Chrome started showing a notification that it could no longer download updates, so I uninstalled it and tried reinstalling it from the official website. Instead, the download failed with "This site can't be reached" because the DNS address for dl.google.com could not be found. I reset my router, changed DNS providers, disabled antivirus temporarily, and reset Windows network settings through Command Prompt, but nothing helped. Even a Chrome installer copied from another computer reported that it could not connect to the internet, despite other internet access working normally.
Now Microsoft Edge is showing a similar notification saying it cannot download updates, and its manual update process also fails with an internet connection error. Installing Chrome through an alternative installer worked, but I still want to understand what could cause both browsers to lose access to their update servers. Could this be a hosts-file problem, malware, a Windows configuration issue, or something else?
4 Answers
A malicious extension is possible, but it’s less likely to explain the same behavior in Edge unless the problem is system-wide or the browsers share a compromised setting. Run a full scan with Windows Security, check installed extensions in both browsers, and inspect proxy settings as well as the hosts file. Don’t disable antivirus permanently just to install a browser.
The fact that installing Chrome from an alternative download source worked suggests the issue is specifically reaching the official download or update servers, not that your entire internet connection is down. A different installer package, such as the offline MSI installer, can be a practical workaround while you investigate DNS, proxy, firewall, or hosts-file rules.
You can try installing Chrome through Windows Package Manager. Open an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell window and run `winget install "Google.Chrome"`. This avoids the normal download page, although it may still fail if Windows is blocking access to Google’s download servers.
Since both Chrome and Edge are affected, this probably isn’t a browser-specific problem. Check the Windows hosts file for entries blocking Google or Microsoft update domains, and reset it to the default if anything suspicious appears. Also make sure your system date and time are correct, since incorrect settings can break secure connections. An alternative installer working only shows that the browser itself can install; it doesn’t identify the original cause.
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