How to Fix Err_Connection_Refused Error
Are you currently seeing the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error in Chrome while trying to access a WordPress website or any site?
This error makes the site inaccessible.
Here’s the appearance of this error on Google Chrome:
As you can see, the browser says the site can’t be reached, even though you have internet connection.
Of course, this isn’t specifically a Chrome error; you can encounter this problem on other browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, etc.
Err_Connection_Refused error is indicative of a connection issue that could be coming from the browser, or the server hosting the site you are trying to access.
Sometimes, it could be that your firewall or antivirus software is preventing your connectivity. Other times, your router could be the culprit.
However, telling exactly where the problem is coming from can often be difficult, even frustrating.
But not to worry, in this article, we will show you easy ways to fix the err_connection_refused error.
In this article:
What Causes Err Connection Refused Error?
Like we earlier mentioned, there are a number of possible causes of this error.
It could be that you are using an outdated browser. Also, when you experience this error, there’s a good chance that the web server holding the site you are looking to access is down.
In other cases, faulty chrome extensions can as well trigger this error. Mind you, faulty can also mean outdated.
Lastly, wrongly configured proxy settings can also fire up unpleasant connection errors.
How to Fix ErrConnectionRefused Error
Thankfully, there are a couple of techniques you could use to solve err_connection_refused error. Let’s go through some of them right away.
Check Your Internet Connection
This one is a no-brainer. If for some reason you are unable to connect to the internet, you will see error messages all over your internet browser.
As such, check to see if you are still connected to the internet whenever you experience this error.
Temporarily Disable Firewall and Antivirus
Windows firewalls can at times be the culprit when you see err_connection_refused errors. Firewalls and antivirus software are there to protect your computer from harm, especially when you are surfing the net.
They do this by automatically blocking off web content they suspect as being malicious.
The problem, however, is that they aren’t perfect. As such, you can experience difficulties accessing a web page, all because your firewall deems it harmful.
To this end, temporarily disabling your antivirus or firewall can be an effective solution against err_connection_refused error.
Only be sure to reactivate them once the error has been fixed, else you leave your computer vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Clear Your Browser Cache
This is yet another simple, but effective solution. So, how does clearing cache help fix your connection issues, you may wonder?
When you visit a website, your browser stores files and data from that site as cache. That way, the next time you visit the site, rather than requesting files from the server holding the site, your browser simply uses the cached files. And this helps save both time and bandwidth.
The problem with caching is that if your browser is still keeping outdated files from a website, you will likely experience err_connection_refused error. For this reason, it makes sense to clear your browser cache from time to time.
To clear the cache on the Chrome browser, hold down Shift + Ctrl + Delete keys on the PC.
You will see the following screen.
Select All time from the Time range. Then check the ‘Cookies and other site data’, and ‘cached images and files’ options as shown in the image above. Now hit the Clear data button.
Doing this will clear all browsing cache and cookies from your browser. Hopefully, your connection problems should be fixed by now. If it still persists, proceed to the next method.
Reinstall Chrome Browser – Err_Connection_Refused Error
If your chrome browser hasn’t been updated in a while, there is a good chance it’s having compatibility issues with your operating system.
As oddly simple as it might appear, reinstalling your chrome browser can help fix this error.
Of course, you would have to install the latest version of chrome. You can get it here.
Clear Your DNS Cache
So you just cleared your browser cache, only to be asked to do another cache clearing. Well, the thing is, DNS and browser cache – though similar – are different.
Simply put, a DNS cache is a database your computer uses to store information about your browsing activities. That is to say, your system stores data and files of websites you visit in the DNS cache. It does this so as to minimize the number of times it makes contact with a website’s DNS servers.
Clearing – or in this case flushing – your DNS cache can also be helpful here.
To do so on the PC, first fire up your command prompt by hitting the Windows key and typing CMD. Then click on Command Prompt.
In the command prompt, copy and paste the following DNS flush command
ipconfig /flushdns
Then hit the enter key. You should see a message telling you DNS resolver cache has been successfully flushed.
After you have flushed the DNS, restart your computer and check if the Err_Connection_Refused error has been resolved. If it hasn’t, move to the next method.
Disable Chrome Extensions Installed on Your Browser
Extensions are to browsers what plugins are to WordPress sites.
The problem with extensions, however, is that having too many of them can trigger an error in Google chrome. As such, if you are still experiencing connection errors, it’s about time you audited your chrome extensions.
To do so, first, go through them to see which needs updating. If after updating them the error still persists, begin uninstalling the extensions one at a time.
For every uninstall, refresh your browser to see if the error has cleared off. Do this until you no longer have the error.
Not sure how to uninstall an extension? Begin by clicking the three vertical dots on the top right side of your browser. Then navigate to More tools > Extensions.
Then locate the extension you wish to uninstall and click Remove
Change Your Proxy Servers Settings – Err_Connection_Refused Error
Proxy servers help protect your identity when surfing the internet through what is known as VPN (Virtual Private Network). They do this by masking your IP address, thus making it difficult for web servers to obtain sensitive information about you.
The problem with VPN is that most websites are smart enough to detect them, and so will block their connection.
Even worse, wrongly configured proxy server settings can cause errors.
Thankfully, you can adjust your computer’s proxy server settings right within chrome. To do so, click the three-dot icon on the top-right corner of your browser and select Settings. Then scroll down and click Advanced.
Scroll down some more and select Open your computer’s proxy’s settings.
This will open up your computer’s LAN settings (on Windows). Finally, turn off Use a proxy server
And with that, you are done.
Conclusion – Err_Connection_Refused Error
We’ve shown you seven techniques you could use to fix err_connection_refused error. Hopefully, this error should have been cleared up by now.
However, if up to this point nothing has worked, you can reach out to the web administrator of the site you are trying to access. They might offer some help.
And if you are the webmaster, you can request our service to help you fix this error.
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