There are times when our favorite website refuses to load, especially when we need to navigate it the most. You may have also experienced this: you try to open your favorite website, and the screen remains blank. At that moment, it feels like something is wrong with the entire internet. Yes, the internet can be a cause, but not always.
Sometimes the website itself may be facing downtime. The good news is, in most cases, you don’t need to be a tech expert to fix it. A few simple checks usually resolve the issue and get things working again.
5 Ways To Fix Websites Not Working
The following are five ways that can help you access your favorite website if it’s not working.
1. Check Your Internet Connection
Having a slow internet or a connection breakdown is the most common reason behind a website not working. So, start by checking your internet connection. Firstly, test the internet speed.
If you are using mobile data, turn it off and then turn it back on again. And if you’re using Wi-Fi, consider restarting the router and checking whether all the lights are green after the restart; if there is a red one, that indicates an issue.
In case there’s a red one, then the issue is with your connection; please call your ISP to resolve it. If all the lights are green, try reaccessing the website. If it works, then it’s well and good; if not, try another website or app. If others are not experiencing issues and are working fine, then this means the problem is at the website’s end, not at your end.
2. Check DNS Issues
If your internet connection is fine and your favorite websites are not loading, the issue might be at the website’s end. The common cause of such problems is often due to incorrect DNS setups or errors within them. These fail to propagate the website correctly on the servers dedicated to your region.
To check the propagation status of your favorite website, use a DNS checker. Simply, enter the domain name inside the input field and perform a DNS check. The tool will show you how the website is resolving on the global servers.
If there’s a red cross in your region, it means the site is failing to propagate/resolve properly. In such a case, you can do nothing but wait, as the issue lies at the website’s or its hosting server’s end.
3. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
Browser cache and cookies are among the often-overlooked culprits that stop a website from functioning correctly. Browser cache stores small bits of website data, so pages load faster when you revisit them. In contrast, cookies save your preferences and login sessions.
Yet, both are helpful, but sometimes they become outdated or corrupted. And when that happens, a site can:
- Fail to load completely
- Break site layout
- Show older content
All this can be fixed with a simple trick – clearing your browser cache and cookies. You can clear them easily by visiting the browser settings; the exact process may vary depending on the browser type.
Pro Tip: If you don’t want to lose saved logins, clear cache and cookies for only the specific site that isn’t working instead of wiping everything.
4. Try a Different Browser or Device
Sometimes the reason a website is not working is not the internet, nor the browser cache or cookies. In fact, it’s the browser itself. Many modern websites fail to open on outdated browsers.
For example, a site might work fine on Firefox but fail to load on Chrome. Besides an outdated browser, the issue can also arise from a bad extension or a temporary glitch.
The quickest way to check this is to open the same website in another browser. If it works fine there, you’ll know the problem lies with your original browser, not the site.
Another smart step is to try the website on a different device. If the site loads perfectly on your phone but not on your laptop, it’s a clear sign that your computer’s browser settings, cache, or extensions are causing the trouble.
All this can be fixed by doing the following.
- Make sure you are using the latest version of the browser.
- Disable Suspicious extensions, in fact, remove the cracked ones.
- Disable VPN, in case it is enabled.
5. Check System Date and Time
It may sound strange, but something as simple as your computer’s date and time settings can stop websites from working. Most websites today use secure connections (HTTPS).
For that to work, your browser checks the website’s SSL certificate against your system’s clock. If your date or time is way off, the browser assumes the certificate is invalid and blocks the site.
For example, suppose your laptop displays the year as 2018 or your time zone is set incorrectly. In that case, you may encounter errors such as “Your connection is not private” or “This site’s security certificate is not valid.”
All this can be simply fixed by correcting the device’s date and time.
To Sum Up
When your favorite website suddenly stops working, it can feel frustrating and confusing. However, in most cases, the cause is something minor on your end, such as those we mentioned in this blog post. By following the steps mentioned above, you can quickly identify and resolve the issue without waiting hours.
To recap, here are the most effective fixes you can try:
- Check your internet connection
- Check for DNS issues
- Clear browser cache and cookies
- Try a different browser
- Check system date and time
