How to Fix an “Err_empty_response” Error in Google Chrome

Google Chrome is one of the most stable web browsers out there. However, this browser by Google isn’t without issues. Occasionally, you’ll encounter various problems with the browser. One of the possible problems you can run into while using Chrome is “err_empty_response.”

When this error occurs, you can’t load the website that you’re trying to open. This is because Chrome is unable to transmit any data to and from your computer. Since this error usually occurs due to network problems, you can potentially fix it with a few quick fixes.

Use Incognito Mode

In normal mode, Chrome loads all your cookies, extensions, cache, and various other files when you begin browsing. If there’s an issue with these items, Chrome may display an “err_empty_response” error.

To verify if these items are the issue, open an incognito window in Chrome. This window doesn’t load your cookies and extensions. This way, you can see whether your site loads with raw Chrome features or not.

1. Open Chrome on your PC.
2. Select the three dots at the top-right corner of Chrome and choose New Incognito Window. Alternatively, press Ctrl + Shift + N on your keyboard.

3. In Chrome’s incognito window, try to access your website and see if it loads.

If the site loads just fine in the incognito window, there’s likely an issue with your browser’s items. You’ll learn how to remove these items from your browser and potentially fix the problem in the sections below.

Disable Chrome’s Extensions

Chrome supports hundreds of extensions, and for some users, this means the freedom to add any features they want to their browser. Sometimes, this comes at a cost. An extension you install might not be compatible with the browser or is faulty, and that can cause the browser to display an “err_empty_response” error.

You won’t know what extension is causing the issue until you do an investigation. And, the best way to do that is to disable one extension at a time and see if your site loads. This will help you find the problem extension, and you can then remove that extension from the browser.

1. Select the three dots at the top-right corner of Chrome and choose More tools > Extensions.

2. You’ll see all your installed extensions. Here, turn off the toggle for the first extension to disable it.

3. Now try to open the website that displayed an “err_empty_response” error before.
4. If the site still doesn’t load, disable the next extension on the list.
5. If your site loads after you disabled a particular extension, that extension might be the cause of the issue. In this case, select the Remove button for that extension to remove it from your browser.

Clear Chrome’s Browsing Data

To help you browse the web with ease, Chrome saves a variety of items in its database. This usually includes the list of web pages you’ve visited, cookies from various sites, cache files, and so on.

At any point, Chrome may not be able to handle this data properly. In this case, you could experience various issues with the browser, including an “err_empty_response” error.

Luckily, you can clear all this data in Chrome and then have the data rebuilt as you browse the web.

1. Select the three dots at the top-right corner of Chrome and choose Settings.

2. On the Settings screen, select Privacy and security from the left sidebar and then choose Clear browsing data on the right.

3. In the Clear browsing data window, select the Advanced tab at the top.
4. Select All time from the Time range dropdown menu. Then, enable all the boxes in the list.

5. Finally, select Clear data at the bottom of the window to clear your browsing data in Chrome.
6. Relaunch Chrome and try to access the site that was inaccessible before.

Clear Chrome’s DNS Cache

Chrome caches DNS records, and it’s worth clearing the DNS cache to see if this fixes your issue with the browser.

1. Type the following in Chrome’s address bar and press Enter:
   
   chrome://net-internals/#dns

2. Select the Clear host cache button.

3. Choose Sockets from the left sidebar.
4. Select the Close idle sockets button. Then, select the Flush socket pools button.

5. Relaunch Chrome.
6. Try to access your site.

Flush Your PC’s DNS Cache

In addition to clearing Chrome’s DNS cache, you should delete your PC’s DNS cache as well to see if this resolves the “err_empty_response” error in Chrome.

Clearing the cache doesn’t delete your browsing history or any of your files.

1. Open the Start menu, search for Command Prompt, and select Command Prompt in the search results.

2. Type the following command in the Command Prompt window and press Enter:
   
   ipconfig /flushdns

3. Close the Command Prompt window.
4. Launch Chrome and try to access your site.

Change Your PC’s DNS Server

Sometimes, inactive or faulty DNS servers cause Chrome not to establish a connection with your sites. In this case, you should change your PC’s DNS servers to fix the issue.

The two most popular and free DNS servers are:

Google Public DNS

• Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
• Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4

OpenDNS

• Preferred DNS server: 208.67.222.222
• Alternate DNS server: 208.67.220.220

To use either of these DNS servers on your PC:

1. Open the Settings app by pressing Windows + I keys at the same time.
2. Select Network & Internet in Settings.

3. Choose Change adapter options.

4. Right-click your network adapter and select Properties.

5. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 in the list and then choose Properties.

6. Enable the Use the following DNS server addresses option.
7. Fill-in the Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server fields with the values from above (Google Public DNS or OpenDNS).

8. Then, select OK followed by Close on your screen.
9. Open Chrome and try to open your site.

Turn Off the VPN

If Chrome displays the “err_empty_response” error when you’ve enabled a VPN, the VPN might be the cause of the issue. In this case, disable the VPN and see if that makes any difference. This might fix your problem because VPNs, by nature, affect how your data is transmitted.

The exact steps to turn off a VPN varies by the client you use. Usually, you’ll find the Disable or Turn Off option on the main interface of your client.

If the issue is resolved after disabling the VPN, there’s an issue with your VPN client. In this case, either select a new location in your VPN or switch to a new VPN provider.

Reset Chrome

Lastly, if nothing else works, reset Chrome and see if this helps fix your problem. Resetting Chrome brings all the browser options back to their default values. This can eliminate any incorrectly configured options in Chrome’s settings.

1. Select the three dots at the top-right corner of Chrome and choose Settings.
2. Select Advanced followed by Reset and clean up in the left sidebar.

3. Select the Reset settings to their original defaults option.

“Err_empty_response” Error Resolved

That’s all there is to fix the “err_empty_response” error in Google Chrome. Hopefully, using one of the methods above, you should be able to resolve this error and access your websites.