Fixing ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT – DreamHost

In today’s lightning-fast, digital world, there’s nothing more frustrating than attempting to visit a web site, watching the loading bar creep slowly across the page… after which getting an error message as an alternative of the positioning you expected.

When this happens, a whole lot of times it’s the “ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT” error. This can be a common error that has a whole lot of potential causes, which suggests it may be frustrating for site administrators to diagnose and solve. Luckily though, a lot of the steps required to troubleshoot it are straightforward, even for beginners.

So if you happen to’re staring down a Connection Timed Out error, you’re in the correct place. Read on to learn more about what causes this common error and, more importantly, the right way to fix it in your site.

What Is The ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT Error?

The ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error is a message you would possibly see in your web browser. It means that an internet page or resource you’re trying to succeed in took too long to reply, so the connection attempt was terminated on account of a timeout.

That is a surprisingly common error, though it presents alternative ways in several web browsers. The error will probably say some variation of, “This site can’t be reached.”

In a Google Chrome browser, it’s called an ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error.

In Safari, it displays as “Safari Can’t Open the Page.”

In case you use Mozilla Firefox and encounter this error, you’ll see, “The connection has timed out.”

And if you happen to use Microsoft Edge, the error will read, “Hmmm… can’t reach this page.”

What Causes The ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT Error?

One among the really tricky (and potentially frustrating) things about getting an ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error in your site is that it has a ton of potential causes. These errors may be attributable to:

1. Network issues: Problems together with your local network, comparable to unstable Wi-Fi or a poor Web connection, can prevent your browser from connecting to a server in time.

2. Firewall or security software: Sometimes, firewall settings or security software might block a connection or cause delays, resulting in timeouts.

3. Browser issues: Occasionally, cached data or cookies might cause connection problems. In these cases, clearing browser cache and cookies might help.

4. DNS issues: The Domain Name System (DNS) translates domains (like www.example.com) into IP addresses. If there’s a difficulty with the DNS server your device is using, it’d prevent you from accessing certain web sites.

5. Server-side issues: The server where the web site is hosted is likely to be experiencing high traffic, it may very well be down, or there is likely to be other technical issues stopping it from responding in a timely manner.

How To Fix ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT Errors: Step By Step

Ready to unravel your ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error?

We’ll start by troubleshooting this error on the network, browser, and software level.

Then, we’ll explore some DNS fixes.

If those don’t work, we’ll undergo some steps you’ll be able to take to vary the configuration of your WordPress site or server to finally banish ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT errors for good.

Troubleshooting At The Network, Browser, And Software Level

We’ll start with the best fixes first.

Step 1: Check Your Network Connection

Sometimes, whenever you get a Connection Timed Out error, it’s for a really straightforward reason: connection issues.

In case you’re at home, check your router and reset it if needed. To completely power cycle it, disconnect the facility supply and wait a minimum of 30 seconds before you plug it back in.

In case you’re somewhere where you don’t have access to the router, like a coffee shop, visit one other site or run an online speed test to examine the connection.

Step 2: Disable Firewall And Antivirus Software (Temporarily)

While your firewalls and antivirus programs are supposed to protect your computer from harmful web sites and programs, they will get a little bit, let’s assume, overzealous. Even the preferred antivirus software has been known to dam perfectly secure web sites every so often, which is why the following step needs to be to (temporarily) switch off your firewalls and antivirus software after which try accessing your site again to see if it’s getting blocked.

In fact, only do that if you happen to’re absolutely sure the positioning you’re attempting to access is secure.

If it seems that is the issue, you’ll be able to submit a “false positive” report back to the antivirus software that’s blocking your site to let the developer know they’re keeping users away from a site that’s actually secure. They need to review your report and help resolve the difficulty.

Step 3: Disable Proxy Settings Or VPN

Proxy servers and VPNs work sort of like an online middleman, redirecting the flow of knowledge between your device and the web site you’re visiting to assist protect your IP address. Nonetheless, depending in your VPN or proxy settings, they also can control which websites are accessible, which may end up in by accident blocking certain pages and getting a Connection Timed Out error.

In case you’re using a VPN, you’ll be able to either change the protocol or turn it off temporarily. In case you’re using a proxy server, you’ll need to vary the settings – and the way you do this relies on your operating system.

For Windows 10: Open the Control Panel and choose Web Options. This can open the Web Properties windows. Go to the Connections tab, then LAN Settings. Uncheck all of the proxy settings and click on OK.

For MacOS: Open System Preferences, go to Network, and click on Advanced. Under the Proxies tab, uncheck all of the boxes and click on OK.

