Web Browser Troubleshooting

Overview

Learn how to troubleshoot any dysfunctional web page in your web browser of choice.

Sometimes, a web page that you have visited before is not loading or appearing in the way that it should. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can take to restore proper function or to reach out for more assistance.

Step 1: Refresh the tab or window

If a web page is not loading properly, try to refresh the browsing session. 

For Chrome, Firefox, and Edge users: 

The refresh button is located to the left of the address bar at the upper-left corner of the browsing window indicated by a circular arrow.

• Chrome
  
• Firefox
  
• Edge
  

For Safari users:

The refresh button is visible in the right-hand side of the address bar. Occasionally, you may have to hover your cursor over the address bar to see it.

Step 2: Close the tab, window, or web browser

Sometimes, the web page may require your tab, window, or web browser to close.

Closing a tab

For Chrome, Firefox, and Edge users: 

• In the active tab, click the X icon on the right-hand side of the tab.
• You may also use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+W in Windows or ⌘-W in macOS.

For Safari users:

• In the active tab, click the X icon on the left-hand side of the tab.
• You may also use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+W in Windows or ⌘-W in macOS.

Closing a window or application

Closing a browser window or application is dependent on which operating system you are using.

For Windows users:

• Click on the X box on the upper-right corner of the browser window. This will also shut down the browser.
• You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F4 to close the window and browser. 

For macOS users:

• Click on the leftmost circle button on the upper-left corner of the browser window. This will not shut down the browser.
• To close the application, select the browser's name in the upper-left corner and select the Quit menu option or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘-Q.
  • Note: Some browsers may have you hold ⌘-Q to fully close the browser.

Step 3: Try a private or incognito browsing window

Sometimes, viewing a web page can be done by using a private or incognito browsing window.

For more information, please consult our Open a Private Browser Window article.

Step 4: Try another browser

Sometimes, the web page might require viewing it from a different browser.

• Chrome and Firefox are available on managed computers.
  • For unmanaged computers, Chrome and Firefox are available through a free download for Windows and macOS.
• Edge and Safari are the system default browsers for Windows and macOS respectively.

Give it a try!

Step 5: Restart your computer

Sometimes, you may need to restart your computer. This is dependent on the operating system.

For Windows 10/11 users

1. Go to the Start menu icon 
   1. Windows 10: On the lower-left corner.
   2. Windows 11 default: The leftmost icon on the bottom of the screen.
2. Select the Power icon 
3. Select Restart.

You can also use the keyboard shortcut, Alt+F4, then select Restart.

For macOS users

1. Go to the Apple menu on the upper-left corner of the screen.
2. Select Restart...
3. A dialog box will appear. You can either wait for 60 seconds or select Restart Now.

Step 6: Clear your browser cache

 If the steps above did not solve the problem, you can try to clear your web browser's cache.

• The cache stores small packets of code, called cookies, and other content to allow frequently visited websites to load more quickly.
• On occasion, those cookies and other data need to be cleared out in order to restore the proper function. 

For more information, please consult our Clearing your browser's cache article.

Step 7: Try again or seek access

Sometimes, the problem with a web page may have nothing to do with your computer or your browser but something outside of your control (i.e., the page doesn't exist, the server is down, etc.).

Usually when this happens, you will see an HTML response code that is explaining what is going on. Some of the common response codes that you might see are:

• 301 - Moved permanently
  • Usually an internally-facing code, this means that the web page you are trying to visit has a different URL now
  • You will either be shown a link to the new URL or you are automatically being redirected to it.
• 401 - Unauthenticated
  • This means that you do not have the proper access or are not signed in to be able to see the web page's contents.
• 404 - Not found
  • The web page you're attempting to view doesn't exist anymore.
• 500 - Internal server error
  • The server hosting the web page is unable to process your request to see it.
• 503 - Service unavailable
  • The server is not ready to handle the request. Common causes are a server that is down for maintenance or that is overloaded.

For the full list of HTML response codes, please refer to the HTTP response status codes (Mozilla Developers Network).

Need help?

• Open a Private Browser Window
• Clearing your browser's cache
• Submit a General Help ticket
• HTTP response status codes (Mozilla Developers Network)