Some users have reported that the Chrome browser crashes, freezes or becomes unresponsive while downloading files from the internet. If you are one of the affected users, this guide will help you fix the issue.
You can follow the below solutions if Chrome crashes or freezes when you try downloading a file from the internet:
Your downloaded files in Chrome are saved in your Downloads folder on Windows, by default. It might be the case that there is some issue in the folder or Chrome is unable to access it. As a result, whenever you try downloading a file, Chrome crashes or freezes.
If there are multiple tabs opened in Chrome at the same time, it will cause an unwanted load on Chrome and deteriorate its performance. Also, will cause Chrome to crash unexpectedly when downloading files. So, try closing some tabs and freeing up RAM to prevent crashes.
A corrupted or outdated browser cache can also cause the same issue. Hence, clear the browser cache and check if the problem is resolved.
This issue could very well be facilitated due to a corrupted user profile. So, if the above solutions don’t help, you can create a new user profile in Chrome, sign into the browser using it, and then try to download a file to check if the issue is resolved.
Corrupted user data, settings, and preferences in Chrome can lead to issues like this. Hence, you can try cleaning up Chrome by resetting it to its default state. Go to the chrome://settings/reset page and click on the Restore settings to their original defaults option to reset Chrome. Once done, restart the browser to check if you can download files without crashing and freezing issues.
In case resetting doesn’t work, uninstall and then reinstall the Chrome browser. This should fix the problem for you.
As a workaround, you can switch to a different browser, like Microsoft Edge, to download your files.
Chrome is likely to freeze when uploading files if there are too many tabs opened at once that are eating up memory. Besides that, if you are trying to upload large files but your internet is slow, Chrome will freeze or crash after a while. Other reasons for the same problem include a corrupted user profile, a corrupted browser cache, faulty web extensions, and enabled hardware acceleration.
If Chrome downloads are stuck at 100%, the problem might be caused due to limited bandwidth or a corrupted download cache. It might also be the case that the download is blocked by a third-party antivirus. A faulty web extension can also be the reason for the same issue.
Published on September 18, 2023 Tags: Chrome
Komal has done M.Tech in Computer Science & Engineering. She is a keen follower of the Windows ecosystem & a technical writer since the last six years. She loves finding solutions for day-to-day tech problems.
