How to Fix “Your Connection is Not Private” Error in Google Chrome (2024)

Google hassecurity measures in place to protect you against suspicious sites. And itsprings into action whenever it thinks you’re about to make a mistake.

Take the Your Connection Is Not Private message.While many consider it an error, it’s actually a warning. When users are aboutto log into an unsecure site, Google steps in and puts the connection on holduntil you’re able to sort things out.

This securitymeasure is good in most cases. But there are instances when the search engineblocks out trusted sources. Why is it doing that? How can you put an end to it?

In this post,we’ll go into the nature of the problem and provide steps on how you can fixit.

Problem: Your Connection is Not Private

When users sendrequests to load a site, your browser runs security checks in the background.It looks at digital certificates installed on site servers and makes sureeverything’s in order.

In layman’sterms, digital certificates (also known as SSL certificates) are a means ofauthenticating the identity of site owners. They’re also measures that ensureall transactions are kept confidential.

If Google finds asuspicious certificate, it will stop the browser from loading the site. It’s atthis point when users are shown the message in question.

The Risk

Google gives youthe option to ignore its warning and manually enter the site. But what wouldhappen if you do?

A website with abad certificate can’t protect your data from encryption. This is troublingespecially when the affected site requires users to provide login information.Even worse, it could compromise your payment information.

Your data couldbe stolen if you proceed without caution.

How to Fix the Problem

Logging in to anunsecure site is not recommended. But what if you’re really sure about thesite’s integrity? Well, two things could have triggered the warning. Therecould really be a problem with the site’s certificates. Or the issue isactually caused by your settings.

Let’s explore possible solutions to ending this annoying error.

Refreshthe page

Starting with themost obvious solution, try refreshing the webpage. The warning could have beendisplayed by mistake. Hit F5 orclick the Refresh button on yourbrowser and see if that fixes the problem.

Checkyour clock

There’s a chancethat your computer’s clock is incorrectly synced. Browsers like Google Chromerely on clocks to be set up properly when verifying SSL certificates. This iswhere your Chrome connection is not private error possibly stems from.

Setting thecorrect time on your computer is easy.

Windows

On your taskbar,right-click the time and select AdjustDate/Time. Go to Date & Time> Set Time Automatically andswitch it to the On position. Reloadyour browser and revisit the site. See if the connection not private error isstill there.

Mac

Go to the Apple Menu > System Preferences. Click the Date& Time. Choose to set the date and time automatically then select atime zone. Revisit the site to see if this fix worked.

Clear Your Cache

Clearing thecache is a go-to solution for common browser-related concerns. You could stopgetting your connection is not private notifications through the Clear Browsing Data functionality.

First, check ifthe error persists in Incognito Mode.To the unfamiliar, this mode lets you browse without saving information likebrowser history and cookies. If the site is able to load while incognito, yourcache needs to be flushed.

Press CTRL + Shift + N in GoogleChrome to start an incognito session.

To clear yourcache, go to Chrome Settings > More Tools > Clear Browsing Data or hit CTRL+ Shift + Del. Select a time range and tick Cached Images and Files. Click ClearData to continue.

ClearSSL state

Clearing the SSLcertificate on your computer can help get things back to normal. The process iscomparable to clearing your browser’s cache.

To clear the SSL slate in Windows (and hence Chrome too), open Internet Options (click on Start and type internet options). Under the Content tab, click the Clear SSL State button. Restart Chrome afterward.

Mac users can follow the steps in this maintenance guide.

Turn Off Antivirus

Some antivirussoftware can affect your network settings. Try turning them off temporarily tosee if that’s what’s causing the connection is not private error.

The same can besaid for virtual private network (VPN) users.

Update Your DNS

If you’ve madechanges to your DNS in the past, it may be time to have it obtain an addressautomatically. Some Google Public DNS users have experienced issues afterswitching to 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4.

Windows users canupdate their DNS by opening the ControlPanel. Go to Network and SharingCenter > Change Adapter Settings.

Right-click yournetwork and click Properties.

A new window willpop up. Go to the Networking tab. Tick InternetProtocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or InternetProtocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6). Once done, click Properties.

Another windowwill pop up. Under the General tab,tick Obtain DNS Server AddressAutomatically.

Conclusion

The listedsolutions should help if the issue is on your end. However, if the SSLcertificates are expired, site administrators need to apply a fix themselves.Help them out by sending an email or contacting them via social media.

Christopher Jan Benitez is a freelance writer for hire who provides actionable and useful web content to small businesses and startups. In his spare time, he religiously watches professional wrestling and finds solace in listening to '80s speed metal. Read Christopher's Full Bio