How to Fix Aw Snap Error in Google Chrome?

Nearly 60% of the internet users use Google Chrome as their default browser. So there is no need to analyze what is the best browser at this point of time. Sometimes the most popular things have more annoying issues as well and Chrome is not an exception to that. There are popular issues in Chrome like resolving host, blank white page, fonts, Ajax and Aw, Snap!. In this article let us explore how to fix “Aw, Snap!” error in Google Chrome.

What is “Aw, Snap!” or He’s Dead, Jim! Error?

Well, there is no real meaning for “Aw, Snap!”. It is just a jargon shown when Chrome couldn’t open a webpage. There could be different reasons for this error from simple to complex with the most common reason is being running out of memory.

Here is the list of fixes for “Aw, Snap!” Error in Google Chrome browser.

1. Reload the Page

Simple and works most of the time. Just press the reload button on the browser to load the page again.

2. Memory Issue

The most common reason for the “Aw, Snap!” error is running out of memory. It could be due to the fact that you have many tabs opened in the browser or you run many other apps in parallel.

• Close all other apps to give more memory for Chrome
• Pause or cancel file downloads if running
• Close other programs running on your computer
• Close all other tabs and then reload the page that shows “Aw, Snap!” message.

Note: Remember, Google Chrome needs considerably larger memory compared to any other browsers. So ensure to have sufficient memory on your computer for Chrome to run fast.

3. Disable Extensions

The installed extensions on your Chrome can also cause the memory issue. In order to find that, first close your browser. Then open again in incognito mode and then open the page that was showing “Aw, Snap!” error.

If the page loads properly then it is evident that one of the installed extensions could be the reason for the error. Because Chrome does not load extensions in incognito mode. In other way, you can disable all extensions and check. Go to the URL “chrome://extensions/” in the browser. Disable all the installed extensions by uncheck the ‘Enabled” checkbox.

Note: If you run Chrome version less than 57, first we would recommend updating to the latest version. If you can’t update for any reason then go to “chrome://plugins/” and disable installed plugins. Remember the latest Chrome version will not have the option for plugin settings.

4. Clear Browser Cache

Chrome stores the static files of the site in browser cache to load the pages faster. But the erroneous data in the cache can cause different types of error like “Aw, Snap!”. So, go to the URL “chrome://settings/clearBrowserData” and delete all the historically stored items.

Try reloading the page again to see whether it opens without “Aw, Snap!” error.

5. Create New User Profile

Sometimes your user profile might have been corrupted and not allowing to load the page resulting in “Aw, Snap!” error. You can create a new user profile and check the page is loading with the new profile. Go to “chrome://settings/” page and click on the “Manage other people” under “People” section. Here you can delete your existing profile and create a new profile by clicking on “Add Person” option.

6. Update Google Chrome

If you face the “Aw, Snap!” error frequently, check you have the latest Chrome version installed. Just go the “chrome://settings/help” and Chrome will automatically check for the latest version for updating.

7. Try Older Chrome Versions or Canary Bleeding Edge Version

This is contrary to updating to the latest version. If the latest version does not work try with canary bleeding edge version. Basically this is an unstable developer version and you can install canary and stable Chrome versions in parallel. Open the page that shows “Aw, Snap!” error on canary version of Chrome and check the page can be opened.

You can also try downloading to lower versions if the error appears immediately after updating to latest version. Google does not offer the older version as older versions might have security vulnerabilities. So, we also don’t recommend going back to older version. If you still want to try then get the download of older Chrome versions here or here.

8. Disable Hardware Acceleration

Go to the URL “chrome://settings/” and click on the “Advanced” settings option. Look for “System” section and disable the checkbox against “Use hardware acceleration when available”.

9. Check for Malware

Malware could be the generic reason for browser crash and other related issues. Google offers a Chrome cleanup tool for Windows based computers. Earlier, this was available as a separate that you need to Install. However, this is available as part of Chrome settings. You can use this cleanup tool and check your PC for the malware that could cause browser crashes.

If you are on Mac, ideally there should be no malware when running with the latest version of macOS. If you find any suspicious app on your Mac, just trash it and cleanup.

10. Disable Antivirus Software

Antivirus software installed on your PC might be blocking the site you are trying to open in Chrome. So disable the antivirus temporarily and try to open the error page.

11. Restart the Computer

If nothing works, try restarting your computer. This will help to close all the services running in the background and occupy the memory. Once restarted, open Chrome and check the page is loading properly.