How to fix an err_connection_timed_out error?

A common and particularly annoying error message, err_connection_timed_out can be caused by many different factors. At the most basic level, your web browser is telling you that it cannot connect to a website. Here’s how to fix this particular issue:

1. Retry the website. The issue could be a temporary glitch that is resolved when you refresh and reload.
2. Check your internet connection. Can you access any other website? If not, the issue is probably to do with your internal network or router. Often the fastest (and simplest) way to check is to reboot your computer/device and the network router.
3. If rebooting doesn’t fix the issue and you still cannot access websites, contact your ISP for advice – there may be a broadband outage in your area. The ISP will take you through some additional tests to confirm the issue, advise if there is a problem with their network or perhaps arrange for an engineer to perform additional troubleshooting.
4. If other websites are working fine, try clearing the web browser cache. This ensures that old, outdated settings are not causing problems.
5. Some adblockers and antivirus tools interfere with your web browsing. Try temporarily disabling them to test whether the site is being blocked by one.

Still seeing the same error? It is possible that the website itself has crashed under the weight of too much traffic or some kind of technical outage.

Advice for website owners and operators

If you are hosting websites (or provide reseller webhosting) and receive reports of err_connection_timed_out errors from your users: First, confirm the problem is not related to local computer or networking issues using the troubleshooting steps above. If the problem persists you will need to report an outage to your web host.

Your web hosting provider will work with you to identify the source of the server-side issue. They may also be able to suggest potential improvements, such as increasing RAM allocations for your content management system, that will help increase performance and prevent future outages.

What causes the err_connection_timed_out error?

Normally err_connection_timed_out errors are caused by a connection problem, like a broadband disconnection or slow WiFi network connectivity. For various reasons your browser cannot communicate with the website in question.

Anything else I need to know about err_connection_timed_out error?

The err_connection_timed_out error is most often seen when using Firefox or Google Chrome web browsers. The Microsoft Edge error is slightly different - ERR_TIMED_OUT – but the causes are usually the same.

Safari users see a generic warning “Safari cannot open the page ‘xyz.com’ because the server where the page is located isn’t responding”. Don’t be fooled, the issue could still be a problem with local network connectivity, so you should still follow the instructions above first.