Set Preferred DNS to 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) and Alternate DNS to 8.8.8.8 (Google).
6. Click Save and reload the target webpage in Chrome.