In Summary
- Google Chrome is the most popular browser used by millions of people around the world.
- Most Windows users set Google Chrome as their default browser. Recently, many users have complained that Google Chrome automatically crashes on Windows 11.
- In this guide, we will look at various methods to fix Google Chrome crashing on Windows 11.
We all know how popular the Google Chrome browser is. Most users use Google Chrome as the default browser on their Windows devices, even though there is an in-house browser, Microsoft Edge. Despite its good reputation, Google Chrome is also known for many issues, such as memory consumption, signing out, crashes, and more. If you’re here, we assume that you’re having issues with the Google Chrome browser. In this guide, we will introduce you to various methods to fix Google Chrome browser crash on Windows 11.
Table of Contents
Best Ways to Fix Google Chrome Crashing on Windows 11
Restart Your Windows 11 Computer
Let’s start with the simple troubleshooting method: restart your Windows 11. This should fix most of the issues related to Google Chrome, including the Windows 11 crash. You can follow the steps below to restart your Windows 11.
- Click on the “Windows” icon in the taskbar at the bottom.
- Now, click on the “Power” icon at the bottom right corner of the Start menu.
- Select the “Restart” option from the power options menu.”
- Alternatively, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to restart your Windows 11 device. Hold down the “Alt” key and the “f4” key. This will bring up the security options menu, where you can select “Restart” to initiate the restart process.
- Once the process is complete, open Google Chrome and check if the problem persists.
Run Google Chrome As an Administrator
The “Run as Administrator” option is very useful on the Windows operating system, as it allows apps to gain additional privileges while running the program. If Google Chrome crashes on your device, you can run it as administrator to fix the crash problem.
- Press the search icon on the taskbar and search for Google Chrome.
- Right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
- If the Chrome browser does not crash after that, follow the steps below to always run it as administrator.
- Right-click on Chrome and open Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab and check the box next to Run this program as administrator. Click OK.
Check Background Resources
Check the processes running in the background on Windows 11. Check if Google Chrome or another app needs more resources to run. If you fix this, the process consuming more resources will be killed to make room for Google Chrome. You can easily kill the background process of any app using Windows Task Manager by following the steps below.
- Open Windows Search by clicking the search icon in the taskbar and typing Task Manager.
- Now search for the apps/software that consume more system resources.
- Select the app and right click on it and Click on the end task.
Check the Network Connection
Sometimes, an inactive Internet connection can cause Google Chrome to crash. To fix this issue, just make sure that you are connected to the Internet and do not have any network issues or use a faster Internet connection.
- To check your internet connection, Click on the Network symbol located in the bottom right corner of the taskbar.
- A control panel will open, listing your device’s active network connections.
- You can also test your internet speed. To test your Internet speed, you can use third-party sites like an internet speed test or Network monitor tools to check the speed of your Internet connection.
Disable Anti-Virus on your PC
Antivirus software is designed to protect your system from viruses, but sometimes, it can also be the reason for crashing apps on Windows 11. To fix this, you can simply disable the antivirus software on your Windows 11. Follow the steps below to do that
- Go to the Windows settings. You can click on the search bar in the taskbar, search for “Settings,” and click on it.
- Go to the “Security” tab and click “Windows Security” in the search results.
- In the “Windows Security” window, click on “Virus and threat protection“.
- Under “Virus & threat protection settings”, click “Manage settings”.
- Scroll down to the “Real-time protection” section and turn it off with the toggle switch.
- If you are using third-party antivirus software, select the icon, right-click it and select “Exit”.
Delete Your Chrome User Profile
Profiles are an easy way to distinguish between users and their priorities. With profiles in Google Chrome, you can keep information like bookmarks, history, and browser settings separate from other users. Sometimes, a corrupted profile in Google Chrome can crash the browser completely. You can easily fix this problem by deleting the profile.
- Open Run by pressing Windows +R. Now type %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data and press enter on your keyboard.
- Copy the default folder and paste it to another location for backup purposes.
- Right-click on the Default and select Delete.
Run Program Compatibility Troubleshooter
The Program Compatibility Troubleshooter in Windows 11 helps diagnose and fix compatibility issues that can prevent programs from running correctly. When you run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter, it scans the program, identifies any compatibility issues, and then recommends settings that can help fix the problem. You can easily access the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter from the Windows main settings:
- Open Windows Settings and select Troubleshooter from the System menu.
- Select Other Troubleshooters.
