If you are unable to open Google Chrome on your computer, the problem is most likely due to an extension/plugin preventing the browser from opening.
Other reasons for Google Chrome not opening could be due to your Chrome profile being corrupted, Google Chrome browser being blocked by the antivirus program installed on the computer and other reasons.
Can’t Open Google Chrome
If you are unable to open Google Chrome browser, you should be able to fix the problem on your Windows 11/10 computer using the following steps.
1. End Chrome Processes Using Task Manager
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Task Manager in the menu that appears.
2. On the Task Manager screen, switch to Processes tab > right-click on Google Chrome and select End Task option.
After this, you should be able to launch or open Google Chrome browser on your computer.
2. Open Chrome Browser in Safe Mode
If the problem is due an extension or plugin, you should be able start Google Chrome in Incognito Mode, which disables Add-ons.
1. Open the Google Chrome browser on your computer.
2. On the browser screen, click on 3-dots Icon and select New Incognito Window option.
If you are able to open Google Chrome in Incognito Mode, it points to the possibility of the problem being due to an Extension or Plugin.
The solution in this case is to Reset Google Chrome, which removes all browser extension and plugins or identify the exact extension/plugin that is causing the problem on your device.
3. Disable/Remove Browser Extensions
You can identify the extension that is causing problems on your device by disabling all extensions and re-enabling them one-by-one.
1. Open the Google Chrome browser on your computer.
2. Click on 3-dots menu icon > Hoover mouse over Extension > click on Manage Extensions.
3. On the next screen, you can disable extensions by moving the toggle to OFF position and delete extensions by clicking on the Remove option.
After disabling/removing the extensions, you should be able to start Google Chrome on your computer.
4. Delete Chrome User Profile
Sometimes, the problem is due to the Chrome User Profile on your computer being damaged or corrupted. This can be fixed by deleting the Chrome profile.
1. Open the File Explorer on your computer.
2. From the File Explorer screen, navigate to C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\
3. In the User Data Folder, right-click on Default Folder and select the Rename option and Rename the Folder as default.old.
Note: If you cannot see App Data Folder, make sure Show Hidden Files option is enabled on your device.
Once the Default Folder is renamed, you should find Google Chrome opening without any problem on your computer.
Note: If you are unable to rename the folder due to “Chrome is already in use” message, restart the computer and repeat the above steps.
5. Reset Chrome Browser
As mention above, the Reset option in Google Chrome disables all extensions/plugins and resets the browser to its original default settings.
1. Open Google Chrome > click on 3-dots Icon and select New Incognito Window option.
2. Once you are Incognito mode, click on 3-dots Menu icon and select Settings in the drop-down menu.
3. On the Settings screen, select Reset Settings in the left-pane. In the right-pane, click on Restore Settings to their original defaults option.
4. On the confirmation pop-up, click on Reset Settings button to confirm.
After the reset process is completed, you should be able to open Google Chrome browser on your computer.
6. Temporarily Disable Antivirus Program
In certain cases, the problem is due to Google Chrome being blocked by Windows Defender or some other third-party antivirus program installed on the computer.
Hence, temporarily disable the Antivirus software program installed on your computer and see if this helps in fixing the problem.
7. Reinstall Google Chrome
If above solutions did not help, the only way to fix this problem is to remove and reinstall Google Chrome on your computer.