This site can’t be reached. www.youtube.com refused to connect. ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED. We’ve all seen it. Sometimes, Chrome just does not work. But, in this article, we teach you six ways to fix Err_Connection_Refused errors on Chrome.
Check Website Status
Sometimes, Chrome is not at fault. The website may actually be down. In our case, the YouTube videos wouldn’t load. Here’s what to do first.
- Go to, Down for everyone or just me.
- Paste the URL of the website in the box.
- Click or just me to view results.
Clear Chrome Browser Cache
We have an article teaching you how to clear Chrome’s browser cache. But, here are the important parts:
- Firstly, open Chrome.
- In the address bar, type chrome://settings/clearBrowserData.
- Hit enter.
- In the options that appear, choose cookies & other site data as well as Cached images & files.
- Lastly, click CLEAR DATA.
Once complete, close the browser and relaunch it. Go to the website to see if it works after clearing the cache.
Reset WiFi/Router
One of the simplest things to do is to turn off your router for 30 seconds. Then, turn it on again.
Once your router restarts, you can go back to the website to verify that everything works correctly.
Check Proxy Settings
How do you know if you’re using a proxy server? The steps are pretty simple. Here’s what to do:
- Go to Control Panel.
- Choose Network and internet from the options.
- Select Internet options.
- In the connections tab, choose LAN settings.
- Finally, next to Proxy Server, ensure that the checkbox next to “Use a proxy server…” is not checked.
Clear Your DNS Cache/Reset IP
- Firstly, open a Command Prompt window with admin privileges.
- Simply hit the Windows key and search for Command Prompt. Right-click it. Choose Run As Administrator.
- In the window that appears, paste or type the following:
netsh winsock reset catalog
- Hit enter on the keyboard.
A message, “Successfully Flushed The DNS Resolver Cache” ought to appear. Once it does, enter the following:
ipconfig/flushdns
- Hit enter.
- Lastly, restart your computer.
Use Public DNS Servers
As a bonus tip, I recommend that you change your internet service provider’s default DNS addresses to a faster and more secure DNS.
You can read about and choose one of the fastest DNS servers. I recommend the CloudFlare option.