Starting as a humble, fast alternative browser in the era of Internet Explorer, Google Chrome has now evolved into the most-used web browser in the world. According to StatCounter, Chrome holds about 66% of the desktop browser market share in 2020. It makes a lot of sense since Chrome is lean, functional, and reliable without being bloated. Chrome’s functionality can also be extended by the use of extensions available through Chrome Web Store.
However, no software can be perfect. As a browser, sometimes Chrome suffers from bugs and errors we can’t comprehend, one of them is ERR_QUIC_PROTOCOL_ERROR. While it is infrequent, the appearance of this error can interrupt our browsing session.
What is ERR_QUIC_PROTOCOL_ERROR? This error appears when Chrome is unable to complete a request to the QUIC-enabled server. QUIC is an experimental protocol aimed to make secure transactions faster and serves as an alternative to TLS and SSL. It is used frequently in Google’s product, such as Gmail and YouTube. However, due to its experimental nature, sometimes QUIC is preventing users to connect to the website.
First Solution
There are a few steps that you could use to alleviate ERR_QUIC_PROTOCOL_ERROR from your side. If the error persists after following these steps, the site you are trying to visit might be down for maintenance. Visit the status page of the site/service you want to use and verify if the site/service is up.
The first step you should try is turning off the QUIC protocol in Chrome. As QUIC is developed by Google, there are no direct options to turn it off in the Chrome settings. Instead, you will need to go to chrome://flags and find “Experimental QUIC protocol”. Then, from the Flags page, you can choose “Disabled” to turn off QUIC. Restart your Chrome browser to allow the settings to take effect. If the problem persists, follow the next step.
Sometimes, the ERR_QUIC_PROTOCOL_ERROR is caused by an extension you installed. If you have recently installed an extension to your browser, you can visit chrome://extensions to manage extensions. On the page, you can see the extension name, as well as the publisher and its URL. To disable the extension, click on the blue switch underneath the extension name, and try visiting the site again.
Second Solution
If you are still unable to visit the site, a firewall might be intercepting your communication with the site. A firewall is a security hardware/software designed to protect your computer from malicious attacks from the internet. Windows included a software firewall called Windows Defender that can filter incoming and outgoing connections to your computer.
However, in some cases, Windows Defender could interfere with the communication of third-party software, such as Chrome.
To disable Windows Firewall, type “Windows Firewall” to Windows search menu, and click “Check firewall status”. A window with the firewall status will appear. Click the link labeled “Turn Windows Defender on or off”, and click “Turn off Windows Defender (not recommended)” in both “Public network settings” and “Private network settings”.
Restart your computer to allow the changes to take place, and open Chrome again. If everything is in order, the error will disappear and you will be able to browse the internet again.
Third Solution
However, if you are using a proxy server to connect to the internet, disabling proxy server settings might help to solve the problem. Google Chrome relies on Windows’ built-in proxy setting, so turning off proxy might be a bit complicated.
To start, open the Settings window by clicking the wrench icon in the Start menu. In the Settings window, search for “Internet Options”. After the Internet Properties window opens, click “Connections”, and “LAN Settings”.
Uncheck the option “use the proxy server except for addresses…” and click OK. To close the window and apply the settings, click Apply. As usual, restart your computer and open Chrome to see whether the problem has been solved.
If the problem has not yet been solved, you might need to reinstall Chrome as the last resort. If you want to reinstall Chrome, you might need to sign in to your Google account first in order to save your bookmark and settings.
In the Windows search bar, search for “Add or remove programs”, and click the first result. Find the Google Chrome entry, and click “Uninstall”. Follow the steps in your screen, and with another browser, visit chrome.google.com to download a fresh copy of Chrome and install it to your system.
