Guide
Website not loading? How to find out why
People say a site is “not loading” about two different problems. Either it does not load at all, or it loads but not properly. Start by telling which one you have.
First, check whether it is you or the site
- Open the site in a private (incognito) window. If it works there, the cause is on your side: an extension or old cached data.
- Try another network, for example by switching your phone from Wi-Fi to mobile data. If it works there, your network or its DNS is the problem.
- Ask someone elsewhere to open it, or try from another device. If it fails for everyone, the site itself is broken.
It does not load at all
Chrome shows its own grey page, or the site shows an error with a number. Find the small code under the message in the lists below. Each one links to what it means and how to fix it.
Chrome’s own error page
- This site can’t be reached with DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN: the address does not exist, or your network cannot look it up. Check the spelling; if you own the site, check the domain has not expired.
- ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED or ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT: the server is down or unreachable.
- Your connection is not private: a problem with the site’s security certificate, often an expired one.
- ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS: the site sends the browser round in a circle, usually between http and https.
An error page from the site
- 500: the site’s code crashed.
- 502 Bad Gateway: the server in front could not reach the application behind it.
- 503 Service Unavailable: overloaded or in maintenance.
- 504 Gateway Timeout: the page took too long to build.
- 403 Forbidden: a firewall or a permission refused you.
- 404 Not Found: nothing at this address.
It loads, but not properly
You get a blank page, no images, no styling, a menu that will not open or a form that does nothing. The site answered, but something in the page failed afterwards, and nothing on the screen says what. These are the usual causes:
- A script crashed, and everything after it stopped: Cannot read properties of null, $ is not defined. On a site built with React or Vue, one error can leave the whole page blank.
- Files the page needs are missing (404) or were never updated after a redesign or a move.
- Files are blocked as insecure: Mixed Content, an http:// address on an https:// page.
- A script from another company (a chat widget, analytics, ads) fails and takes something with it.
- After an update, a page still open on the old version asks for files that no longer exist: Failed to fetch dynamically imported module.
Find out what is broken on the page
Free, no account. We open it and four more of its pages in a clean Chrome, press its menus, and list every error and every file that failed, with the page it happened on.
Not loading on Chrome only
- Open it in a private window with extensions off. If it works, an extension (an ad blocker, a privacy tool) is blocking something; turn them back on one at a time.
- Clear the site's data: the padlock (or the icon left of the address) → Site settings → Clear data.
- Chrome is stricter than some browsers about mixed content and certificates; the console (right-click → Inspect → Console) says which.
Not loading on iPhone or Safari
- Content blockers and iCloud Private Relay can block scripts and some networks; try with them off.
- Older Safari versions lack features newer code assumes, and one unsupported line stops a whole script; check the iOS version, and test the site in the oldest Safari your visitors use.
- Safari handles cookies from other sites strictly, which breaks embedded logins and some checkout frames.
Images not loading
- The image files were moved or deleted: 404 in the network tab.
- The server or CDN refuses them: 403, often hotlink protection when they are shown from another address.
- An http:// image on an https:// page: Mixed Content.
- A lazy-loading script crashed, so images never swap in from their placeholder.
Questions
Why is my website not loading for me but loading for others?
The cause is on your side: a browser extension, an old cached copy, your network's DNS, or a VPN. Try a private window, then another network, then another device.
Why is my website not loading on Chrome but loading on other browsers?
Usually it is an extension, cached data for that site, or a security rule Chrome enforces more strictly (mixed content, certificates). Open it in a private window with extensions off; if it works, clear the site's data.
Why does my website load without images or styling?
The page's files are failing to load: moved or deleted (404), refused (403), blocked as insecure (mixed content), or served from a CDN that is down. The browser's console lists each one, and so does a check of the page.
When it is your site and the bug only happens to some visitors, on some pages, after some clicks, no single check will catch it. Broken Here puts a button on your site. The visitor who hits the bug clicks what is broken, and your developer gets the error, the browser and the page with it.