ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT: What It Means and How to Fix It
The server didn't answer at all and the browser gave up waiting. See whether your network, a firewall, the server or a stale A/AAAA record after a migration is to blame.
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ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT: what it means
The browser sends a connection request to the site's IP and waits. The packets go out, no answer arrives, and after a while the browser gives up. It is like ringing a doorbell and nobody opening: the house may be empty, someone may not want to open, or the bell may not even ring. With ERR_
- ERR_
TIMED_ same message in Chrome; the wait ran out at some stage. The checks are the same.OUT: - ERR_
ADDRESS_ your computer or a router along the way reports there is no route to the address. Often your own network is the problem.UNREACHABLE:
It is not the same as 504 Gateway Timeout. With a 504 the browser DID get an answer: an intermediate server (proxy or CDN) said the server behind it didn't respond in time. See 500, 502, 503, 504 errors.
How it looks in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari
| Browser | What the page says | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome | "This site can't be reached" and below it "company.com took too long to respond." | ERR_ or ERR_ |
| Chrome | "This site can't be reached" and "https://company.com/ is unreachable." | ERR_ |
| Edge | "Hmmm… can't reach this page" and "company.com took too long to respond." | ERR_ |
| Firefox | "The connection has timed out" | — |
| Safari | "Safari Can't Open the Page" and "… because the server where this page is located isn't responding." | — |
If you are a visitor
- Try another network. Open the site on your phone over mobile data. If it opens there, your network is the problem or the server has blocked your IP.
- Restart your router and turn off any VPN or proxy.
- Flush your DNS cache. If the site recently moved servers, your computer may remember the old IP. On Windows run
ipconfig /flushdns. You can also try a public DNS: Windows, Mac, phone or router. - See whether it is down for everyone with the Uptime Checker (below).
If you own the website: the usual causes
- The firewall silently drops traffic. A rule that drops packets (DROP) sends no answer at all. If the site opens from elsewhere but not from one network, that network's IP was probably blocked (e.g. after failed logins, or by a country filter). If it opens from nowhere, check that ports 80 and 443 are allowed.
- The server is down or overloaded. A server that is off or swamped by load or an attack (DDoS) often can't even answer. Tell your provider the time and the error.
- The A record still points to the old server. After a migration, if the old server was switched off and DNS was not updated, visitors go to an IP that doesn't answer. Check the A record in the DNS Checker and confirm with IP WHOIS that the IP belongs to your current provider. See also I still see the old site.
- A stale or wrong AAAA (IPv6) record. If there is an AAAA record but the server doesn't serve the site over IPv6, visitors on IPv6 may find the site slow or not opening. Browsers usually fall back to IPv4, other apps don't always. Check both the A AND the AAAA records; if the AAAA isn't your provider's, remove it.
- DNS propagation isn't finished. After an IP change, some resolvers keep the old one for as long as the TTL says. Use the DNS Propagation Checker to see who still has it, and keep the old server running until propagation is complete.
- Routing problems. Less often, the route to the provider's data centre is broken, sometimes only from certain internet providers. Tell your provider which network works and which doesn't.
- Site behind Cloudflare. Visitors then see a 522 error: see Cloudflare errors 521, 522, 525, 526.
Check whether it is the site or your connection
The Uptime Checker requests the site from our server, outside your network, and when it fails shows the exact error (e.g. "Connection timed out"). The DNS Checker shows the A and AAAA records from several resolvers, and the DNS Propagation Checker who around the world still sees the old IP:
→ Uptime Checker → DNS Checker → DNS Propagation Checker → IP WHOIS- Online in the tool, timeout for you: the problem is on your side or the server has blocked your IP.
- Offline with "Connection timed out": it doesn't answer us either. Check the IP, firewall and server with your provider.
More: my website won't open and ERR_
Common mistakes
- Switching off the old server on the same day you change DNS.
- Updating the A record during a migration and forgetting the AAAA.
- Concluding "the site is down" because it won't open from one network, without trying another.
FAQ
It opens for others but times out for me. Why?
Usually the server has blocked your IP or there is a problem on your network. Try mobile data; if it opens, ask the hosting provider to check your IP.
How is it different from 504 Gateway Timeout?
With a 504 an intermediate server (proxy or CDN) answered and said the server behind it is slow. With ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT nobody answered.
After a migration some people see the site and others get a timeout. Why?
Some resolvers still hand out the old IP while the old server is off, or there is a stale AAAA record. Check propagation and the A/AAAA records, and keep the old server running until propagation is complete.