ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED, what it means and how to fix it

Chrome is configured to send all traffic through a proxy server, and it cannot reach that proxy. The websites are fine; the middleman is missing. This usually appears after a VPN or security tool was removed (leaving its proxy settings behind), after malware set a proxy of its own, or when a work proxy is unreachable from home.

The fix, in order

  1. Open your proxy settings and look at what is set. Windows: Settings → Network & internet → Proxy. macOS: System Settings → Network → your connection → Details → Proxies. If a manual proxy address is listed and you do not use one at work or school, that leftover entry is the problem.
  2. Turn the manual proxy off (home users). If nothing in your setup needs a proxy, switch off “Use a proxy server” and reload. This resolves the error in the majority of home cases.
  3. If you do need the proxy (work or school), connect the way it expects. Many office proxies are only reachable on the office network or through the company VPN. Connect the VPN first, then reload.
  4. Check the proxy address and port for typos. One wrong digit in the port makes the proxy unreachable even when the server is healthy.
  5. Scan for malware if the proxy setting keeps coming back. Adware and browser hijackers set their own proxy to intercept traffic, and the setting reappearing after you clear it is the telltale sign.

If it still happens

If the proxy is required and reachable for colleagues but not for you, your account or device may not be authorized on it, which is a question for the network's administrator rather than a browser setting.

Common questions

What is the difference between ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED and ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED? Proxy connection failed means Chrome could not connect to the proxy server at all. Tunnel connection failed means the proxy answered, but could not open a tunnel through to the destination site. The first is a reachability problem; the second is the proxy refusing or failing the onward hop.

Why did this error appear when I never set a proxy? Software sets proxies on your behalf: VPN clients, security suites, and malware all do it. When the program goes away or its server dies, the setting remains and every page fails. Clearing the leftover setting is the fix.

Related errors

ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED · ERR_CONNECTION_FAILED · ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED