Safari might be the default browser on macOS, but this doesn’t stop Mac users from using the Google Chrome browser. A lot of users prefer using Google Chrome over other browsers because of its wide range of features, compatibility, and an extensive collection of plugins. Google Chrome works well with most major platforms and it is easy to install the browser.
- Microsoft Won't Let Me Download Google Chrome
- Why Won't Chrome Download On My Mac Computer
- Chrome
- Computer Won't Allow Chrome Download
After a lot of investigation, I've finally found the solution. You need to open Terminal (Spotlight search - type 'terminal') and run the following command: sudo rm -rf /Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome It will remove Chrome user data s. Install the Google Chrome web browser on your Mac to access all the additional features Chrome adds to your machine. Special Offer: All students, parents, & educators get 50% off tech support for the entire school year. There is a large blue button 'Download Chrome' and below it 'For Mac OS X 10.6 or later'. I click on the button. Result: the whole screen goes gray, and all links are de-activated, like a 'lightbox' effect, and nothing else?! My name is.'m sorry that you're having this trouble. It would be my pleasure to assist you. Are you trying to download Google Chrome for your Mac? Please note: You may see offers for ADDITIONAL SERVICES that are automatically generated by the website. They are completely optional. Please feel free to ignore them. Why wont Google Chrome download on my mac? I've gone through the whole download pages and on the page where it says 'Thank you for trying Chrome!' It hasn't come up in my downloads bar, I've tried waiting an hour and still nothing.
However, some Mac users have experienced issues with using Google Chrome on their Macs. According to reports, Google Chrome won’t open on macOS Catalina. After installing the browser on Catalina, the Chrome browser won’t launch for some reason. Double-clicking the icon does not open the browser, nor does it elicit any reaction. There is also no error message to indicate something is wrong with the app. It just does nothing.
This can be frustrating because you have no idea what went wrong or what to do about it. Users always have the option to use another web browser on Mac, such as Firefox or Safari, but those who rely on Chrome-only features and extensions might find it difficult to switch to another browser.
So, what do you do when Chrome won’t open on Mac? This guide will show you what steps to take when the Chrome browser you installed is completely unresponsive and won’t start no matter what you do. We’ll also list some alternatives to Google Chrome in case you don’t want the hassle of troubleshooting the issue.
Why is Google Chrome Not Opening on Mac?
It can be baffling when the app you just installed won’t open, despite following the correct installation instructions. Well, it happens. And you’re not alone.
If Chrome refuses to launch, it might be because the downloaded installer was incomplete or corrupted. If the download process was interrupted, probably due to poor internet connection or other factors, the installation would be incomplete. It is also possible that the app doesn’t have sufficient permission to be able to run. You should also check the Chrome app’s settings to see if it has been configured correctly.
Another factor you need to consider is the presence of malware. Malicious software can cause various problems on your Mac, including apps failing to launch.
How to Fix When Chrome Won’t Open
If you can’t get your Chrome web browser to open, you need to make sure first that you followed the right procedure in installing the app. If you’re not sure, you can always delete the app and reinstall it again. To delete the app, just go to Finder > Go > Applications, then look for the Google Chrome icon. Drag the icon to the Trash to uninstall it.
After uninstalling, follow the steps below carefully to install a new copy of the Chrome browser:
- Go to the Google Chrome website by clicking this link.
- The website will automatically detect the platform you are using and offer you the link to the Chrome version compatible with your OS.
- Click the Download Chrome for Mac button.
- Wait for the download to be completed. The file should be around 83MB in size and the filename should be googlechrome.dmg.
- Click the downloaded installer to launch it.
- Drag the Chrome icon to the Applications folder.
Once the Chrome app has been installed, click on the icon to try and open it. If there are no issues with the installation, the browser should open just fine.
If you still can’t open the app, try some of these basic troubleshooting steps:
- Restart your Mac and try booting into Safe Mode. Once in Safe Mode, try launching the app to see if it works. If it does, there must be a third-party process getting in the way of the Chrome app.
- Clean up your computer using a Mac cleaning software to ensure that no rogue file is causing the problem.
- You should also check if the problem affects Google Chrome alone or if there are other apps experiencing the same issue.
If the above steps didn’t help, you can try the following fixes:
Solution #1: Change the Permission Settings.
- Open Finder or click anywhere on the Desktop.
- Hold down the Shift + Command combination on the keyboard, then press G.
- A new window will pop up. Copy and paste the following path in the box: ~/Library/Application Support
- Click Go.