Step 4: Clear Browsing Data

Your web browser stores certain information, including browsing history, login data, cookies, and more. Having browser data saved means whenever you revisit an online page, it may load faster. When cached data is old-fashioned, it may cause loading problems and result in errors, which is why it’s a very good idea to clear your cache periodically.

The precise steps for doing so vary by browser, however it’s pretty straightforward – if you happen to aren’t sure how, a fast Google search on your browser and “clear cache” should pull up a tutorial.

Troubleshooting At The DNS Level

If not one of the above troubleshooting steps worked, it’s time to get a bit more technical. The subsequent few steps will explore solutions to Connection Timed Out errors that must do with DNS errors.

Step 1: Change DNS Servers

The very first thing to try is changing your DNS servers. By default, DNS servers are routinely assigned by your web service provider (ISP), but these default servers don’t all the time provide the most effective performance. You’ll be able to try changing them to a free, third-party server, just like the ones provided by Google or Cloudflare.

Once more, the way you do that relies on your operating system.

For Windows 10:

• Open the Control Panel and choose Network and Sharing Center. 
• At the highest left, click Change adapter settings. Right-click on the present connection and choose Properties.
• Select whether to make use of IPv4 or IPv6 addresses on your DNS settings. Then click Properties.

• Select the choice to “Use the next DNS server addresses:”
• Type within the IP address with the next:
  • Google DNS: 
    • For IPv4, use 8.8.8.8 and eight.8.8.4
    • For IPv6, use 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844
  • Cloudflare DNS:
    • For IPv4, use 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
    • For IPv6, use 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001
• Click OK, then close and restart your browser.

For MacOS:

• Open System Preferences, go to Network, and click on Advanced.
• On the DNS tab, click the Plus check in the DNS Servers section. Type in each IP address:
  • Google DNS:
    • For IPv4, use 8.8.8.8 and eight.8.8.4
    • For IPv6, use 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844
  • Cloudflare DNS:
    • For IPv4, use 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
    • For IPv6, use 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001
• Click OK.

Step 2: Flush DNS

Much like your browser, your computer keeps a cache of knowledge concerning the IP addresses of internet sites you visit, so it doesn’t need to begin from the start to translate their domains every time you revisit a site. Also, much like your browser cache, your DNS cache can grow to be outdated and cause errors, so the following troubleshooting step is to flush it.

In case you’re using Windows, you’ll be able to do that using Command Prompt. Press the Windows key + R to activate the Run command, then type “cmd” into the dialog box and click on OK. Within the Command Prompt window, enter the next:

ipconfig /flushdns

Then, press enter. If it worked, it is best to see a message that claims, “Successfully flushed the DNS resolver Cache.”

In case you’re on Mac, open the Terminal application and insert the next command:

dscacheutil -flushcache

Note that there’s no success message on Mac.

Step 3: Check Your Hosts File

Your hosts file is where your computer stores a kind of map between IP addresses and their corresponding domains. Nonetheless, it might also include an inventory of blocked web sites, and if the positioning you’re attempting to access is blacklisted in your hosts file, that can cause the Connection Timed Out error.

On Windows, you’ll need to establish additional access with a text editor, like Notepad, to view the Windows hosts file. From the beginning menu, find Notepad, right-click on it, and choose Run as administrator. Then, out of your text editor, navigate to File → Open and put the trail below into the File name bar:

C:WindowsSystem32driversetc

Select the hosts file. The list of blocked sites shall be below the last line that starts with the “#” sign. Delete them and save your changes.

On Mac, open the Terminal, insert the road below, and hit enter:

sudo nano /private/etc/hosts

Remove all of the web sites below the “::1” line.

Troubleshooting At The WordPress Site Or Server Level

If not one of the above fixes solved your Connection Timed Out error, it may very well be a difficulty together with your WordPress site or server. Below are a few of the most typical server-side issues and the right way to troubleshoot them.

Step 1: Temporarily Disable Plugins

WordPress plugins are an amazing solution to expand your site’s functionality, but they may also be problematic, especially in the event that they come from an unreliable source or if you happen to install more plugins than your site can handle.

That’s why temporarily disabling plugins is an amazing first step if you happen to imagine a Connection Timed Out error is originating from a difficulty together with your site. In case you recently installed any recent plugins that you observed may very well be the cause, start there.

