Chrome won’t open on Windows 11? Try these 8 solutions
Windows 11 is a new desktop operating system and it still has many flaws. You will experience more bugs and glitches if you use Beta or Dev builds of Windows 11.
Although Windows 11 has its own web browser – Microsoft Edge – users still stick with Google Chrome. Google Chrome may have imperfections, but it’s still the best web browser for desktop and mobile.
However, after upgrading to Windows 11, many users experienced problems using the Google Chrome browser. Many users have reported Chrome won’t open in Windows 11. When the user double-clicks the Google Chrome icon, nothing happens.
Fix Chrome not opening on Windows 11
So if you are also facing a similar issue, continue reading the article. Below we have shared some best methods to solve it Google Chrome won’t open in Windows 11. These are general workarounds and should resolve the issue. Let’s start.
1. Restart your computer
Windows 11 has many bugs and some bugs can prevent Chrome or any other application from starting. Restarting the computer is the best way to avoid such bugs.
If Chrome won’t open on your computer, just restart your PC. After the restart, open Google Chrome again. This time, the Chrome browser would open without any issues.
Some Chrome-related processes are already running in the background, preventing the application from restarting. This can happen in the Windows operating system and when it happens, Chrome may not show up on your screen, instead it will run silently in the background.
Therefore, you need to close all Chrome related background processes to solve the problem of opening Chrome in Windows 11. To close all Chrome related processes, open the Windows 11 search and type task manager.
Then open the Task Manager and you should close all Google Chrome processes. To close it, select Google Chrome and ‘End task‘ in the upper right corner.
3. Create a new Google Chrome shortcut
Windows 11 comes with an improved version of Windows Defender. While Windows Security or Defender is quite robust, it has some flaws. Sometimes it blocks the execution of the legitimate application.
So chances are high that Google Chrome can no longer run on the computer. You can allow Google Chrome to access the Internet on Defender or create a new Google Chrome shortcut on your desktop. Here’s how to create a new Google Chrome shortcut.
1. Right click on the Google Chrome icon on your desktop and select ‘Open File Location‘.
2. When the file location opens, right-click on the Chrome executable file and select “Create shortcut‘.
3. Then click on the confirmation prompt Yes knob.
That is it! This will create a new shortcut for Google Chrome on your desktop. You need to launch this new shortcut instead of the old one.
4. Open Chrome with compatibility settings
Even though the latest version of Google Chrome is fully compatible with Windows 11, maybe the version of Chrome you’re using is out of date, or the build of Windows 11 you’re using contains a bug that causes a compatibility issue with the Chrome browser.
You can solve such problems by opening Google Chrome with compatibility settings. Here’s what to do.
1. Right-click on the Google Chrome desktop icon and select ‘Properties‘.
2. In the properties of Google Chrome, go to the Compatibility tab.
3. Then, in compatibility mode, check the box ‘Run this program in compatibility mode:’ and select ‘Windows 8‘
4. After making the changes, click the Apply knob.
That is it! Now run the Google Chrome browser. This time, Google Chrome will launch immediately.
5. Prevent Chrome from rebooting itself
Well, there is a feature that helps restart the application when it is not responding. So if Google Chrome is not responding, the feature we are talking about forces the browser to restart.
This happens in the background and you will not notice it. Many users have claimed to fix “Chrome won’t open on Windows 11” issue by disabling this feature. So you can try that too. Here’s what to do.
1. Right-click on the Google Chrome desktop icon and select ‘Properties‘.
2. In the properties of Google Chrome, go to the Compatibility tab.
3. In the Settings section, enable the option ‘Register this program to restart‘.
4. After making the changes, click the Apply button and then on OK.
That is it! After disabling the feature, open Google Chrome again. If the problem persists, follow the next methods.
6. Delete the default user data in Chrome
Google Chrome stores all your data in the User Data folder. If the stored data gets corrupted, Google Chrome will not launch. Therefore, you can delete the default user data folder to fix Chrome won’t open on Windows 11 issue. Here’s what to do.
1. Press the Windows key + R key on your keyboard. This will open the RUN dialog box.
2. When the RUN dialog box opens, type App dates and press the Enter button.
3. Now find the following path:
Local\Google\Chrome\User Data
4. Now in the User Data folder, right click on the folder named ‘Standard‘ and select ‘remove‘
That is it! After making the changes, close the folder and open Google Chrome. You may need to sign in again with your Google account.
7. Disable Windows Defender/Antivirus programs
Firewall systems and antivirus programs can often block Google Chrome from running. When this happens, Google Chrome will not open in Windows 11.
The best way to deal with such a problem is to disable the Windows Defender Firewall or third-party antivirus software that you are using. Here’s how to disable Windows Defender.
1. Open the Windows Security app and select ‘Protection against viruses and threats‘.
2. Click the Manage settings link in the virus and threat protection settings.
3. On the next screen, enable the ‘Real-time protection‘.
4. You should also disable third-party firewall programs.
That is it! Here’s how to troubleshoot the Windows Security app on your Windows 11 Google Chrome won’t open on Windows 11.
8. Reinstall the Google Chrome browser
Since you can’t reset Chrome because it won’t open, try installing it again on your computer. Re-installation rules out any data corruption during the installation.
So if Chrome won’t open on Windows 11 due to corrupted installation files, reinstalling will fix the problem.
To reinstall Chrome, open the Control Panel, right-click on Chrome and select “Uninstall.” Once uninstalled, reinstall Google Chrome.
Also Read: How to Restore Closed Tabs in Chrome
So, these are some of the best ways to fix Chrome won’t open on Windows 11. If you need more help fixing Chrome issues on Windows, let us know in the comments. If the article helped you, please share it with your friends as well.
