What to do when a website is not loading? - Mag Mirror

No matter how many cute characters browsers put on their error pages, a web page that won't load is always a source of frustration. If you're trying to visit your favorite site and you're greeted with "This site can't be reached," "Connection timed out," or the ever-enigmatic 404 error, here are some solutions to try.

Check your connection (and other sites)

Let's start with the obvious: are you connected to the internet? Check the icon in the corner of your screen to see if your computer detects a strong connection. If you're on Airplane mode or accidentally turned off Wi-Fi, this is the obvious culprit. Try visiting other sites to see if they work. If some sites work and some don't, the problem is probably not with your Internet connection.

If you have problems with other sites, you may need to restart your modem and/or router, as any problem there can interrupt your entire browsing session. Oh, and that should go without saying, but check your spelling – if you accidentally visited pmcag.com instead of pcmag.com, you're in trouble.

Check if the problem is on your side or theirs.

Once you narrow down the problem to a single site (or a few sites), check if those sites are out of service for everyone or just for you. The aptly named downforeveryoneorjustme.com is perfect for this, as it lets you type in any URL to see if the site is accessible to other people. For issues related to mobile networks, ISPs, or server-based online services, see the Downdetector site.

This won't necessarily find the solution, as the website or service may be down in some areas, but it's a good place to start. If any of these tools say your site is down for everyone, you know the problem is with them and you'll have to wait for it to be fixed. If it's a small website with a freelance webmaster, they might not even realize their site is down, so it might be worth sending an email.

View a cached version of the page

If a site is unavailable and you only need to see a single page or post, you may still be able to visit an older site, cached version of that page. In your Google search results for the page, click the little arrow to view Google's cached version of the page. You can also enter it in a tool like the Internet Archive. Wayback Machine to see versions of this page throughout its existence. It won't solve the underlying problem, but you'll get the page you need without stopping your momentum.

Disable add-ons and other interfering software

If the website in question only works for you, you should look for problems on your side. Sometimes add-ons and other software can interfere with a page loading properly – ad blockers are a classic example. If you have one running, disable it and reload the site to see if it works. You can also try disabling other add-ons, or closing any other software that may be interfering with the web (like network monitoring). Sometimes antivirus software can also interfere with certain sites, but be careful: if it is blocking a certain site from loading, there may be a good reason for it, and disabling your security software could put you at risk.

Check another browser or incognito window

To determine if the problem is with your browser or your PC as a whole, launch another browser and try visiting the site. (If you usually use Chrome, for example, try loading the site in Firefox or Edge). You can also try private browsing, which will load the site without the cookies used to store your login information and track you around the web. If the site loads properly in these situations, you know you need to look into your browser settings, clear its cache, and delete cookies that may be causing problems. If the site does not load in another browser, the problem is probably somewhere else on your machine.

Try another device

As with the previous suggestion, try visiting the site on another device, such as your phone (connected to the same Wi-Fi network). If the site loads on your phone but not on your computer, you can limit the problem to your PC. If the site doesn't load on your phone when connected to Wi-Fi, but does load when Wi-Fi is off, you'll need to start digging into your router settings.-It's It is possible that the built-in security software, parental control, firewall or other option is blocking your access.

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Correct your DNS

When you type an address, like www.pcmag.com-into, into your browser, the one -ci uses a DNS server to convert this address into a numeric value. IP address that directs it to the website in question. Sometimes these DNS servers can go down or experience other issues that can prevent a site from loading properly, even on different browsers. Try flushing your DNS cache to see if that helps, or changing your DNS server entirely - you can always change it again if that doesn't fix the problem.

Start a VPN

Your ISP, parental controls, or other outside force may be blocking your access to this specific site. In this case, you may be able to circumvent the block with a virtual private network (VPN), which passes your traffic through another server before arriving at its destination. If you already have a VPN, launch it and see if the site loads properly. (Alternatively, if your VPN was already enabled when you visited the site, try disabling it – the problem may be with the VPN itself). If you don't have a VPN, check out our list of the best VPNs, how they work, and how to set one up.