- Next, look for a folder named Google.
- Right-click on the folder, then choose Get Info.
- In the Get Info window, click on the lock icon on the bottom right of the window.
- Type in your login password, then press Enter.
- Click the Add (+) button at the bottom left.
- Choose Administrators from the dropdown menu, then click Select.
- You should now be able to see admin under the Name column.
- Under Privilege, change Read-only to Read & Write.
Close the window and try launching Google Chrome again. You should now have enough permissions to use the app.
Solution #2: Delete the Chrome App’s System Files.
If changing the permissions and reinstalling the Chrome app does not help, you should remove the system files first after uninstalling the app. To delete the system files, you can follow the steps below:
- Open a Finder window on your Mac.
- Click Go from the top menu, then select Go to Folder from the dropdown.
- Type this in the search field: ~/Library/Application Support.
- In the new window that opens, look for the Google folder.
- Open the Google folder and drag all its contents to the Trash.
- Go back to Finder > Go > Go to Folder.
- Type in this folder path: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome.
- Select everything inside that folder and drag them all to the Trash to delete them.
If you don’t want to go through all these folders, you can use commands instead. Go to Finder > Go > Applications, then click on Terminal. Type in the following command to delete all Google Chrome files:
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome
Once completed, Google Chrome should have been completely deleted from your Mac. You can now install a fresh copy using the steps outlined earlier.
Summary
Take note that this troubleshooting guide can also apply to other apps on your Mac that fail to open or load properly. Instead of looking for the Google, look for the folder associated with the app you’re having trouble with. You can also edit the command on Solution #2 to reflect the correct folder. Doing the above steps should help you get the Chrome app working again on your Mac.
See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy Policy.
Google Chrome is the king of web browsers but if you’re here it’s probably because the king has gone a bit insane. Is Chrome running slow, crashing, freezing, or not even loading? Are web pages not loading anymore? Is your browser experience getting slower every day?
If you’re experiencing any of those Chrome problems, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to show you how to troubleshoot and resolve common Chrome problems that make you feel like Google hates Macs.
Some fixes will be easier than others but none require advanced knowledge.
If you’re ready to fix Chrome, let’s begin!
Is it your Mac or Chrome that is slow?
Chrome isn’t an independent entity, it’s a part of a whole Mac system. So before you deal with Chrome, make sure the problem isn’t in your macOS. A quick example — the outdated system caches causing your Chrome plugins to crash. Or is your Mac gasping for free space?
A clever path is to give your macOS a good cleanup, first. We like CleanMyMac X app for this purpose as it finds and cleans all redundant & conflicting files across all your folders. So, take 2 minutes to tidy up your Mac with CleanMyMac X, and let’s move further.
CleanMyMac is available for a free download here — this app is notarized by Apple, so no worries.
Common Chrome problems on Mac (and their fixes)
Mac battery draining fast
Chrome is known for its fast performance, which it gets by using your Mac’s CPU more than other browsers. But more CPU usage means more battery drain. If you use your laptop on the go, this can become a huge issue. What good is performance if your battery is completely drained and you can’t turn on your Mac?
If Mac battery life is important to you, then there’s a simple trick that should be a big help. Often there is a tab or an extension that is hogging your resources and burning through your battery life by itself.
Follow these steps to find the offending site or extension:
- Open Chrome and choose Window in the top menu.
- Click on Task Manager.
- In Task Manager, click the Memory Footprint column to sort them.
Now you can determine what sites and extensions use up the most memory in Chrome. You can still visit one of these sites but maybe don’t leave it open in a tab anymore. Also, remember that even sites that aren’t memory hogs can still be a battery drain if you have a lot of tabs open.
Close resource-hungry and unnecessary tabs and the time you get from a battery charge should start to improve.
Chrome is running slow
Does Chrome on your Mac feel like browsing through a swamp? If browser responsiveness is slowing, it’s time to drain the swamp.
Why is Google Chrome so slow? We mentioned earlier that Chrome is resource-heavy, especially on your CPU. Chrome is fast when your Mac has the resources available, but when they are limited, and Chrome is demanding more than your Mac can give – swamp time.
The tip from the previous section will help a lot, but if you’re still experiencing slowness, there are other fixes you can turn to.
Let’s start by focusing on the cache. Chrome loves storing lots of your web browsing data. At first, it can help speed things along, but soon Chrome’s pockets are being weighed down by cache, particularly if your Mac is low on space or memory.
To manually delete your Chrome cache on Mac:
- Open Chrome and choose Chrome in the top menu.
