How to remove ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?’ message?

Most of you probably know that Google Chrome is not only the most preferred web browser but also the fastest and most secure. It’s a cross-platform web browser that was released over a decade ago and has undergone major improvements since then.

However, the more complex the technology, the more chances of running into bugs and problems. One such bug that’s been bothering users is the Google unresponsive issue. The error manifests itself as “Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch Now?” and can be frustrating, especially if you have something urgent to do online. What’s more, if you choose to relaunch Chrome, it won’t help. Luckily, there are several workarounds to resolve this issue, and in today’s Windows tutorial, you’ll learn how to fix the ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?’ error.

Why Does the ‘Google Chrome Is Unresponsive’ Error Message Appear?

First, it’s important to understand the root cause of this error message before we present the solutions. The unresponsive issue usually appears when you’re attempting to open a link within an email message in Outlook or when you’re simply trying to launch the Google Chrome browser.

Some of the most common reasons that could trigger the unresponsive error message include:

• multiple Chrome processes running in the background;
• your antivirus software blocking Google Chrome, mistakenly marking it as ‘Untrusted’ or ‘Not permitted’;
• a corrupted Google Chrome application;
• malware infection;
• using an outdated version of Chrome.

How to Remove the ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?’ Warning

Solution 1: Restart Chrome

The first obvious troubleshooting step is to restart Chrome since the error could be a result of a small glitch in Chrome. With the Chrome browser open, click the three dots in the top right corner to open the menu and click “Exit”. Sometimes, simply clicking on the “X” icon to close Chrome leaves the browser running in the background, especially if you’ve enabled Chrome to run background apps when it’s closed.

To disable this option, open the menu, go to “Settings” and expand the “Advanced” section. Scroll down to the “System” section and click the toggle button next to “Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed” to disable the feature.

If restarting Chrome fails to get rid of the unresponsive issue, try the next solution below.

Solution 2: End All Chrome Processes in Task Manager

If you have multiple Chrome processes running in the background, it might cause the browser to crash, especially if your PC is low on RAM. Try to close all the processes and other programs that might be using a lot of system resources to see if it removes Chrome’s unresponsive warning message. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Right-click “Start” or press the Win + X shortcut and select “Task Manager”. Alternatively, press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut to launch Task Manager.
2. Look for Google Chrome processes running in the background, highlight each process and click “End task”.
3. Close the Task Manager window and relaunch Google Chrome to check if it’s still showing the ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?’ error message.

Solution 3: Install the Latest Chrome Version

We also mentioned that the Google Chrome unresponsive issue can be triggered if you’re using an outdated version of Chrome. If that’s the case, then you can easily resolve this issue by installing the latest version of Google Chrome. To do this, here are the steps to follow:

1. Open Chrome and click on the menu icon (the three dots in the top right corner).
2. Click “Help” and open the “About Google Chrome” option.
3. On the next window that appears, you’ll see the version that you’re currently running. Google Chrome will now automatically scan for new updates and install them.

Once you’ve updated Chrome to the latest version, check if the error message still appears when you attempt to open a link from an email or when you launch the Chrome app.

Solution 4: Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus Program

Some types of antivirus software can mistake the Google Chrome program for a malicious app and block it from running. To check whether your antivirus software is responsible for the error message, try disabling it temporarily and check if the issue disappears. If it does, you can create an exception in your firewall or uninstall the current security tool and install a different one that doesn’t block Chrome.

Solution 5: Run Google Chrome as an Administrator

If none of the solutions seem to work, try to run Chrome as an administrator. Here’s how:

1. Locate Google Chrome’s icon on your desktop and right-click it.
2. Select “Run as administrator”.

Now check if it fixes the issue. If it does, you might want to always run the Chrome browser as an administrator. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Right-click Chrome’s icon on your desktop and select “Properties”.
2. Open the “Compatibility” tab and check the box next to “Run this program as an administrator”.
3. Click Apply > OK to save the changes.

Solution 6: Run Your Email Client as an Administrator

Most users encountered the ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?’ error message when trying to open a link in Outlook or another email client. A quick workaround would be to run the email client with administrative privileges. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Locate Outlook’s or your email client’s shortcut on your desktop and right-click it.
2. Select “Run as administrator”.

If this workaround allows you to open a link in an email without causing Chrome to crash, then you can configure the email client to always open with admin rights. Here’s how:

1. Right-click the email client’s icon and select “Properties”.
2. Go to the “Compatibility” tab, and check the box next to “Run this program as an administrator”.
3. Click Apply> OK to save the changes.

Solution 7: Disable Problematic Extensions

While browser extensions can come in handy when you want to enhance your browsing experience on Chrome, some are known to be problematic and can even cause the Chrome unresponsive issue. The best way to know if the extensions are responsible for the error message is to disable all of them.

