How to Fix ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED in Chrome

Google Chrome is one of the most used web browsers across the world. When it gets into some error codes, you can’t access any websites on it. One such error which prevents users from opening different sites in Google Chrome is ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED.

If you also use Chrome as your default browser and are encountering this error code, this article is for users like you. In this blog post, we will discuss all possible reasons that may result in this error code along with twelve working solutions for this.

What is ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED in Chrome?

ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED is a very common issue in Chrome and it mostly occurs when you switch to a different WiFi network. This is quite clear from the error description that you receive when this error code appears.

Here’s a snapshot of the error code and its description appearing in Google Chrome.

Just below this error code, you will also get a Reload button. Clicking on this button resolves this issue in most cases, and you get back to using Chrome as usual.

Why does this ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED occur in Chrome?

Now that you know what this error code is, let’s dive into why this occurs. Well, when you switch to a different WiFi network, your device takes some time to access different protocols from the new network.

The things Chrome requires from the changed network are its IP address, network configuration, proxy settings, and a few other things. This whole process takes some time, so you need to wait for a few seconds or minutes (in cases where your processor is not that strong).

However, if you reload the webpage in the meantime, you get to see this ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED in Chrome. On the other hand, there’s also a possibility that the changed network is quite slow, or doesn’t have an active internet plan.

Note: This error might also occur when you are using some incorrect DNS settings inside Google Chrome.

11 Ways Fix ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED in Chrome

To solve any error code in Chrome, you may try out these eleven troubleshooting methods, and have this issue resolved in the least possible time.

Solutions List

Restart your Internet connection
Run Internet Connection / Network Troubleshooter
Change DNS settings
Use Google’s Public DNS
Don’t use Google’s IPv6 DNS
Disable Proxy/VPN
Clear browsing data in Chrome
Update Network Adapter Driver
Disable prediction services in Chrome
Reinstall Google Chrome
Check your PC for malware
Don’t use both Ethernet & Wi-Fi on a single device

Note: In addition to fixing ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED in Chrome, the below solutions also help you to resolve error codes like “error 21, Google Chrome” and “network change was detected”.

1. Restart your Internet connection

As stated before, begin the troubleshooting by clicking on the Reload button. If the error persists even after this, make sure to restart your internet connection.

In case you are using an Ethernet network, unplug its RJ45 cable, clean it for possible dirt, and then plug it back into its respective port. Relaunch Chrome, and check if the error resolves now.

On the other hand, if you are using a Wireless Internet Connection, click on the WiFi icon available on the system tray. When this icon expands, locate and turn off the WiFi network. Enable it back and check if the network change issue resolves now.

Note: If you are receiving internet from a router, make sure to restart that as well. Doing so will reset the IP address and hopefully, fix the “a network change was detected” error as well.

2. Troubleshoot Internet Connections

Microsoft offers an in-built tool on Windows 11/10 that can check for the underlying issues on your behalf and have them resolved. Follow these easy steps to run this troubleshooter –

Right-click on the Windows icon (Start) and select Settings from the Power menu.
On Windows 11, go to System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters, and click on the Run button available next to Network and Internet.

Windows 10 users may navigate to Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters, and click to expand Internet Connections. When this expands, click Run the troubleshooter.

When the troubleshooter launches, click Next and follow the on-screen instructions.

This tool will run next and check for the underlying causes inside your browser. Wait for a few seconds while this tool is checking and repairs the issues within your system. After this is over, do restart your PC, and check if the network change error resolves from the subsequent login.

3. Reset DNS, IP, and Winsock

Using incorrect DNS settings may also result in similar error codes and prevent you from accessing different sites inside Google Chrome. To fix this, you may do the following –

Launch Command Prompt as administrator first.
When the UAC window prompts, hit Yes to authorize accessing CMD as an admin.
On the elevated console, copy/paste the following, and press Enter after each code.

ipconfig /flushdns

netsh int ip reset

netsh winsock reset

- The first command will flush the DNS whereas the other two codes will reset the IP address, and Windows network settings.
- Type “exit” without quotes on the console and press Enter. Doing so will make your exit from Command Prompt.

Relaunch Chrome and check if the “ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED” resolve this way.

4. Use Google’s Public DNS

Some faults within the DNS (Domain Name Server) may cause this error to appear again. If that’s the case, you better use Google’s Public DNS by following these easy steps –

Right-click on the Windows icon and then choose Network Connections from the list of options.
Go to WiFi, and select the network (to which your device is connected).
This would appear as “Your_Network_Name Properties.”

When this expands, scroll down to the “DNS server assignment”, and click the Edit button next to it.

A pop-up window will appear next on the display screen. First of all, use the drop-down menu and select Manual.
Enable IPv4, and put the following under the respective fields –

Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8

Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4

If you want, you may change the DNS over HTTPS on a manual template under both Preferred and Alternate DNS.
Click Save to confirm the recent changes and restart your PC.

Now that you are connected to Google’s Public DNS, restart Chrome, and check if this resolves the network issue on your PC.

How do I change DNS settings over Old PCs?