- Run the Program Compatibility troubleshooter and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Now open Google Chrome and run the troubleshooter.
Disable Hardware Acceleration in Chrome
Hardware acceleration is a feature in Google Chrome that allows the browser to use your computer’s hardware, such as the graphics card, to speed up the opening of web pages and improve the overall performance of Google Chrome. Disabling hardware acceleration in Chrome can help fix these issues. You can easily disable it by following the steps below.
Follow the steps below to disable hardware acceleration in Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome and click on the three dots in the upper right corner to open Chrome’s main menu.
- Select “Settings” from the menu.
- Scroll to the bottom of the Settings page and click “Advanced” to expand the advanced settings options.
- In the “System” section, turn off the “Use hardware acceleration when available” option.
Clean Up Computer
Google Chrome has an in-built malware detection tool. When you run the Clean Up Computer feature, Chrome will scan your computer for any harmful software or malware that may be causing issues with your browsing experience. This includes things like pop-ups, unwanted ads, toolbars, and malicious extensions.
If a malicious software is detected, Chrome will provide you with the option to remove it. To use Google Chrome Cleanup, open Google Chrome > click on the three-dot menu and tap on the main settings > click on the reset and cleanup feature > now select Cleanup.
Remove All Google Chrome Extensions
Extensions for Google Chrome are a great way to extend the functionality of the browser. But sometimes, Google Chrome extensions can cause your Google Chrome to crash. To fix this, you can identify and remove the Google Chrome extension that causes the problem or use the Google Chrome browser in incognito mode.
To remove Google Chrome extensions, follow these steps:
- Open Google Chrome and click the three dots in the upper-right corner to open the Chrome menu.
- Select “More tools” from the menu and then “Extensions“
- On the extensions page, you will see a list of all the extensions you have installed. Find the extension you want to remove and click the “Remove” button next to it.
- A pop-up window will appear, asking you if you want to remove the extension. Click “Remove” again to confirm.
- The extension will be removed from Google Chrome.
- If you cannot open Google Chrome, press Windows+R, type chrome.exe –disable-extensions, and press Enter.
- If you want to temporarily disable an extension instead of removing it completely, you can simply set the switch next to the extension to “Off.”
To use Google Chrome in Incognito mode, follow these steps:
- Open Google Chrome.
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the browser window to open the Chrome menu.
- Select “New Incognito Window“ from the menu.
- A new browser window will open in Incognito mode.
- You can now browse the web in incognito mode. Any websites you visit and files you download in incognito mode will not be saved in your browsing history, cookies, or search history.
Clear the Cache in Chrome
Google Chrome browser’s cache makes it easier to open websites faster. Over time, the Chrome browser stores website data, images, and more. This can sometimes lead to problems like crashes and more. To fix this, you can simply clear the cache in Chrome. To clear the cache in Google Chrome, click the three-dot “More”icon in the upper right corner and then click “More Tools – Clear > browser data.”
Reset Chrome
Reset is another popular method to fix Google Chrome browser issues. When you reset your Google Chrome browser, all the settings and changes you have made to the browser will be reset to the default settings. This should help fix the Google Chrome crash problem. Follow the steps below to reset the Google Chrome browser on your PC. Note that resetting Chrome will remove all extensions, themes, and other customizations you’ve made to your browser and clear your browsing history, cookies, and cache. It is advisable to back up all important data and settings before resetting Chrome.
To reset Google Chrome on Windows 11, follow these steps:
- Open Google Chrome.
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and open the main menu of Google Chrome.
- Select “Settings” from the menu.
- Scroll all the way down and click “Advanced” to open the advanced settings options.
- Under the “Reset and clean up” section, click on “Restore settings to their original defaults.”
- A pop-up window will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to reset Chrome. Click on the “Reset settings” button.
- Alternatively, you can Type in chrome://settings/reset/ and hit the Enter button on the URL bar.
Reinstall the Google Chrome Browser
If the reset method does not help, try uninstalling and reinstalling Google Chrome browser. You can easily uninstall the current Google Chrome browser and install the latest version by following the steps below. Please note that uninstalling Chrome will delete all your bookmarks, settings, and other data associated with the browser. If you want to back up this data before uninstalling Chrome, you can export your bookmarks or create a backup of your Chrome profile.
Follow the steps to remove Google Chrome on Windows 11:
- Open Settings on Windows 11; you can access Settings via Windows Search or click the Windows icon and then tap the gear icon to get to Settings.
