CentrioHost Blog

In a digital world hooked on instant gratification, one of the last things you want to experience when browsing is an error message, such as ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED. This can be incredibly frustrating, and may even be a sign that something serious has gone wrong.

For average users, the really confusing errors are the ones where it can sometimes hard to distinguish between a problem with your WordPress site and something else, such as a networking or browser issue.

The “ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED” message is an especially common and usually non-WordPress site related error message you’ll sometimes see in Chrome. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to pinpoint the cause of this problem. In this post, we’ll explain what the message means and how to fix it. Typically this involves the following steps:

1. Check to see whether the page itself has gone down.
2. Restart your router.
3. Clear your browser’s cache.
4. Assess your proxy settings and adjust them as needed.
5. Temporarily disable antivirus and firewall software.
6. Flush your DNS cache.
7. Change your DNS address.
8. Disable any outdated Chrome extensions.
9. Reinstall your Chrome browser.

But first, let’s take a deeper look into what this error actually means.

• What Is the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED Error?
• How to Fix the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED Error in Chrome
• What to Do If None of These Solutions Work

What Is the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED Error?

Unfortunately, encountering errors comes hand-in-hand with using the internet. There are hundreds of possibilities, from the white screen of death to the classic 404 error. Trust us, our support team deals with all sorts of WordPress errors on a daily basis. So this is nothing new for us.

Google Chrome

In Google Chrome users may also be familiar with the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED page. You will see a message saying:

This site can’t be reached or This webpage is not available.

When you visit a website using Google Chrome and encounter this message, it means that your attempt to connect was refused. This error code also appears in other browsers, albeit in different forms.

Mozilla Firefox

In Mozilla Firefox it will simply show as Unable to connect. 

Firefox can’t establish a connection to the server at domain.com.

Microsoft Edge

In Microsoft Edge, it will simply show as Hmmm… can’t reach this page. Which isn’t very helpful.

Make sure you’ve got the right web address: domain.com.

The ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error is sometimes caused by a server-side problem, rather than an issue with your individual attempt at connection. It’s usually nothing serious, and can simply be the result of incorrect firewall or server settings. However, it can also be a sign that something more significant has gone wrong – such as a malware attack, or unexpected downtime. An unreliable internet connection can also contribute.

As with most error messages, ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED lets you know that something has gone wrong, without being kind enough to tell you why it’s happened. This means it’s up to you to find and resolve the root issue (if possible).

How to Fix the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED Error in Chrome (9 Possible Solutions)

Although the range of potential causes can make troubleshooting tricky, it ispossible to fix the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error. Let’s walk through nine steps you can take, starting with the ones most likely to provide an answer.

1. Check the Status of the Website

Your first port of call should be to check the status of the website you’re trying to access. As we’ve already mentioned, the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error can sometimes be caused by the site’s server, rather than your own internet connection.

A simple way to check whether this is the case is to visit another web page. If the error message occurs again, the problem most likely originates with your connection. If the second page loads correctly, however, the first site was probably at fault.

Enter the address of the non-functioning page, and click on Or just me?. This site will then assess whether the page is offline (down), or online (up). Unfortunately, when a page is down, the only thing you can do is wait for it to be fixed. However, if the page is up and is still not loading for you, it’s time to do some further troubleshooting.

2. Restart Your Router

As a tried-and-tested method for fixing many internet-related issues, your next step will be to try ‘turning it off and back on again’. Restarting your home or office router doesn’t come with a 100% success guarantee. However, the process takes just a few minutes, so it’s more than worth a try when you’re dealing with a potential connection issue.

To do this, disconnect the power supply to your router. You’ll then need to wait for about 30 seconds, before plugging it back in. Once the router has booted up again, try to access the page that returned an error. If it loads, then you’re good to go. If not, there’s likely another cause at play.

3. Clear Your Browser’s Cache

Like any good internet browser, Chrome will store information in its cache on your computer or device. This includes your browsing history, saved login data, and cookies – all of which are recorded in order to load the relevant pages more quickly the next time they’re visited.

Although they’re useful, caches can cause numerous issues when they become outdated. This is because the cached version of a page is likely to no longer match the current, live version. Fortunately, this problem is easily solved by clearing your cache.

But before you do that, you can easily check to see if it’s a browser cache issue by first opening up your browser in incognito mode. Or you can try a different browser. If you’re still seeing the error, then you will want to proceed with clearing your cache.

To do so, begin by opening up Chrome’s primary menu (in the top-right corner of your browser window). From there, select More Tools: You can then click on Clear browser data.

On the resulting page, you’ll need to make sure that all listed file categories are selected. If they aren’t, Chrome won’t be able to empty the entire cache. Instead, it will simply remove the most recent entries, which won’t result in the desired effect:

An alternative method of completing this process is to enter the following URL into your address bar:

chrome://settings/clearBrowserData

The resulting scre