Nonetheless, if you happen to’re unable to load your site, that typically also means you’ll be able to’t access your WordPress admin area. Meaning you’ll must access your site using SFTP. We recommend using FileZilla, because it’s free and open source. When you’ve connected to your site, you’ll need to search out your wp-content directory, and inside it, a folder called plugins. Change the name of the plugins folder to something like plugins-discontinued (be sure that you remember the name so you’ll find it later). Reload your site. In case you not get the Connection Timed Out error, you now know considered one of your plugins was the wrongdoer. You only need to search out out which one.

To accomplish that, head back to SFTP and rename the plugins folder back to its old name. Contained in the folder, you’ll see a folder for every individual plugin. Do the identical thing, but this time, rename each individual plugin’s folder, then attempt to reload your site. This can isolate the precise plugin that’s causing the error.

Step 2: Check The Maximum Execution Time

Maximum execution time is the full duration a php script can run on a site before it times out. In case your site is reaching its maximum execution time before it may fully load, that may very well be the reason behind your Connection Timed Out error.

On most sites, this is about to 30 seconds as a default. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to increase it. You may have a couple of options here, but they depend upon how your hosting provider has arrange their servers:

• Find the php.ini file in your property directory, then find the max_execution_time parameter inside it and increase it.
• Edit your .htaccess file to incorporate php_value max_execution_time set to your chosen value.
• Reach out to your hosting provider and ask them to extend your maximum execution time.

Step 3: Increase Your PHP Memory Limit

PHP allows a default amount of memory for use when processing a web site. Some sites need greater than that, which may very well be the reason behind the Connection Timed Out error you’ve been seeing. On this case, increasing your PHP memory limit could be the answer.

You’ll must access your site via SFTP to extend your PHP memory limit. Access your site’s directory, then find the wp-config.php file. Edit the wp-config.php file to incorporate the next lines before the wp-settings.php inclusion:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '300M' );
define( 'WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '300M' );

/** Sets up WordPress vars and included files. */
require_once(ABSPATH . 'wp-settings.php');

Bear in mind you could’t increase your site’s PHP memory infinitely. In case you try to extend it an excessive amount of, you could receive an error telling you that you just’ve reached its limit. If this happens and you continue to need more memory, you could must upgrade your hosting plan.

Step 4: Revert To The Default Theme

In case you’ve ruled out plugins, execution time, and PHP memory limits, the following place to look is your WordPress theme. Much like plugins, themes can break or cause compatibility issues with web sites, which may very well be the reason behind a Connection Timed Out error.

To examine in case your theme is causing problems, hook up with your site through SFTP and revert to the default theme. Then, reload your site to see if the error continues to be there.

Step 5: Upgrade Your Hosting Plan

In case you’ve tried all of the troubleshooting steps above and also you’re still getting an ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error, it’s time to succeed in out to your hosting provider. They’ll assist you troubleshoot the difficulty more deeply and search for less common problems which may take more specialized expertise to unravel.

In some cases, this error might even just mean it’s time to upgrade your hosting plan. For instance, if you happen to use shared hosting, one other site may very well be hogging your server’s resources. One other potential cause? Your site can have simply exceeded its maximum allowed bandwidth.

The next-tier hosting plan can assist your site avoid slowdowns and downtime since it can dedicate more server resources on to your site. It can also make sure that your site isn’t affected when other sites have traffic surges.

Able to explore higher hosting plans? DreamPress offers reliable, lightning-fast hosting solutions specifically optimized for WordPress – plus free migration for existing WordPress sites.

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT Error FAQs

What Does The ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT Error Mean?

Getting this error indicates that a requested web page or resource took too long to reply, leading the browser to terminate the connection attempt on account of a timeout.

Is The Error A Problem With My Device Or The Website I’m Trying To Visit?

It may very well be either. The error may very well be on account of server-side issues, however it may be a results of issues together with your network, browser, firewall, DNS, or other client-side problems.

Does This Error Compromise My Security?

The ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT error itself doesn’t compromise your security. Still, it’s all the time a very good idea to make sure that your browser, OS, and security software are up-to-date to guard against potential threats.

Can VPNs Cause This Error?

Yes, sometimes a VPN might cause connection issues. In case you’re using a VPN and encounter this error, try disconnecting from the VPN and accessing the positioning again to see if that resolves the difficulty.

The Website I’m Trying To Access Works For Others But Not For Me. Why?

This means that the difficulty is likely to be in your end. It may very well be on account of localized network problems, your ISP, specific settings in your computer, or other client-side aspects.

How Long Should I Wait Before Trying To Access The Website Again?

If it’s a server-side issue, it’s hard to say. You’ll be able to wait a couple of minutes and check out again. In case you really want to access the positioning straight away, it is best to consider reaching out to the positioning’s administrator or support for more information.