A lot of people use VPNs or proxies to protect their identities online. While these tools work flawlessly for the most part, sometimes they can cause problems too.

In this article, we’re talking about the ‘Err_Tunnel_Connection_Failed’ error in Chrome; Its causes and potential solutions you can try out to get your browser up and running again.

Also read: How to fix the ‘Chrome PDF Viewer Not Working’ issue?

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What causes the ‘Err_Tunnel_Connection_Failed’ error?

The error is caused when your proxy server fails to create a tunnel to the target website. In layman terms, Chrome can’t access the internet and cannot resolve your VPN or proxy connections.

While misconfigured proxies mainly cause the error, corrupt browsing data or cookies can also cause this error. 

Also read: How to import passwords from CSV in Google Chrome?

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How to fix the

‘Err_Tunnel_Connection_Failed’ error?

Here are eight ways to fix the situation.

Disable your Proxy settings

Aforementioned, corrupt proxy settings are the main cause of the problem. Try disabling your proxy to see if you can access the internet.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R to open the Run prompt. Type in inetcpl.cpl and press enter.

Step 2: Head over to the Connections tab and click on LAN Settings.

Step 3: Make sure that the Use a proxy server for your LAN option is unchecked and that the Automatically detect settings option is enabled.

Restart your PC and try again. Alternatively, you can also leave the Automatically detect settings option unchecked if the above configuration doesn’t work for you. 

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Reset network settings

Resetting your PC’s network and/or DNS settings can also clear up quite a few such errors.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R and type in cmd and hit enter.

Step 2: Type in ipconfig /flushdns to reset DNS settings to default.

If the above command doesn’t help, try entering these commands in the Command Prompt one at a time.

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

If you suspect an issue with your router’s DHCP assignment, use these commands to release your old IP and request a new one. 

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

If this doesn’t work either, use the following commands to reset your network stack.

ipconfig/flushdns
nbtstat -R
nbtstat -RR
netsh int ip reset C:\resetlog.txt
netsh winsock reset

Mac users can head over to the terminal and type in sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Type in your password when prompted for it and try accessing the internet again.

Also read: How to fix ‘YouTube Comments Not Loading’ in Chrome?

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Change DNS settings

Misconfigured DNS settings can restrict your internet access. Try changing them to check if you can get past the error.

Step 1: Press Windows key + I to open the Windows settings and click on Network & Internet.

Step 2: Click on Change adaptor options.

Step 3: Right-click on your active network (WiFi or LAN) and click Properties.

Step 4: Find Internet Protocol Version 4 in the list, click on it and then click Properties. 

Step 5: Check the Use the following DNS server addresses radio button and type in 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in the preferred and alternative DNS addresses, respectively. 

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Check for updates

If the issue is in Chrome itself, chances are developers might release an update to fix the problem. Regardless, you should always make sure you’ve got the latest version of the browser installed to avoid running into problems that could otherwise be avoided. 

Head over to chrome://settings/help and make sure you’re on the latest update. If you’re not, update immediately and try again.

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Clear Chrome’s browsing data

Corrupt files in your cache or otherwise can cause this error as well. Clear them out to see if you can get Chrome to work.

Step 1: Type in chrome://settings/clearBrowserData in your browser’s address bar and hit Enter.

Step 2: Select the cache and cookies options and make sure the Time range is set to All time. Click on the Clear now button to clear out all the data. 

Also read: Where are Chrome bookmarks located in Windows 10?

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Reset Chrome

If clearing out the data didn’t help, you can try resetting Chrome altogether to resolve the issue, hopefully.

Step 1: Head over to chrome://settings/reset. Click on Restore settings to their original defaults.

Step 2: Chrome will show you a warning prompt. Click on Reset Settings, and your browser will reset to default settings. 

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Check proxy IP, password and port

If you want to continue using your proxy, make sure you’ve got the connection credentials right. Even a small mistake in the IP address, password and port can cause all sorts of issues. 

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Try contacting the proxy provider

If everything else fails, you’re going to have to contact your proxy provider for support. They’ll be able to figure out the core reason for your problem and suggest a fix for the situation. 

Also read: How to fix ‘Err_Internet_Disconnected’ error?