Are you seeing the "ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT" fault in your browser? Not a very helpful error message, is it? If you are a daily WordPress user, then it's always expert to exist aware of common errors like these that might prevent you from getting access to your website.

In today's post, we're going to take a deep dive into the "ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT" fault and examine why you lot might see this and what you can practise to set it quickly. Simply put, information technology'southward an indication that the system is unavailable and the time given for one to connect has elapsed, and now the request has timed out. Merely what does that actually mean?

Let'due south detect out!

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What is the ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT Mistake?

An ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error typically means there is something wrong with your local network connection. Yet, that'due south not ever the instance.

According to the WordPress support documentation, a connection timed out mistake appears when your website is trying to do more than than your server can manage. It's particularly common on shared hosting where your memory limit is restricted.

When you visit a website and it doesn't load, your browser volition endeavour for around xxx seconds or so until it terminates the connection. Later which it will return an "ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT" error, indicating a communication problem. In Google Chrome you might encounter this every bit "This site can't be reached. Domain.com took besides long to reply."

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error in Chrome
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error in Chrome

Due to all the different web browsers, operating systems, and servers, the error can present itself in a number of different ways. Simply almost of them have the same or similar significant. "ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED" and "ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED" are two very closely related errors that can usually be solved with the same troubleshooting steps beneath.

Another common error code that appears nether 'This site can't exist reached' is the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN, which is a DNS error that essentially means the domain that was requested doesn't exist.

Below are a few examples of how the error might nowadays itself in different browsers.

Mozilla Firefox

In Mozilla Firefox the error will show as "The connection has timed out." The server at domain.com is taking too long to respond.

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error in Firefox
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error in Firefox

Microsoft Border

In Microsoft Edge, the fault will prove as "Hmmm… can't reach this page. Domain.com took likewise long to respond." In Edge, however, it does also contain the "ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT" error.

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error in Edge
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error in Edge

Safari

In Safari, the mistake will evidence as "Safari Tin't Open up the Page. Safari can't open the folio domain.com because the server where this page is located isn't responding."

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error in Safari
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT mistake in Safari

How to Fix the ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT Mistake

Where should you commencement troubleshooting if you come across this error on your WordPress site? Without a groovy deal of context, it can sometimes be frustrating and overwhelming where to even begin. Typically these are either client-side problems (issues with your network connection or firewall) or an issue with the server at which the site is hosted (memory limits, execution times, etc.).

1. Check Your Connection

Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge all recommend that you should check your network connection. While this might sound obvious, they all point to checking your connectedness first as it's 1 of the most common reasons for the error. Here are a few things we recommend:

  • Restart your dwelling house or office router. This merely takes a few minutes and solves more than bug than a lot of people would like to admit. To completely ability wheel information technology, disconnect the power supply and then look 30 seconds before plugging it back in.
  • Check to see if y'all're on a bad or slow wifi connection. This is a common occurrence on busy public wifi hotspots such every bit java shops or airports.

2. Disable Firewall and Antivirus Software Temporarily

Firewalls and antivirus software are intended to protect users and their systems. They browse your device regularly and automatically block any suspicious activity. However, this blazon of security tin at times lead to connection issues.

This is considering firewalls can often cake pages they don't demand to or reject content that is completely safe. Nosotros've seen this happen many times with software similar AVG. To check whether this is the case for you, try disabling your firewall and antivirus programs. Of course, this is only brash if you know for certain that the site you lot're intending to visit is condom.

Additionally, y'all should only disable this kind of software temporarily. Switch it dorsum on later y'all've finished checking to see whether the error has been resolved, so you don't get vulnerable to attacks. If you repeatedly run across errors because of your firewall or antivirus software, yous may want to consider changing what you're using.

These types of tools also have what is chosen a "false-positive" report yous can fill out. If yous're 100% positive that a site your visiting is blocked and shouldn't be, you can let the software developer know. Here are a few quick links:

  • AVG false positive form
  • Norton false positive form
  • Sophos false positive form

three. Disable Proxy Settings

Sometimes you might see the ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error if you are utilizing a proxy service. This is usually pretty rare, particularly on the customer-side. However, i might accept been set without you fifty-fifty knowing it. To disable or check to ensure no proxy settings are enabled, follow these steps.

Access the Settings menu in your Chrome browser. This will open upwards the complete card of options. Nether the Organization section (y'all'll need to click Advanced at the lesser to see this), y'all should find an entry titled Open proxy settings. Past selecting it, y'all'll exist taken to the corresponding menu:

Open Proxy Settings in Chrome
Open Proxy Settings in Chrome

Your next step depends on the system you're currently using. Windows users will want to click on LAN Settings and uncheck the Apply proxy server for LAN option. If you're a Mac user, you should immediately find yourself in the relevant carte du jour. You lot'll and so have to uncheck all selectable proxy protocols and check to run into if the ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT message has been resolved.

Uncheck proxies on Mac
Uncheck proxies on Mac

If you lot're on Windows, you will run into a "Local Area Network (LAN) Settings" window appear. Yous will want to confirm that the "Utilize a proxy server for your LAN" option is unchecked.

Disable Chrome proxy settings in Windows
Disable Chrome proxy settings in Windows

The aforementioned goes if you're using a VPN like ExpressVPN or TunnelBear. Make sure yous're non continued by accident.

4. Modify DNS Servers

The next affair y'all can endeavour is changing your DNS servers. By default, DNS servers are automatically assigned by your Internet service provider. But y'all could try temporarily changing these to a public DNS server, such as Google or Cloudflare.

  • Some prefer to utilize Google's public DNS (eight.eight.8.eight and eight.8.4.iv) long-term due to them sometimes existence more reliable.
  • Cloudflare also offers secure and blazing fast free DNS (one.one.one.1 and 1.0.0.1) which we will be using in this case. If you want to use Google's the steps are the same, you merely supercede the DNS server addresses with Googles.

Tip: If you lot're already using a free DNS server and having problems, removing it and defaulting back to your Isp's DNS servers also sometimes fix things.

Google and Cloudflare aren't perfect 100% of the time and there have been a few instances where we've noticed switching back has resolved the issue. This is especially true if you're using a Wifi hotspot in an aerodrome or coffee shop.

Windows

In Windows simply open up Command Prompt by pressing the Windows logo fundamental and R. Then type "control panel" and hitting Enter.

Run Control Panel Windows
Run Command Panel Windows

Click on "Network and Internet" and then "Network and Sharing Center." On the left-mitt side, click on "Change Adapter Settings."

Change adapter settings
Change adapter settings

Right click on your electric current connexion, this volition either exist Local Surface area Connection or Wireless Network Connection based on how yous're connecting. Then click on "Properties."

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Wireless connection properties
Wireless connection properties

Select Internet Protocol Version iv (or Version 6 if desired) and click on "Backdrop."

IPV 4 properties
IPV four properties

Brand a notation of whatever existing settings in case you need to revert back. Click "Use the following DNS server addresses." Enter the post-obit, or replace the existing with these:

For IPv4:1.1.1.i andi.0.0.one
For IPv6:2606:4700:4700::1111 and2606:4700:4700::1001

DNS server addresses
DNS server addresses

Click OK, then Close. Restart your browser.

Mac

To alter DNS servers on a Mac, get to Organisation Preferences…

Mac system preferences
Mac system preferences

Click on the network icon so click "Advanced."

Mac network advanced
Mac network advanced

Click on the "DNS" tab.

Mac DNS
Mac DNS

And then add Cloudflare's DNS server addresses.

For IPv4:1.1.one.1 and1.0.0.i
For IPv6:2606:4700:4700::1111 and2606:4700:4700::1001

5. Flush/Renew DNS

You tin also endeavor flushing your local DNS cache. This is similar to clearing your browser cache. It could be that the site yous're trying to visit isn't resolving to the correct IP address. If you've just migrated your WordPress site to a new host, it's important to wait for things to fully propagate. This can sometimes accept up to 24 hours, although it tin exist every bit little as a few minutes. This depends on your DNS provider and the TTL value of your DNS records.

Windows

In Windows simply open upwards Command Prompt and enter the following:

ipconfig /flushdns
Command prompt - flush DNS
Command prompt – flush DNS

Y'all should see a "Successfully flushed the DNS resolver Cache" if it worked.

Mac

For macOS users, y'all tin enter the following in the terminal:

dscacheutil -flushcache
dscacheutil -flushcache
Mac flush cache

Annotation: There is no success message on Macs.

half-dozen. Check Your Hosts File

Every computer has what they call a local hosts file. This is a file that contains manual DNS entries which are mapped to specific IP addresses. Typically this is simply edited when you want to preview your DNS before switching over domains to a new host. Or perhaps you have a local development site running using a tool like DevKinsta, Vagrant or Docker.

In that location is a multitude of different ways this file could have been changed or edited. Therefore, information technology's ever good to cheque to ensure the website yous're trying to access isn't in there. Just follow the steps below.