Here’s the full procedure:

1. With Chrome running, click the menu icon and select More tools > Extensions. All of the installed extensions will be listed here.
2. Disable all of them and check if the ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?’ warning disappears. If it does, it means that one of the extensions is problematic. To expose it, enable the extensions one by one while repeating the action that triggered the error message until you find the culprit.
3. Once you do, disable it or remove it from Chrome.

If the problematic extension is important and you use it often, update it and check if it helps. If not, you might have to find an alternative extension.

Solution 8: Rename the Google Chrome Profile

We also mentioned that the corruption of Chrome’s default files is likely to cause the Chrome unresponsive error message. To fix this, all you need to do is rename the existing profile and see if it works.

Important tip: You might want to back up your Google Chrome profile to avoid losing your bookmarks or browsing history. If you’re signed in to your Google account in Chrome, then your data is already stored in the cloud.

Here’s how to go about it:

1. Exit Google Chrome and make sure that no processes are running in the background.
2. Press the Win + R shortcut, type%LOCALAPPDATA%

   in the “Run” box, and press “Enter”.

3. Locate the “Google” folder and double-click it to open it.
4. Next, open Chrome > User Data > Default.
5. Rename the “Default” folder to “Default Backup”.

Repeat the action that caused the error message to check if it has been resolved.

Solution 9: Clear Chrome’s Cache

Your browser cache may be corrupted, causing the ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?’ error message. Clearing your browser cache is safe and will most likely resolve many issues affecting Chrome. While at it, clear your browsing history as well, just in case the data has been corrupted.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Run Chrome, open its menu and select History > History. Alternatively, open Chrome and press the Ctrl + H keyboard shortcut.
2. Click on the “Clear browsing data” option and select the “Clear data” button.
3. Restart Chrome and check if you can now use it seamlessly.

Solution 10: Add the Process-per-site Parameter to Chrome

Normally, Google Chrome opens a new process for each tab or extension you use. Assuming you have several tabs and third-party extensions open, you’ll find multiple processes running simultaneously. This could result in high system resource usage and the Chrome unresponsive error message.

To avoid this, you can configure Chrome to open only a single process for multiple tabs. To do that, here are the steps to follow:

1. Right-click Chrome’s icon on your desktop and open “Properties”.
2. Select the “Shortcut” tab and add the line–process-per-site

   at the end of the URL in the “Target” field.

3. Click Apply > OK.

You should now run Chrome without further issues.

Solution 11: Run Chrome’s Clean-Up Tool

Chrome has an option that helps you scan your OS and find suspicious programs that might be running in your computer system. The “Clean up computer” feature targets adware extensions, malware, and potentially unwanted programs, among other harmful applications.

To use it, follow these steps:

1. Run Chrome, and open its menu.
2. Open “Settings” and click the “Advanced” option in the left pane to display additional options.
3. Click on the “Reset and clean up” link and select “Clean up computer”.
4. Click “Find” to initiate the scanning process.

While this feature might be useful, you need a more powerful security tool that will guarantee the safety of your data and the entire system. We recommend Auslogics Anti-Malware, a program that’s dedicated to protecting your computer against all kinds of malware. Once installed, it performs a thorough scan and displays the threat level to help you assess the risk that you are exposed to.

All the suspicious files and apps are quarantined, and you can view them by clicking the “Quarantine” tab. There are three types of scans: Quick scan, Deep scan, and Custom scan, and you can select what’s most suitable for you.

Auslogics Anti-Malware offers real-time protection, a feature that helps to thwart any attempts of malware entities to infiltrate your system. Apart from scanning the browser extensions, the program also checks the registry, system memory, programs set to auto-start, and cookies that might be tracking your online activities. This means that you get continuous protection and you can browse with peace of mind.

Solution 12: Reset Chrome

If nothing seems to work, you can reset Chrome to its factory defaults and, hopefully, resolve the ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?’ error. The process is rather simple, and you can perform it in a few steps outlined below:

1. Make sure Chrome is running and then click the three dots in the top right corner to bring up the menu.
2. Select “Settings” and then click the “Advanced” option in the left pane to display additional settings.
3. Select “Reset and clean up”.
4. On the next screen, click the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option and select the “Reset settings” button.

Hopefully, after resetting Chrome, the error should be resolved.

Solution 13: Reinstall Google Chrome

If you’re still struggling to remove the ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?’ error, then you can resort to reinstalling Chrome. A fresh installation brings new files that work properly without any issues. Here’s how to proceed:

1. Press the Win + R keyboard shortcut, typeappwiz.cpl

   in the “Run” box and press “Enter” or click “OK”.

2. Locate Google Chrome among the list of programs and features installed on your PC, right-click it and select “Uninstall”.
3. Launch another browser and download Chrome. Run Chrome’s executable file and follow the installation wizard.

We hope our guide to fixing the ‘Google Chrome is unresponsive’ issue was helpful. If you have additional information, suggestions or queries, please don’t hesitate to drop your comments below.