When you browse the Internet and download a Chrome file, it may freeze. Basically, this means that the browser or a plugin detects that it’s a possible threat and doesn’t allow it to be downloaded. But of course, the problem comes when you know it’s a secure document or file from a trusted source, and you don’t understand why it’s blocking it. In this article, we’ll explain what you can do to prevent Chrome from blocking downloads.
There are various reasons why Chrome might automatically block any document or program you want to download to your computer, luckily this never happened in our case with Crux. The good thing is that, in most of these situations, the truth is that you can do something about it to end up downloading that particular file you want.
But, in many other cases, if the block is for your safety, you shouldn’t do anything to change that. In any case, here you’ll find the main reasons and solutions for downloads not to be blocked. Of course, do this on your own responsibility, and if you don’t trust the page very much, it’s best to listen to the browser and not download it.
Why downloads are blocked in Chrome
This is a problem that has nothing to do with the connection. In other words, we’re not talking about downloads being cut off because we don’t have good Wi-Fi coverage or the page we’re entering stops working. We’re talking about a problem where, with everything apparently in order, the browser blocks a file we download because it considers it unsafe.
The most frequent cause is that the browser, through the security settings, detects that this file is dangerous or suspicious. This automatically blocks it and you can’t download it. You try again and it happens exactly the same way. You could say it’s a false positive, something that also happens with antivirus software, for example.
It can also happen that there’s a problem with the browser, such as it being outdated. Having an obsolete version can generate conflicts of this type and cause a download to crash, for example. This is a possibility you can consider.
On the other hand, there are many extensions we can install in the browser. Some of them are security-related and can even act as a kind of antivirus to detect threats. Have you recently installed something? Maybe this is the cause and you should check what you’ve installed.
Google Chrome download policy
In this case, we find a browser with a fairly strict download policy. This is obviously intended to protect all users from malicious files, or those that may be potentially dangerous. This is something that Google Chrome applies at all times. And the truth is, it’s very effective in the vast majority of cases. But we must always bear in mind that total protection doesn’t exist. There is always the possibility that the browser is unaware of any threat and therefore doesn’t detect it.
The first thing Chrome has is a technology called Safe Browsing. It automatically scans all downloaded files, looking for malware and phishing. The moment it detects a malicious file, it automatically blocks the download, displaying a security warning to the user.
On the other hand, we have download control. This allows users to block downloads they consider inappropriate, which can be found in the browser’s advanced settings. All users can configure a list of files that can be blocked and decide when something can be downloaded or not.
Another interesting feature of Google Chrome is secure download verification. This is something that applies to every file downloaded from websites that are not known or, on the other hand, not trusted. If the files can’t be verified, the browser will display a warning to users and will ask if we want to continue downloading.
All this makes Google Chrome a pretty safe browser, especially if its use is at home. Google has focused on security and user protection, so we won’t have any problems. But all this is something that must always be accompanied by good Internet use.
Main reasons
In Chrome policies, or rather, the reasons that lead the Google browser to block a download are the following, which have to do with whether it’s a malicious, unwanted, insecure, or even infrequent file:
- Malicious: you’re trying to download malware, or at least that’s what Google interprets, even if it doesn’t.
- Unwanted: you have tried to download from the browser any program or tool that turns out to be deceptive software, already reported by other users.
- Infrequent: you try to download unknown software that could be potentially harmful to your computer.
- Insecure: this occurs when you wish to download a file or tool that is not directly secure for your device, either because it is from an insecure website, or because of the document itself. In this case, you can try from mobile, and see if the same thing happens, or in this case, it allows you to download it, despite using Google Chrome.
Steps to resolve the problem
After explaining the main reasons why Chrome may block a download, we’ll explain what you can do to avoid it. Of course, we’re going to assume that what you’re downloading really is a secure file, that you know for certain that it’s not malware. Otherwise, you’re putting your computer at risk.
Configuring Chrome security
The first thing you need to do is configure Google Chrome’s security. The browser will probably block downloads because of this. This is an option that lights up by default and is used to detect any threats we mistakenly download from the Internet. But of course, there’s the so-called false positive, which can affect downloads that are really safe.
To do this, you need to go to the menu at the top right, enter Settings, and go to Security and Privacy. There will be various options, and the one you’re interested in here is the Security option.
Once inside Security, you’ll first see a Safe Browsing box. By default, standard protection is checked. This means you’ll detect and warn if you find a threat that could jeopardize the program’s operation. You’ll check URLs, the services you use, and the files you download.
To fix the problem if Chrome blocks downloads, what you’re going to do is turn off protection. You need to be careful with this, as it means the browser won’t analyze what you’re downloading, nor will it review the pages you visit for threats. But if you trust the antivirus you’ve installed, and you also know that what you’re downloading is really safe, just check this option. Something you can reactivate once the current download is complete, and only as a one-off measure.
A message will appear, as you can see in the image above, asking you to confirm that you really want to disable Chrome protection. Thereafter, the browser’s security will no longer act. However, you can reconfigure it as soon as you download this file and the browser is fully protected again.