Windows

The hosts file typically requires additional admission. So the offset footstep is to open up upwardly your text editor as an administrator. Simply click on your start carte du jour, search for your text editor, right-click on it and select "Run as ambassador." This tin exist done in any text editor such as Notepad, Notepad++, Atom, etc. We are using Sublime in our instance below.

Run text editor as administrator
Run text editor as administrator

Inside your text editor click File → Open and browse to the following location:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\

Click on the hosts file and "Open."

open hosts file
Open hosts file

Double-check and make certain the website you're trying to visit isn't listed in there. If it is, remove it.

Mac

To check your hosts file on a Mac, we recommend getting Gas Mask. It'due south a free application which can be used as hosts file director, hosts files editor, and switch between them. It makes everything quick and like shooting fish in a barrel! Otherwise, y'all can follow the steps below to edit your hosts file on Mac manually.

Go to Utilities and and then click on "Terminal."

Mac utilities terminal
Mac utilities concluding

Enter in the following command and press Enter (you will well-nigh likely be prompted for your administrator password too).

sudo nano /private/etc/hosts

Double-check and make certain the website you lot're trying to visit isn't listed in your hosts file. If it is, remove it.

Edit hosts file on Mac
Edit hosts file on Mac

7. Check the DNS of Your Domain

You should also verify that the DNS of your domain is correctly pointed to your hosting provider. If you're a Kinsta client nosotros accept an in-depth post on how to point your domain and or DNS to Kinsta. If you recently migrated your WordPress website to a new host, it could be the DNS was cached incorrectly on your computer. In which case, step v above should resolve that. Or it may only be too before long and you lot need to wait a few hours for the DNS to fully propagate.

viii. Clear Browser Enshroud

Web browsers shop data in cache on your computer. This includes your browsing history, saved login information, and cookies – all of which are recorded in order to load the relevant pages more quickly the next time they're visited.

Although they're useful, caches tin can cause numerous problems when they get outdated. Fortunately, this problem is easily solved past clearing your enshroud.

Only before you do that, you can hands check to meet if it'due south a browser cache consequence by get-go opening up your browser in incognito way. Or you can try a unlike browser. If y'all're however seeing the error, and so you volition desire to proceed with clearing your cache.

In this case, we'll exist using Google Chrome. Brainstorm by opening up the primary bill of fare (in the peak-right corner of your browser window). From at that place, select More Tools: You tin can then click on Articulate browser information.

Chrome clear browsing data
Chrome clear browsing data

On the resulting page, you lot'll need to make certain that all listed file categories are selected. If they aren't, Chrome won't be able to empty the unabridged cache. Instead, information technology will simply remove the most recent entries, which won't result in the desired result:

Clear browsing data
Clear browsing data

An alternative method of completing this process is to enter the following URL into your address bar:

chrome://settings/clearBrowserData

The resulting screen should grant y'all access to the same options nosotros've outlined in a higher place. Here are some other helpful links for clearing cache.

  • How to Forcefulness Refresh a Single Folio for All Browsers
  • How to Clear Cache for Google Chrome
  • How to Clear Cache for Mozilla Firefox
  • How to Articulate Cache on Mac (Safari)
  • How to Articulate Cache for Cyberspace Explorer
  • How to Clear Enshroud for Microsoft Border
  • How to Articulate Enshroud for Opera

9. Wait at The Maximum Execution Time

The rest of the troubleshooting steps nosotros'll be diving into are those that have to do with the configuration of your WordPress site or server that may assistance fix the "ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT" error.

The first is the maximum execution time set for your site. On well-nigh servers, the default fourth dimension is set to 30 seconds. This is the corporeality of time a PHP script is allowed to run (afterwards which it times out). On shared hosts, this is typically prepare low or left at the default.

You can't easily modify this from WordPress as the php.ini file is located on your server. To alter this, nosotros recommend reaching out to your hosting provider to run into if they can aid. At Kinsta, we prepare the default maximum execution time to 300 seconds.

If you lot desire to try and modify this yourself, it can usually be done with one of the following options. Both will depend on how your hosting provider configures their servers.

Option 1 – Modify Max Execution Time in php.ini File

If yous take a php.ini file in your home directory, notice the max_execution_time parameter and modify it. For instance, if information technology'southward gear up to 30 seconds, you lot tin can increment it to 300 seconds.

max_execution_time = 300

Option two – Modify Max Execution Time in .htacess File

If the above choice doesn't piece of work, you might be able to modify it within your .htaccess file. Only similar with the php.ini file, this is typically located within your home directory. Place the following in the top of your .htaccess file:

php_value max_execution_time 300

ten. Temporarily Disable Your Plugins

As with nearly WordPress errors, a plugin can definitely be the root of the problem. To determine if that'due south what's happening, you'll need to disable all of your site'south plugins. All the same, if you're getting the "ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT" error it means you don't have admission to your WordPress admin expanse. This means y'all will need to SFTP into your site. We recommend using FileZilla.