- Select Clear Browsing Data.
- Check the history, cache, cookies, and other types of browser data that you want to delete.
- Click 'Clear data.'
Again, there’s another method for clearing out your cache, cookies, browser history, autofill form data, and a whole lot more. You can use the free version of CleanMyMac X. There’s surely no easier way to manage not just the cache that’s slowing down Chrome, but also your privacy and security — if these things are important to you (they should be).
To delete Chrome cache and other browsing data with CleanMyMac X:
- Download the free edition of CleanMyMac X and launch the app.
- Go to the Privacy tab and select Chrome.
- Select what you want to clean.
Or you can even use CleanMyMac X’s System Junk cleanup tool that not only removes Chrome cache files but also gets rid of “temporary” files that clog up your system. So, hopefully, your browser will get a bit snappier.
Сhrome using significant energy on Mac
“Chrome using significant energy” may be a sign of general memory overload on your computer. Try opening your Activity Monitor and check off a few memory consumers.
- Open the Launchpad and type in Activity Monitor in the search bar.
- Now, sort by Energy and use the [x] button to quit a process.
Disable background synchronization
There’s another setting that may help you out. Sadly, it’s buried too deep in Chrome’s Preferences but according to many users, it should greatly reduce energy consumption by Chrome.
- Open Chrome and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy and security > Site Settings.
- Scroll down and click “Background sync.”
- Use the slider to disable the background sync.
What does it do? It stops the websites from communicating with your Mac (even after you’ve left that site). Was it enabled by default is a different question.
Chrome keeps freezing
Your browser is not just slow as a snail but keeps freezing? A spinning circle appears for a while? This is ordinary trouble with web browsers after continued use. And it may relate to the problem with the browser cache.
We've already told you how to remove the Chrome cache, so just go to the previous section and choose the way that works best for you: manual or easy one. Hopefully, this will help you to get rid of the spinning beach ball and fix the freezing issue.
Other ideas to try:
- Close all tabs
- Restore settings (Settings > Advanced > Reset settings)
- Log out from all your Google accounts and log in back again.
- Try browsing in an incognito window and see if that helps.
- Reinstall Chrome from scratch
Some services, like Dropbox, Alfred, and notably, Google Drive are constantly self-updating in the background. As in the previous step, you can use Activity Monitor and force-quit these processes.
Google Chrome is not responding
However, if your browser is not responding at all and you can't open the menu to clear the cache, browsing history, or delete extensions, try to force quit Chrome and then launch it again.
There are a few possible ways to force quit Google Chrome. Here is our comprehensive guide 'How to force quit Mac applications' that offers five different ways to deal with unresponsive apps. Pick your favorite one.
There are is a number of background plugins operating invisibly on every Mac. They could be various helpers, updaters, and everything else that supports the main application. For example, Chrome itself has an updater app that constantly communicates with the server. So, once again, go to your Activity Monitor and scan through your open processes. Try quitting anything Google-related there.
Another idea to try is to free up your RAM (random access memory) in the Terminal. This should unfreeze your Chrome, at least temporarily.
- Open your Terminal app (you can find it via the Launchpad search).
- Now, paste in
sudo purge
into the Terminal window. - Hit Enter
See if Chrome is feeling better now.
Google Chrome keeps crashing
Chrome freezing is one thing but crashing? That’s a much bigger issue as it’s a sign that something is broken. But what do we do with things that are broken around here? We fix them!
Probably the most common cause of crashes is a byproduct of one of Chrome’s strengths – its constant stream of exciting extensions. They make our browser experience more enjoyable and productive, but occasionally one of these extensions will be corrupted or introduce a bug that causes Chrome to crash.
Here’s what you should do to find a problematic Chrome extension.
- Update your browser
- Run a Safety check
- Turn off browser extensions
Make sure Chrome is updated to the latest version. A new update could very well include the fix that will stop Chrome crashing.
The latest version of Google Chrome has a feature called Safety check. Go to Chrome Settings and select “Safety check” from the menu on the left. Press “Check now.” The browser will run a quick check to determine whether Google Chrome is up-to-date and protected from threats.
If that didn’t work or everything was already up-to-date, you can manually turn off your extensions and turn them back on, one at a time. This way, if the crashing goes away until a certain extension is turned back on – that’s when you’ve probably found the problem.
Microsoft Won't Let Me Download Google Chrome
To manually disable and remove Chrome extensions:
- Open Chrome and go to Window > Extensions.
