Whenever I search on Google using Chrome on my Windows PC, I'm redirected to a CAPTCHA page. Clicking the "I'm not a robot" checkbox doesn't show the usual image challenge—instead, Chrome automatically downloads a file named "f.txt." The download doesn't appear to be malware, but I'm still stuck on the verification page afterward. I'm not using Incognito mode. What could be causing this, and how can I fix it?
4 Answers
Are you connected through a VPN or similar proxy? Google may repeatedly challenge traffic from shared or unusual IP addresses. Temporarily disabling the VPN and trying again could tell you whether the connection is causing the loop.
Try disabling all Chrome extensions first, then reload Google and test again. A browser extension interfering with the CAPTCHA or redirect could be triggering the file download. If that fixes it, re-enable extensions one at a time to find the culprit.
Open an Incognito window and see whether the CAPTCHA works there. Incognito usually disables extensions unless they were specifically allowed, so this can help narrow down whether an extension or stored site data is involved. If it still happens, try clearing Google’s cookies and cached site data.
Test the same search in another browser. If the CAPTCHA works elsewhere, the issue is probably specific to Chrome settings, extensions, or its stored data rather than your Google account.
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