Once your SFTP customer is set, connect to your website through it and navigate to your WordPress root folder. In case yous can't notice information technology, it's usually called public_html, html, public, www, or your site'due south proper name. If you're a Kinsta client, it's your public folder.

WordPress root folder SFTP
WordPress root folder SFTP

Open up that folder, and navigate to the wp-content directory. Inside, you lot'll see a binder calledplugins, which contains individual subdirectories for each of the plugins installed on your site (both active and inactive).

What you're going to do now is right-click on the plugins folder, and rename it to something else. We recommendplugins.one-time orplugins.deactivated, so you lot tin can easily recognize it after.

WordPress plugins folder renamed
WordPress plugins folder renamed

WordPress will now not be able to find any of your plugins. When that happens, it will automatically disable those plugins.

Now, try accessing your WordPress dashboard. If the timeout error is gone, and then you tin assume that one of your plugins was the culprit. All y'all have to do is figure out which one was at fault.

Render to thewp-content directory, and rename your original plugins folder correctly. So, yous'll need to disable each of your plugins one by one, until you observe the culprit.

To do this, open thewp-content/plugins directory. Within, you lot'll find one binder for each of your plugins. The process you lot're going to follow is much the aforementioned as before:

  1. Start with the first folder, and rename it to anything y'all like.
  2. Check your website to see if the error is gone.
  3. If it isn't, render the plugin folder from the previous pace to its original name.
  4. Move on to the adjacent plugin on your list, repeating the above steps.

This process can take a while if you have a lot of plugins, but it'due south vital to check each plugin in plough. If at any point you lot identify the plugin that's causing the mistake, you tin uninstall information technology or replace information technology with some other tool.

If y'all make it to the stop of these steps without finding a solution, you can move on to the next stage of troubleshooting.

xi. Temporarily Revert to Default Theme

Now that yous've ruled out your plugins as the cause of the timeout error, it's fourth dimension to do the aforementioned with your active theme. In fact, your theme could also be creating compatibility issues.

Unfortunately, the procedure doesn't piece of work the aforementioned as to a higher place. WordPress won't revert to the default theme if simply rename the theme folder, you would terminate up with an fault similar "The theme directory "theme name" does non be." Or if you lot try to rename the unabridged theme directory folder, you end up with "ERROR: The themes directory is either empty or doesn't exist. Delight check your installation."

Therefore, you need to access your WordPress database past logging into phpMyAdmin. If yous're a Kinsta customer, this tin be found inside the "Info" section of the MyKinsta dashboard.

MyKinsta phpMyAdmin
MyKinsta phpMyAdmin

Click into the "wp_options" table, then click on the "Search" tab. You volition desire to search nether the "option_name" fortemplate.

phpMyAdmin wp_options table
phpMyAdmin wp_options table

Under the "option_value" column you will run across the current proper name of your theme. Change this to one of the default themes, such equally "twentynineteen."

wp_options template name
wp_options template name

Check your website again to meet if this has fixed the error. If it did, it merely means information technology's a trouble with your WordPress theme and you might want to effort reinstalling it or reverting to your well-nigh contempo backup.

12. Increase the Memory Limit

The WP_MEMORY_LIMIT parameter allows y'all to specify the maximum amount of memory that tin be consumed past PHP. If you are using shared hosting, it's most likely set to a low value such as 64M. At Kinsta, nosotros set the default memory limit to 256M.

You tin increase the retentivity limit by calculation the post-obit to your wp-config.php file. This must be placed above the wp-settings.php inclusion.

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );
WP_MEMORY_LIMIT in wp-config.php
WP_MEMORY_LIMIT in wp-config.php

Non sure what your current PHP retentivity limit is set up to? If you take admission to your WordPress dashboard and are running WordPress 5.2 or above, you can see the PHP memory limit under the "Site Health" tool.

WordPress site health PHP memory limit
WordPress site wellness PHP retentivity limit

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Summary

Connection and timeout errors are never fun to troubleshoot, merely hopefully, yous have a little more cognition in your toolbelt now to help resolve it quickly.

It's important to remember that the "ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT" mistake be a result of a client-side problem such as your network connectedness, or an result with the server where your WordPress site is hosted. Take any other tips to resolve this fault? Permit us know below in the comments.

(Suggested reading: Learn how to set up the ERR_CACHE_MISS fault in Chrome)


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