- Disable a few extensions or click Remove to completely delete them.
- Relaunch Chrome.
Spend some time using Chrome without extensions and then slowly turn each one back on until your crashing returns. When you think you have the culprit, simply click the Trash can next to that extension in Settings > Extensions.
An even easier way to manage your extensions is with CleanMyMac X. You get more control over all your extensions, even those from other browsers, and disabling and removing them is as easy as can be.
To disable Chrome extensions the simple way:
- Click on the Extensions tab in CleanMyMac.
- Click on Chrome Extensions and disable as you like.
Chrome won’t open
Here’s the list of hacks you can try if you want to repair Chrome. When Chrome won’t open, the easiest is to restart your Mac. But that could be a bit disruptive. So here you are, some alternatives:
- Press and hold Command + Q — this will quit Chrome.
- Press Option + Command + Esc — opens a Force Quit pane.
- Uninstall Chrome and download it again.
If that doesn’t help, there’s a possibility that the problem is Google folder permissions.
Web pages not loading in Chrome
“Aw snap!”
This is Chrome’s custom message for when a web page fails to load. If you get this cheeky little message or any other loading error, chances are you’re going to fail to see the funny side.
The reasons for Chrome not loading pages can be wide-ranging and hard to pinpoint, but we’ve collected a checklist of fixes for you to work through.
- Check your internet connection.
- Update Chrome.
- Restart your Mac.
- Remove Chrome extensions (for steps see 'Google Chrome keeps crashing' section).
- Disable or relaunch hardware acceleration
Why Won't Chrome Download On My Mac Computer
Hardware acceleration is supposed to speed up your Chrome at the cost of your Mac's hardware resources. But quite often this feature crashes things.
Hardware acceleration is found here:
Chrome > Settings > Advanced > System
If you’re still unable to load web pages, a reset or reinstall of Chrome may be needed. We cover that very fix in the next section.
Chrome update failed
Chrome won’t update? Some users have experienced the frustration of Chrome refusing to update on a Mac. The first step would just be patience, but if days have passed and you’re still not getting anywhere, a reset or reinstall of Chrome may be in order.
To reset Chrome manually:
- Launch Chrome and go to Preferences
- Scroll to the bottom and click on Advanced Settings.
- Scroll to the bottom and click on Reset Settings.
- Read the pop-up and Reset.
- Relaunch Chrome and try to update.
Note: Resetting Chrome will not remove your bookmarks, history, and saved passwords. A manual reset can be a bit scary, but as a workaround, you can use CleanMyMac X to reset Chrome without losing any data.
Reset Chrome with CleanMyMac X's free tool:
- Open CleanMyMac X
- Go to Uninstaller tab and find Google Chrome in the list
- Click Application Reset in the dropdown menu next to the Chrome icon.
If the browser is still not updating, download the latest installation file from the web and reinstall Chrome.
More tips to troubleshoot Chrome
Your Chrome browser should now be running great, but wait; there’s more! To improve your future browsing experience we’re sharing some of our favorite Chrome settings. Try these out and fall in love with Chrome even more.
Enable Prefetch
Want your web pages to load even faster? Go to Settings > Privacy and security. Here, select 'Cookies and other site data.' Toggle on 'Preload pages for faster browsing and searching.' This enables 'page prefetch' and makes Google Chrome load pages faster. Now the system will store the page and automatically load it the next time you visit the website.
Use shortcuts in Chrome browser
You’d be amazed at how much faster you can surf the web and get things done by learning just a few key shortcuts.
For example:
Command + t = new tab
Command + h = hide Chrome
Command + r = reload web page
Find the full list of commands at the official Google Chrome Support page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Chrome keep freezing?
Chrome
Usually, this is caused be caused by outdated browser caches. Open Chrome’s Preferences to delete recent browser data.
Why does Chrome use so much memory?
Chrome is in a constant back and forth with Google’s servers to process your data. You can help it by optimizing memory usage on your Mac. Use the Mac tune-up app, CleanMyMac X, to free up RAM and you disable heavy memory consumers.
How can I speed up my browsing experience?
As a first step, try removing all the unnecessary extensions in Chrome. Also, try to not use more than 2 memory-heavy services, like DropBox or Google Drive at a time.
That’s it. Hopefully, these fixes have made your web surfing better than it’s ever been. It just goes to show that even drastic problems like Chrome crashing can be solved with a little know-how and helpful apps like CleanMyMac X.
Computer Won't Allow Chrome Download
Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
These might also interest you:
Comments are closed.