Check that your browser is up-to-date
Have you updated Google Chrome to the latest version? It’s important that you check this, as it may be the reason why errors of this type appear. It’s always handy to have all patches and updates available, especially when it comes to programs that connect to the Internet.
To check your Chrome version, go to the menu at the top right, click on Help, and then About Google Chrome.
There, it will appear which version you have installed and, if there is a newer one, the installation will start automatically.
It’s a quick process and once you’re done, you restart the browser so that the changes are made correctly.
Although this is an automatic process, which is only carried out whenever there is a more recent version, there may also be a problem, such as an installation being suspended due to a connection failure, which means that the updates are not installed.
Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to check whether you have the latest version available for the Google browser. You can then solve this problem with downloads if all the above hasn’t helped you put an end to this error.
Check extensions causing problems
Another very important point to check is that you don’t have any problematic extensions. This could cause the browser to block the download, even if the file is secure. This can particularly happen if you have installed a security plugin, which is specifically responsible for reviewing everything we download from the network or every page we visit.
To do this, go to the top-right menu, click on More Tools, and enter Extensions. All those you have installed will appear. You can pause any of them and see if that solves the problem. Above all, you should look at those that are security-related and can block Chrome downloads.
If you’ve recently installed an extension, it’s more likely to be one of these. It may not work properly, it may be obsolete or for some reason, it generates conflicts with the browser. Here, too, you should set your sights and test whether disabling them can run the download again without problems.
If so, you know what to do. Either uninstall it, or look for an update or alternative, as it may generate more than one conflict if the extension causes problems in this respect, also blocking access to pages or generating errors.
Use private browsing
One of the ways to avoid having to resort to the last option, and use another browser, is to test the incognito browsing mode. This type of window, which we have available in Google Chrome, as well as in others, will disable all plugins, extensions, cookies, cache, etc., so it will be a way of knowing if the conflict is caused by one of these options, or, on the contrary, it has something to do with another aspect. If this works, it will be an easy way to download a program or file without having to do anything other than open a new window, as the file will be saved as always.
Use another browser
Although this isn’t the most interesting solution, since we’d like to be able to download files from Google Chrome itself, which will be the one we use, it’s true that sometimes having to disable plugins, or go through the whole configuration to be able to download a file, isn’t the most practical. That’s why opting for another browser may be the simplest solution.
It’s always a good idea to have an alternative, whether it’s Safari on the Mac, or Edge, Mozilla, Opera … etc., on Windows.
It already depends on personal taste, although we recommend a light and efficient one, for this type of situation. The most normal thing is that, if it’s a Chrome configuration or auto-blocking problem, the new browser doesn’t produce any errors and allows us to download the file without any problem. Once we’ve got it, we can reuse the one we like best, and close the browser we used to download, as it would have already fulfilled its function, and saved us a lot of time trying to get Chrome to do it.
Restart the computer
This may sound silly, but sometimes it’s the simplest and most effective solution, whether it’s due to a conflict with the antivirus, the browser itself, the network configuration, etc. There can be so many things, that it will sometimes be easier to restart them all at once than to look at them one by one, because several times, when turning the computer on and off, they are resolved. In my case, and if it’s an error that doesn’t usually happen to me, it’s always the first thing I choose, so I’ll go through the rest of the possible solutions, which are generally more tedious.
Restart the router
Another thing we don’t think about, since the Internet works for us, and only the download fails, however, restarting the router can help for many reasons, and it doesn’t cost us much, so, while the computer is restarted, we can also do with it. At the very least, it won’t hurt.
Remember that when you turn it off, you’ll have to wait about 20 or 30 seconds before turning it back on, so that the reboot is effective. Don’t simply press the button twice in succession.
Windows interference
In some cases, it may be Windows itself that is responsible for creating these download blocks. And the fault lies mainly with Windows Defender.
And the way to avoid this is to access its configuration. Once inside, you’ll need to access the Update & Security tab and then Windows Security. Next, there will be a section called Windows Security.
Once inside, go to the Antivirus & Threat Protection section. And in the right area, you’ll have an option that takes you to a protection history. This is where you’ll have summarized the measures the system has considered implementing to mitigate a potential threat.
Something is probably quarantined, and the problem can be found there. The good thing about Windows Defender, and probably also the bad thing, is that you can allow these processes. This can be dangerous in some cases, especially if the download is from a dangerous site. On the other hand, Windows blocks these files for a Defender strategy. So it doesn’t have to be exactly bad, just that it doesn’t correspond to certain guidelines set by this system in your computer.
So, if you know for sure that this block is a false positive, you can deactivate it. This will allow you to download the content without any problems. Another option is to restore from the Windows Quarantine section.
But this is just one of the reasons why you can block a Windows download. There are others for which we can find these types of errors, but they’re a little less common. The means of resolving them, in some cases, are a little more complex and require more knowledge of how the Operating System works.
In short, as you’ve seen, there are several reasons why Chrome may block a download. It’s a problem that can arise when you try to download a file or document from the network, even though it’s really something safe and shouldn’t be blocked. We’ve explained what you need to do to avoid it and, basically, what you need to do is configure browser security, which will be the main cause, as well as checking that it’s updated and seeing if any extensions are having problems.
