ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE means the web server accepted your connection but sent back no data at all. Chrome established a successful TCP connection to the server, but the server closed the connection without sending any HTTP response, not even headers. This is different from a timeout (server takes too long) or a refused connection (server rejects the request).
This error is often intermittent, appearing randomly and resolving on its own. When it persists, the cause is usually a browser extension interfering with the response, corrupted browser cache, network equipment stripping response data, or a server-side error that crashes before generating any output.
What Causes ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE
On the server side, a PHP fatal error that occurs before any output is sent can close the connection with zero bytes. Server-side infinite loops that exhaust memory, misconfigured reverse proxies that drop responses, and timeout settings that kill the process before it can respond all cause empty responses. Load balancers that lose their connection to the backend server also return empty responses to the client.
On the client side, browser extensions that intercept and modify responses can strip all data, corrupted browser cache can serve empty cached responses, VPN or proxy software can drop response packets, antivirus HTTPS scanning can fail silently and return nothing, and DNS issues can route you to the wrong server that has no content for your requested domain.
Fix 1: Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
A corrupted cache entry can serve an empty response for a URL that previously worked. In Chrome, press Ctrl+Shift+Delete, select “All time,” check “Cached images and files” and “Cookies and other site data,” then clear. Close all Chrome windows completely and reopen. Test the URL again. If it works, the cache was serving a stale empty response.
Fix 2: Disable Browser Extensions
Extensions that process network responses (ad blockers, content filters, privacy tools) can accidentally strip all response data. Open Chrome in Incognito mode (Ctrl+Shift+N) to test without extensions. If the page loads in Incognito, go to chrome://extensions in a regular window and disable extensions one by one until you find the one causing the empty response. Re-enable the others.
Fix 3: Flush DNS and Reset Network
DNS issues can route your request to a server that does not serve the expected content. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run “ipconfig /flushdns” then “netsh winsock reset.” Also clear Chrome’s internal caches: go to chrome://net-internals/#dns and click “Clear host cache,” then go to chrome://net-internals/#sockets and click “Flush socket pools.” Restart Chrome after all commands.
Fix 4: Disable Antivirus HTTPS Scanning
Antivirus HTTPS inspection can fail silently when it encounters certain server configurations, returning an empty response instead of the actual page content. Open your antivirus settings, find web protection or SSL scanning, and disable it temporarily. If the page loads, add the affected domain to your antivirus exceptions list. Avast, Kaspersky, and Bitdefender are the most common culprits for this specific issue.
Fix 5: Try a Different Network
Network equipment between you and the server (firewalls, packet inspectors, ISP filters) can drop response data. Switch to a different network: try mobile data instead of WiFi, or connect through a VPN. If the page loads on a different network, the issue is with your current network’s configuration or equipment. Contact your ISP or network administrator to investigate.
Fix 6: Increase Connection Timeout
If the server is slow and Chrome closes the connection before receiving data, the response appears empty. While Chrome does not have a user-facing timeout setting, you can prevent premature connection drops by going to chrome://flags, searching for “Experimental QUIC protocol,” and setting it to “Disabled.” This forces standard TCP connections with more predictable timeout behavior. If you are a site owner, increase your server’s PHP max_execution_time and proxy read_timeout values.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE the same as a blank page?
No. A blank page means the server sent a valid HTTP response with an empty HTML body. ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE means the server sent literally no data, not even HTTP headers. Chrome cannot determine the status code, content type, or anything else because zero bytes were received after the TCP connection was established.
Why does ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE come and go randomly?
Intermittent empty responses usually indicate server-side resource issues. When the server is under heavy load, some requests may fail to generate a response before the connection times out. Network-level packet loss can also cause intermittent empty responses when response data is dropped in transit. If the error is inconsistent, try again after a few seconds.
Can ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE be caused by the website itself?
Yes. Server-side code that crashes before outputting any data, misconfigured load balancers, and reverse proxy errors all cause ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE from the server side. If the error affects all visitors (check with downdetector.com), it is a server problem. If it only affects you, the cause is likely on your end (cache, extensions, network).
