LightAtom

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT: How to Fix It

The browser tried to connect but got no reply before giving up. The server may be down or overloaded, or something on the path is silently dropping traffic.

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT

Your browser sent a connection request and waited, but no answer came back in time. The server, a firewall or a network in between didn't respond.

Quick checks

  • Try the site on another network, such as mobile data.
  • Check whether other sites load. If none do, your connection is the problem.
  • Disconnect any VPN or proxy.
  • Wait a few minutes: overloaded sites often recover on their own.

Fixes on Mac

  1. Test the route to the server

    1. Run ping -c 5 example.com in Terminal. Replies mean the server is reachable; timeouts suggest it's down or blocks ping.
    2. Run traceroute example.com to see where replies stop. If they stop inside your ISP's network, contact the ISP.

  2. Remove proxies and VPN configurations

    1. System Settings › Network › Wi-Fi › Details › Proxies: turn off unused proxies.
    2. System Settings › VPN: disconnect VPNs, and remove configurations from apps you no longer use.

  3. Flush DNS, in case it points to an old server

    1. Run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.
    2. In Chrome, clear chrome://net-internals/#dns and flush #sockets.

  4. Check firewalls and content filters

    1. Look in Little Snitch, LuLu or your security software for blocked connections to the site.
    2. Screen Time and some parental-control apps also block sites silently.

Fixes on Windows

  1. Reset network settings

    1. Run ipconfig /flushdns and netsh winsock reset as administrator, then restart.
    2. Check C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts for entries pointing the site elsewhere.

  2. Check proxy settings

    1. Settings › Network & internet › Proxy: turn off manual proxies you don't use.

Other devices

  1. Phones and the router

    1. Restart the router if every device on your Wi-Fi times out.
    2. On public Wi-Fi, open any http:// page to trigger the login (captive) page; until you accept it, connections time out.

Still not working?

If the traceroute stops at your router or the first ISP hop, your line or ISP has a problem. If it reaches the destination's network and stops there, the site's firewall drops your traffic or the server is overloaded.

Site owners: a timeout usually means a firewall or cloud security group silently dropping the port, a server that's out of resources, or DNS pointing to an old IP.

See what’s happening

LightAtom's connections view shows connections stuck in SYN_SENT, the state of a connection that never got a reply, and which app made them.

Frequently asked questions

What does ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT mean?

The browser waited for the server to accept the connection and gave up after no reply. Unlike a refused connection, nothing answered at all.

Is it my internet or the website?

Try the site on mobile data and check other sites. If only this site fails everywhere, it's the website. If everything is slow or failing on your network, it's your connection.

Can a firewall cause a timeout?

Yes. Firewalls usually drop blocked traffic silently instead of refusing it, so blocked connections show up as timeouts.

What is ERR_TIMED_OUT?

A closely related Chrome error: the connection or the response took too long. The same checks and fixes apply.

Related errors and tools

Related

LightAtom team

The people who build LightAtom, a network monitor for macOS.