If you are on older versions of Windows, right-click on the adapter, to which you are connected, and select Properties. Next, you may do the following –

Scroll down the cursor to locate Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and then hit Properties again.
On the succeeding page, tick the radio button next to Use the following DNS server addresses and fill in the data as shown below.

Click OK to confirm the recent changes and restart your PC.

Check if the ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED issue resolves now on your Windows PC.

5. Don’t use Google’s IPv6 DNS

Though using Google’s Public DNS settings resolve different issues in Chrome, using its IPv6 DNS settings might result in error codes including, ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED. If you have enabled this, make sure to disable it first, and then check if the network issue resolves afterward.

For this, you may use these steps –

Press Windows + X, and select Network Connections.
Go to WiFi > Your_Network_Name Properties next.
Scroll down to the DNS server assignment, and click the Edit button next to it.
When this expands, disable the toggle switch next to IPv6.

That’s it, click Save to confirm the recent configuration, and restart your computer.

You must be able to open Chrome and access different sites on it without encountering any error codes.

Disable IPv6 DNS settings on older Windows versions:

Right-click on the Network adapter (Ethernet/WiFi), and select Properties.
Locate and click on the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) option.
Next, enable the radio button left of “Obtain DNS server address automatically.”

Click OK to confirm the recent changes and restart your Windows PC.

Sign back into your device again and check if the problem resolves this way.

6. Stop using Proxy/VPN

If you are using some Proxy or VPN in Windows and are receiving this ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED issue in Chrome, we suggest disabling them once. Here’s how to perform this task –

Press Windows + I to launch Settings.
Go to Network & Internet on the left navigation, and head over to the right pane.
Here, you will find VPN and Proxy settings separately.

Open each one of these two, and disable them from use on Windows PC.

After you disable both these tools in Windows, check if you can browse error-free in Google Chrome.

7. Clear browsing data in Chrome

Hopefully, the ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED issue must have been resolved on your Windows PC. If not, you may purge the unnecessarily stored cache inside it and check if the error resolves this way.

To do so, use these steps –

Open Google Chrome and select the ellipse icon (three dots) at the top right corner.
Select Settings followed by Advanced on the succeeding page.
Under the Privacy and Security section, tap the Clear browsing data option.
On the next screen, Change the Time range to “All time” using the drop-down menu.

Click on Clear Data to confirm the recent changes.

Relaunch Chrome and check if you can browse different websites in Google Chrome normally.

8. Update the Network Adapters

The presence of faulty network adapters inside Windows might also result in this error code. If that’s the case, you need to update all network-related drivers one after another. Here’s how to perform this task –

Press Windows + R to launch the Run dialog.
Type devmgmt.msc on it and hit OK.
Wait for the Device Manager to launch and when this does open, expand the “Network adapters” section.
Right-click on each one of the available drivers inside, and update them to their latest versions.

Starting from Windows 10 version 21h2, and all versions of Windows 11, Device Manager no longer works. If you are on any of these versions, you better look out for updates by visiting the below path –

Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates

If you do find any pending driver updates, make sure to download and install them on your Windows PC. Restart your computer and check if the network error resolves now.

9. Disable Prediction services in Chrome

Google Chrome provides some prediction services that help to load pages more quickly. Though this is a great feature by Google, this may sometimes prevent you from accessing websites on it. Here’s how to perform this task –

First, open Google Chrome and select the ellipse icon (vertical three dots).
Here, select Settings followed by the Advanced option.
Again, disable Use a prediction service to load the page more quickly toggle switch.

Once this service is turned off, the Chrome issue may get solved.

Note: When you disable these services, the website may load slowly.

10. Reinstall Google Chrome

Sometimes this issue might be browser-specific, therefore check whether it occurs on other web browsers too or not. If this error code doesn’t appear on other web browsers, you should uninstall and then reinstall Chrome on your PC. Here’s how:

Press the Windows key & I to launch Settings.
Once the page opens up, tap Apps followed by Apps & Features on the left pane.
Switch to the right-hand side and select Google Chrome.
Now hit the Uninstall button to remove this app from your system.

After you uninstall Chrome successfully from your PC, close all running windows in the background, and restart your PC.

From the subsequent login, you may reinstall Google Chrome by visiting its official site.

11. Check your PC for malware

Sometimes the network not detected error might also occur due to some malware infection on your computer. You can never be sure of this unless you perform a full scan on your Windows PC. Follow these steps to initiate a full scan using the built-in security app, i.e. Windows Security.

First, go to the notification area of the System tray and select the Shield icon (Windows Security).
Once the page comes into view, tap Virus & threat protection thereafter Scan options on the subsequent page.
Now select the Full Scan radio button then hit Scan now.

The scanning process will start automatically, wait until it detects and removes malicious files from the system.

At last, Restart your system and try opening the web browser. Hope the ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED error in Chrome has been solved allowing you to access the internet without any interruption.

12. Don’t use both Ethernet & Wi-Fi on a single device

Using both Ethernet and WiFi simultaneously on your PC may increase the chances of receiving such error codes in Chrome. If you do use both network types on your computer, make sure to disable one, and check if this issue resolves afterward.

Conclusion

I hope this guide helps you to solve the ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED Chrome issue on your Windows PC. If you do have any queries related to this article, let’s know in the below comment section.