In many ways, we find errors when opening any page in the browser. One is the Timed Out error , which may appear for both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections, but in the second case it is the most common. We will see the main causes and how we can solve it. This is a problem that can sometimes be permanent and affect the browsing and use of various online services.
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How a Timed Out error affects browsing
If you see a Timed Out error message, it means that we can’t access the website or try to sign in to a social network such as Facebook or Twitter . This is a problem that can be occasional due to immediate failure, but can also become something that often occurs, not only when trying to access a specific page. This happens when we try to connect to the server, but it takes too long and we don’t get a response . For example, if we open a website and it does not load.
Remember that this will not always be a problem that we can solve at the user level, although in most cases it is. Sometimes it’s a bug on the server of the site we’re trying to reach, and we have no choice but to wait until it’s fixed.
If we focus on the most common causes of the Timed Out error, we can name the problems with the wireless connection , so it is more common than when connecting with a cable. There could also be a problem with the DNS servers we use, a router failure, and even software-level problems in the browser.
Fixed Timed Out error due to connection issue
First, we’ll give you some tips on how to fix a Timed Out error when it comes to connection failures . This can happen mainly with the router and the wireless network itself, but also with problems with the DNS servers we use for navigation.
Restart the router
Something crucial when we find an error of this type is to restart the router. Conflicts can occur when resolving requests . This can happen if we have many devices connected, or, although this is not the most common, when the device works for a long time.
To restart the router properly and to really help, we need to leave the device turned off for at least 30 seconds . If we turn it off and on quickly, it’s like we’re not doing anything because it keeps it all the way it was.
Verify that the Wi-Fi network is working well
The most common thing is that you get a Timed out error when using Wi-Fi. This is because the connection is more unstable and in many cases the signal quality is not the best. Our computer is having trouble connecting to an access point, such as the Wi-Fi router or repeater we use, and this results in too long requests to open a website.
In this case, we should try to improve the quality of the wireless network. The signal is certainly weak and the speed is not adequate. We can choose to use a Wi-Fi amplifier, but even with small changes, such as selecting a different band or channel, we can significantly improve the quality.
For example, if we use the 5 GHz band, we can try to use the 2.4 GHz band. The first is the one that offers the highest speed, but if we are far from the router, we may have more problems that could lead to instability and these errors will occur.
We can also try to change the Wi-Fi channel we are connecting to, for which we would have to access the router configuration and choose another channel. If we use the same channel that our neighbors use at the same time, it could cause saturation. This happens especially when navigating in the 2.4 GHz band.
Change DNS servers
DNS servers are very important to be able to open any web page. They act as translators and only allow us to enter the name of the website into the browser and it will automatically translate it to the corresponding IP address. For example, if we embed this article, the DNS servers we use will resolve this request and point it to the site’s IP address.
Why should we change DNS before problems of this type? If the DNS we use takes a long time to translate any domain name, it would result in a Timed Out error and the page would not load.
Normally, we use DNS provided by the telephone company we use, and that doesn’t mean it goes wrong, but it does mean that we might find ourselves in a situation where, for example, they don’t work well due to saturation. We can try using public DNS from Google or Cloudflare , which are some of the most used and which work best.
To change the DNS servers in Windows we have to go to Start, enter Settings, Network and Internet, Change adapter options and there select the network card we are using and which we are having problems with. Normally, this type of error occurs when we are connected via Wi-Fi, so we need to select the appropriate wireless network card.
We need to right-click, enter properties, select Internet Protocol version 4 and again properties. There we will find a new window where we can change the IP address and DNS servers that we will use. That is what we are particularly interested in. We will need to give Use the following DNS server addresses and fill in the appropriate information. For example, Google’s DNSs are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
Reset DNS and IP
The DNS cache , which stores all requests when opening web pages, can also cause Internet connection problems and lead to malfunctions such as Timed Out. Therefore, we will recover the DNS and IP address from Windows.
In this case, we will use the command line. We need to go to Start, type Command Prompt and run it with administrator privileges. There we will have to execute the following commands:
- Ipconfig / flushdns
- Ipconfig / registerdns
- Ipconfig / release
- Ipconfig / restore
The first two allow us to clear the DNS record cache and restore it. This will resolve failures caused by blocking these registers. The other two commands are used to release the IP address and request a new address from the DHCP server, which would be the router.
How to avoid this problem at the software level
We’ve seen what to do if a Timed Out error occurs and it’s a connection failure. The normal thing is that this is the case and we need to restart the router, change the DNS servers or make sure the wireless connection is OK. However, it can also be caused by a software glitch , which is usually caused by a problem with the browser .
Make sure your browser is up to date
First we need to make sure that the browser is updated correctly . Sometimes the update crashes, and although everything seems to work fine, there are corrupted files that lead to such failures as we see in this article.
To verify that we have the latest version in Chrome we need to go to the menu, open Settings, open Help and click on Google Chrome Information. It will automatically show us the version we have installed, and we can add it manually in case of a pending update.
Disable extensions
But if there’s anything that can affect the browser, it’s the add-ons we install . We have a lot to read documents, save pages to read later, etc. The most used browsers like Chrome and Firefox have a lot of options. However, sometimes they can cause failures.
Especially if we have installed a recent extension and from there a Timed Out error when opening the website, we need to deactivate it. In the same way, if we suspect that an add-on may be the cause, we can deactivate it and see if the website opens normally.
Verify that there is no adware in the browser
Can it affect malware or a browser security issue and cause this error? The truth is, yes. The normal thing is that the browser is affected by the search bars that appear without knowing what we’ve done, or that many pop-ups full of ads are open. This is a sign of adware in the browser .
Adware can enter in many ways. For example, if we accidentally install a malicious extension, we click on a banner that is actually a scam, etc. We need to check if the browser is clean, if there is no threat, and if it exists, remove it. We can use a good antivirus program such as Windows Defender itself, and other options such as Avast, Kaspersky, Bitdefender …
Find out if a firewall or VPN is blocking
Another cause at the software level is if we use a security program or even a VPN . In the first case, the most common is that it is a firewall that could block or restrict browser activity. We should make sure that it is not configured to block this program, and we can even stop it for a moment to see if we can avoid this problem.
On the other hand, if we use a VPN to browse the Internet, it could also affect it. What this type of program does is encrypt the connection, and if you open a website in a browser, for example, it goes through that VPN. If a failure occurs, it will have a direct impact on us. We can also try shutting it down for a while or connecting to another server that has better performance. This could also happen if we went through a proxy server, which also acts as an intermediary.
Finally, these are the main issues that need to be considered if we encounter a timeout error while browsing the Internet. Something happens, especially when we use Wi-Fi, and it’s almost always due to a connection problem, although it can also be due to a software-level failure, a browser, or a security program.