Few things are as irritating as sitting down with a hot cup of coffee, opening your MacBook, and… Google Chrome refuses to cooperate. It won’t open, or worse, it freezes mid-task right when you’ve got 15 tabs open for work.

If Chrome keeps crashing, lagging, or refusing to launch, don’t panic—you’re not alone. Chrome is a resource-hungry browser, and when macOS or extensions clash with it, things get messy fast. The good news? You can usually fix it without calling tech support.

Let’s walk through the fixes that actually work.

1. Force Quit Chrome

If Chrome is frozen, the first step is simple:

Click the Apple menu > Force Quit > Google Chrome > Force Quit
Or press Command + Option + Esc and select Chrome

Think of this as giving Chrome a hard reset.

2. Restart Your Mac

Yes, it sounds cliché. But memory leaks, stuck processes, and temporary conflicts often vanish after a restart. Close everything, restart, and try again.

3. Clear Chrome’s Cache and Browsing Data

Bloated cache files can cause Chrome to misbehave.

Open Chrome (if possible) → Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data
Select cached images/files and cookies, then clear them

Pro tip: This won’t delete your passwords if you leave that box unchecked.

4. Disable Extensions

Extensions are sneaky culprits. One bad plugin can crash your whole browser.

Go to chrome://extensions/
Toggle them off one by one to see which is causing the problem

If Chrome works fine in Incognito mode, it’s almost certainly an extension issue.

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5. Update Chrome and macOS

Running outdated software is like trying to drive with flat tires.

Chrome: ⋮ menu > Help > About Google Chrome > Update
Mac: Apple menu > System Settings > Software Update

6. Reinstall Chrome (The Nuclear Option)

If nothing else works:

Delete Chrome from Applications
Go to Finder → Shift + Command + G → type:
```
~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome
```
Delete this folder (it stores corrupted settings)
Reinstall Chrome fresh from Google’s website

Try It, Share It

Most Chrome issues boil down to corrupted files, rogue extensions, or outdated software. Try these steps in order—you’ll usually fix the issue before step 6.