How to Fix ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT

The ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error means your browser sent a request to a website but never got a reply — the connection simply ran out of time waiting. This can be caused by your internet connection, your computer's network settings, or (less often) the website itself.

Step 1: Check whether the site is actually down

Visit a site like downdetector.com or isitdownrightnow.com on your phone using mobile data. If the site is down for everyone, you'll need to wait for the owner to fix it — nothing on your end will help.

Step 2: Restart your router and modem

Unplug both devices from power, wait 30 seconds, then plug the modem in first and wait 60 seconds before plugging the router back in. Test the site once your connection restores.

Step 3: Flush your DNS cache

Your computer caches DNS lookups (the process of converting a domain name to an IP address). A stale cache entry can cause timeouts.

On Windows: open Command Prompt as administrator and type:

ipconfig /flushdns

On Mac: open Terminal and type:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Step 4: Change your DNS server

Your ISP's DNS servers can sometimes be slow or unresponsive. Try switching to a faster, more reliable DNS. Go to your network adapter settings and set the DNS to 8.8.8.8 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) as your primary, with 8.8.4.4 or 1.0.0.1 as secondary.

Step 5: Check your firewall and antivirus

Security software can sometimes block connections to certain sites. Temporarily disable your firewall and antivirus to test — if the site loads, add it as an exception in your security software.

Step 6: Reset network settings

On Windows, open Command Prompt as administrator and run these commands one at a time:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Restart your computer after running these.

If one specific site always times out for you but works on other devices or connections, ask us — it may be an ISP-level routing problem.