5 ways to troubleshoot if Chrome's reCAPTCHA is not working

While reCAPTCHA should usually work just fine — click a checkbox to confirm you're not a robot — you might sometimes encounter situations in which reCAPTCHA doesn't work in Chrome. You might see an error message saying that your request can't be processed, or the reCAPTCHA box might disappear without actually working. When this happens, there are a few ways to troubleshoot the problem and get back up and running. 

Make sure Chrome is up to date

One of the most common reasons for reCAPTCHA to fail in Chrome is when the browser is out of date and suffering from bugs or incompatibilities that have been fixed in the latest version. You can easily search for and install any available updates. Click the three-dot menu at the top right of the Chrome window. In the menu, choose Help, then About Chrome. Install any updates which are available. 

Disable extensions

One of Chrome's biggest strengths is the sheer number of extensions available which extend the browser's features and abilities. Sometimes, though, you may encounter extensions which conflict with other software, and you might be using an extension which doesn't work properly with Google's reCAPTCHA. To check, disable all your extensions and try the reCAPTCHA; if it works, you can re-enable extensions one at a time until you find the problematic software and uninstall it. 

To disable your extensions, click the puzzle piece-shaped Extensions icon in the toolbar and then click Manage extensions. On the Extensions page, turn off each extension by swiping its button to the left. If you find a specific extension which interferes with reCAPTCHA, return here and click Remove for the offending extension. 

Reset your Chrome browser and profile

If you continue to have trouble with reCAPTCHA, there's one more thing you can try within Chrome before moving on to other potential fixes: you can reset Chrome through the browser's settings on a Mac or PC.   

Additionally, Windows allows you to reset your Chrome user profile through its Task Manager, which could resolve the problem if there's corrupt data in your existing profile.

1. Click Start, then type "task" and click Task Manager when you see it in search results. 

2. Click Chrome in the app list and then click End task at the bottom right of the Task Manager window. 

3. Click Start and type "run." Click Run when you see it in the search results. 

4. In the Run field, type "%appdata%" and press Enter.

5. In the AppData folder, open Local, followed by Google, then Chrome, and finally User Data. 

6. Right-click the Default folder, choose Rename, and rename the folder to "Default Old." 

7. Restart Chrome. It'll create a new Default user profile, and you can try to open the page with the reCAPTCHA.

Disable your VPN

reCAPTCHA pages sometimes do not work well with some VPNs (virtual private networks). If you regularly run a VPN on your computer, you can test if your VPN is at fault by temporarily disabling the VPN and trying the RECAPTCHA. If it works properly with the VPN disabled, you have narrowed down the cause and can disable your VPN when you need to access that page. The process for disabling your VPN will vary depending on which one you use, so refer to your VPN user guide if you need help turning it off. 

Change your IP address

Finally, it's possible that the reCAPTCHA might not work because your computer's IP address is being blocked. You can often change your IP address just by changing networks, so join a different WiFi network if possible. Otherwise, see our article on how to change your IP address through your Windows or Mac computer's settings. 

Additionally, you can force the IP address on your Windows computer to reset in a Command Prompt window.

1. Click Start, then type "task" and click Task Manager when you see it in search results. 

2. Click Chrome in the app list and then click End task at the bottom right of the Task Manager window. 

3. Click Start and then type "cmd." When you see Command Prompt appear in the search results, right-click it and choose Run as administrator. Then type each of these command and press Enter, one after the other:

netsh winsock reset

netsh int ip reset

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

Start Chrome and see if that solved your reCAPTCHA problem.

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.

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