Google Chrome is a popular browser; however, it will show many technical errors on the display. These errors are difficult to understand by end users who primarily browse internet for getting information. In our earlier articles, we have explained how to fix popular errors like error connection reset, error connection closed and Aw! Snap error. In this article, let us explain how to fix tunnel connection failed error or ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED error in Google Chrome.
What is Tunnel Connection Failed Error?
When you open a webpage on Chrome or any other browser, the browser will send the HTTP request to reach the source server that hosts the website.
When a network administrator or internet service provider blocks the request from browser then Chrome will show the ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED message. It will indicate that the requested website cannot be reached due to temporarily down or permanently moved.
What is Tunneling Protocol?
Tunneling protocol is communication method that forwards the movement of data from one network to another. You can read more about tunneling protocol in Wikipedia, but the essential part of tunneling is that the network administrator can use tunneling to monitor your activities and provide restricted access.
Generally, companies uses patch, proxy or VPN servers for tunneling and block websites within an organization that can be accessed outside in public network. In contrast, open proxies and open VPN servers use this for routing the connection through unrestricted layer and open up the restricted access.
Therefore, the summary is that when you see ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED error in Google Chrome, you are connecting to internet through a monitored usage by administrator, ISP, VPN or proxy server.
How to Fix Tunnel Connection Failed Error in Google Chrome?
Basic things you can do to fix the error is to clear your browsing history, reset TCP/IP, flush DNS and change to Google Public DNS. If that does not help then try one of the following solutions.
- Blocked by Network Admin
- Restricted internet access
- Change LAN settings
- Check VPN and proxy server
- Check status in Safe Mode
- Disable Antivirus
1. Blocked by Network Admin
If you are seeing the error when working in an administered network like inside an organization then most probably, your network administrator blocks the site. It is very common that companies and schools restrict the access to social and video streaming sites like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Try to access other websites and confirm the internet connection is working fine. Check whether you can access the sites outside the network, for example, from your phone using mobile data connection. If you can access sites outside the network then contact the network administrator to confirm whether they are blocking your connection.
2. Restricted or Blocked Internet
There are many countries and internet service providers’ block the access to free internet. For example, countries like China has great internet censorship and blocks most of the globally popular websites. When you try access YouTube, Facebook or Google, you will get gateway timeout error or error tunnel connection failed error.
Frankly, you cannot do much except purchasing VPN from reliable companies to unblock the websites.
3. Check LAN Settings
If you are using home or private network without any restriction and living in a free internet world then possibilities of getting the tunneling error should be within your computer or browser. As mentioned, first clear the browser history and try public DNS to avoid corrupted cache entries causing the problem.
If things are not working then it is time to check your network connection. You can do this from Chrome or on your Windows/macOS computer.
Launch Google Chrome and open the command URL “chrome://settings”. Scroll down and click on the “Advanced” option to open up the advanced settings.
Look for “System” section and click on the “Open proxy settings” link. It will open internet properties dialog box on Windows 10 and network preferences settings in macOS.
On Windows 10:
Click on the “LAN settings” button under “Connections” tab. On the next “Local Area Network (LAN) Settings” popup, disable all the check boxes.
On macOS:
Go to “Proxies” tab and disable all proxy entries.
Note that, your administrator may check and reset the patch or proxy back periodically. For example, they can scan the entire network every 30 minutes and enable the checkbox in the settings. This will stop your access again and show the error in the browser. In such case, you need to contact administrator to disable your computer from the auto settings change.
4. Check VPN and proxy server
Other things that could change your network are VPN and proxy servers. For proxy servers, you need to disable it in the network settings as explained above.
Though Windows 10 allows adding VPN, most VPN companies offer separate app or profile installation. Disable VPN app or profile and check the connection is successful. If you find VPN or proxy is the problem, contact the VPN or proxy service support and clarify with them about the error.
5. Check Status in Safe Mode with Networking for Windows 10
Windows 10 allows multiple startup options to boot your computer for troubleshooting purposes. Boot your computer in safe mode with networking option and check whether you can access the webpages successfully.
If yes then the problem could be due to outdated drivers and other applications running on your computer. Here you may need to spend time on narrowing down the issue to find the specific app that causes the problem.
6. Disable Antivirus and Firewall
Sometime Windows defender and other antivirus applications can stop the network. You can temporarily disable antivirus and check the internet connection. Follow the instructions in these article for disabling firewall connection on Windows 10 and macOS.
Conclusion
Facing connection errors in Chrome is very common. So don’t get panic when you get such error, most of the time refreshing the webpage will solve the problem. Otherwise, follow one of the above explained solutions to fix the error.
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