- Once you are in the settings, select “Apps“
- Scroll down to find “Google Chrome” in the list of installed apps and click on it.
- Now click on the “Uninstall” button.
- A pop-up window will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to uninstall Chrome. Click on the “Uninstall” button again.
- Confirm and uninstall Google Chrome.
Follow the steps below to install Google Chrome on Windows 11:
- Open Microsft Edge or any other browser and go to the official Google Chrome website. You can enter the URL (https://www.google.com/chrome/).
- Click on the “Download Chrome” button.
- A pop-up window will appear asking if you want to download Chrome for Windows. Click “Accept and Install” to continue.
- Once the download is complete, click on the downloaded file and run the Google Chrome installer.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process to install Google Chrome.
Update Windows 11
If the above troubleshooting techniques do not work, try updating Windows 11 to the latest version. Most users on public forums report that Google Chrome crashes after updating to Windows 11. This can be fixed by updating to the latest version of Windows 11, which includes a fix for this issue.
Follow the steps below to update Windows 11 to the latest version:
- Go to Settings
- Select “Windows Update” from the “Settings” menu
- Click on the “Check for updates” button.
- Windows will check if updates are available. If updates are available, click the “Download and Install” button.
- Once the update is complete, you may be prompted to restart your computer. Save any open work and click on the “Restart now” button to restart your computer.
- After your computer restarts, the latest version of Windows 11 will be installed on your device.
So, this is how you can fix Google Chrome crashing on Windows 11. With the Windows 11 update, many users started reporting sluggish and crashing issues on Google Chrome. Hope these troubleshooting methods are helpful to easily fix this issue. If you are unable to fix it, try shifting to other browsers for some time.
FAQs on Fix Google Chrome Crashing on Windows 11
1. How do I fix Chrome closing and reopening itself automatically?
There are several reasons why Chrome closes and reopens automatically. So, the solution depends on the particular cause. Here are some steps you can try:
- Check for malware: Malware can cause Chrome to behave abnormally and automatically close and reopen. Run a malware scan with a reputable antivirus software to check for infections.
- Disable extensions: Extensions can sometimes cause problems with Chrome. Try disabling all extensions and check if the problem persists. If not, enable one extension at a time until you find the culprit.
- Clear browsing data and cache: Clearing your browser data can sometimes help fix Chrome issues. Open Google Chrome’s main settings, go to Privacy and click Clear browsing data.
- Reset Chrome: Resetting Chrome to its default settings can help fix any configuration issues. Go to Chrome’s settings, click on “Advanced,” and then click on “Reset and clean up.” Select “Reset settings to their original defaults” and click “Reset settings.”
- Reinstall Chrome: Uninstalling and reinstalling Google Chrome may fix the problem. Make sure your data is backed up before removing Google Chrome from your device.
2. How to prevent Chrome from crashing when downloading files?
There can be many reasons why Google Chrome crashes when downloading files on Windows, such as not being able to find a folder, not having enough memory to complete the process, or a conflict with extensions. Here are some ways to fix it:
- Change the default download location: The current download location in Google Chrome could be the cause of the problem. Your browser might be having trouble accessing the download folder. To fix this, you can change the current download location.
- Disable browser extensions: Certain browser extensions can interfere with the download process and cause Chrome to crash. Try disabling all extensions and see if that fixes the problem.
- Disable antivirus software: Antivirus software can sometimes interfere with the download process and cause Chrome to crash. Try temporarily disabling your antivirus software to see if that fixes the problem.
- Check your internet connection: A slow or unstable internet connection can cause Chrome to crash when downloading files. Make sure that your internet connection is stable and working properly.
- Disable hardware acceleration: Hardware acceleration is a feature that uses your computer’s hardware to speed up Chrome’s performance. However, it can sometimes cause problems when downloading files. Go to Chrome’s settings, click “Advanced” and then uncheck “Use hardware acceleration when available”
- Reinstall Chrome: If none of the above solutions work, try uninstalling Chrome and then reinstalling it. To uninstall, go to Control Panel on Windows or Applications folder on Mac and uninstall Chrome. Then download Chrome from the official website and install it.
3. Google Chrome crashes when sharing Windows on Google Meet after upgrading to windows 11, How to fix
I found this solution on the Google support forum (Link). You can try disabling the RunSwUSB service. To do this, Open search the search bar, type services.msc
and open up the app. Find the RunSwUSB service, right-click on it, and select Properties
. A dialog should pop up where you can stop the service. Now select the startup type as Manual
.