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In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the most common causes of the ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR and provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to solve ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR.
So, if you’re ready to say goodbye to the ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR and get back to browsing without interruption, keep reading!
Common questions asked-
Before we start, make sure you check out our other indepth guides on common WordPress Errors. Some of the other most common issues are.
The ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR error refers to the fact that the browser cannot initiate secure communication and the problem may lie with both our system and the device from the website we are trying to access.
As the name suggests, SSL protocol failure occurs when an internet browser is unable to establish a secure connection. Obviously, this happens on an SSL certificate-enabled site.
Everybody knows what SSL is, but not everybody knows how it works. Back in the day, when computers were first beginning to connect to each other with the intent of sending information back and forth, there didn’t exist a way for these devices to ensure that the information was being sent from one device and not another.
This posed a problem for network administrators because it allowed for malicious attacks from hackers who wanted access to sensitive information. SSL was the solution to this problem. It created a secure connection between two devices so that all of the data transmitted between them is encrypted and unable to be viewed by unauthorized users
When this fault occurs, you will see the next error message.
For your information, SSL is a data transfer encryption procedure that makes your site secure for users to interact with. SSL-enabled sites have the HTTPS prefix, while non-SSL sites have only HTTP.
As you may have guessed, err_ssl_protocol_error is not unique to Google Chrome; it occurs in other browsers like Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox.
If you have ever experienced this bug, we would agree that it can be frustrating. The reason is that it is quite difficult to know precisely where the problem is coming from.
But don’t worry; In this article, we are going to show you how to solve and correct this error.
One of the reasons SSL connection failure is frustrating is that your browser is never going to give you a clue as to the source of the problem.
As such, you may have to troubleshoot many issues to find out where the issue is coming from.
However, from experience, we know that this failure is indicative of any of the following:
Without further ado, we are going to show you how to quickly fix SSL failures.
Also Read: How To Install SSL Certificate On Your WordPress Site?
Some tried and trusted solutions are now shown to restore a connection to a secure site after troubleshooting.
So of course depending on what is causing the problem, the solution would be totally different.
If you’re not sure what the actual cause of the problem is, and let’s face it, it might be hard to narrow it down, you can also try all of the following solutions until one of them works for you.
If your system data is incorrect, you are most likely experiencing an SSL connection failure.
The reason for this is quite simple. The value of an SSL certificate depends on its expiration date and time. That is, an SSL certificate will only continue to be valid as long as its expiration time has not passed.
Hence, it is essential that the date and time are correct. Otherwise, your computer would think that the SSL certificate on the site you’re trying to access has expired.
To check the date and time in Windows, navigate to Settings / Control Panel. Then choose Time and also language.
So, please update the date and time of your computer appropriately. To avoid this inconvenience in the future, switch the set time automatically from off to on.
To improve speed and performance, your browser downloads and stores the SSL certificate of each site you visit in your computer’s cache.
The drawback is that the saved SSL certificate may become out of date. If this happens, you will encounter err_ssl_protocol_error.
As such, clearing the SSL state of your computer can help resolve this issue.
You can do this from the advanced settings of your computer. To access these settings, open Settings / Control Panel and navigate to Network Sharing Center. There, click on Internet Options.
When you click, a new window will open. Click on the Content tab and then on Clear SSL State
Finally, click on OK and you are done.
The next time you visit the site, a fresh copy of your SSL certificate will be downloaded to your machine.
While antivirus programs and firewalls help protect your computer from malware, they often get in the way of a smooth and secure connection to a web server.
If you are still experiencing an SSL connection failure so far, disable your antivirus program and see if this clears the failure.
If that doesn’t work, take things a bit further by adjusting your antivirus settings. To do so, open your Control Panel (in Windows), then navigate to System and Security >> Windows Firewall Protect >> Customize settings. Once there, turn off Windows Firewall Protect like this:
Although it is very simple, clearing the cache is a powerful solution to fix most browser server crashes.
To clear your browser cache in Google Chrome, hold down the following 3 keys on your Windows keyboard:
So, hit the Clear data button to clear your browsing data. With that, your browser’s cache and cookies have been cleared.
The bug should already be resolved. If it persists, try the next solution.
As we discussed previously, a corrupted Google Chrome extension can cause your browser to throw connection failures. This is particularly true if you have multiple extensions installed on your browser.
As such, you’d like to disable the extensions so you can see if that fixes your issue.
While you really can’t figure out which extension might be causing the connection issue, the best thing to do is to disable each and every one of them in unison.
To do so, open your browser and look at the top right corner. You will see a vertical 3-dot icon; click on it.
By clicking, go to More Tools >> Extension
Now, you can delete or disable each extension one after another. To do so, click the Delete button or the blue toggle icon.
Anytime you remove or disable an extension, refresh your browser to see if the bug is gone.
If it disappears, it indicates that the last extension you disabled or removed was the problem.
However, if you didn’t notice any change, you should try a different approach.
QUIC (UDP Fast Internet Connections) is what lets Google Chrome browsers easily connect to a secure place. But sometimes it can be inconvenient.
Therefore, if your SSL failure has not been fixed so far, you will want to disable the QUIC protocol in your browser.
To do so, copy and paste the following line of code into your address bar
chrome://flags/#enable-quic
Now, set the Experimental QUIC protocol to disabled, like this. When you’re done, re-launch your browser.
To improve speed and performance, your browser downloads and stores the SSL certificate of each site you visit in your computer’s cache.
The drawback is that the saved SSL certificate may become out of date. If this happens, you will encounter err_ssl_protocol_error.
As such, clearing the SSL state of your computer can help resolve this issue.
You can do this from the advanced settings of your computer. To access these settings, open Settings / Control Panel and navigate to Network Sharing Center. There, click on Internet Options
When you click, a new window will open. Click on the Content tab and then on Clear SSL State
Finally, click on OK and you are done.
The next time you visit the site, a fresh copy of your SSL certificate will be downloaded to your machine.
Sometimes the problem may come from your browser, especially if it hasn’t been updated for a while.
An outdated browser can cause many connection failures, one of which is err_ssl_protocol_error.
Depending on your Internet connection settings, your Google Chrome browser may update automatically.
However, if you are not sure, head over to Google Download & install Google Chrome
Only a valid SSL certificate will ensure a smooth and secure connection to a web server. So, if you still see err_ssl_protocol_error, it’s about time you check the validity of the site’s SSL certificate.
To do so, you can use online SSL tools like SSL Labs. Just paste the URL of the place and SSL Labs will verify the validity of your certificate.
In addition to everything mentioned above, there is one last option that you can implement to solve the ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR error in Google Chrome. Which consists of repairing the hosts file or deleting it from the computer. The hosts file, on Windows systems, is located in the following path:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\
There we must right click on said file and select the Delete option.
In the article, we showed you 10 easy ways to fix err_ssl_protocol_error.
Using any of these, you should be able to fix the error and get access to the place that throws the bug. If you continue to see this error, and if you are the webmaster, you can discuss your issues in more detail with WP Hacked Help team.
You can also request our service and we will solve it.