The internet realm is indeed wonderful, as it provides us access to information of all kinds, not to mention entertainment content. But it’s also true that sometimes, the internet world can have a mind of its own, as it won’t hesitate to hit you with annoying errors when you need them the least.
One of the most excruciating errors that a website can hit you with is when it displays “THIS SITE CAN’T PROVIDE A SECURE CONNECTION” instead of the content it usually shows. While throwing your laptop out the window is no reasonable way to deal with the error, it’s time to learn about more peaceful ways to get rid of the issue!
What causes the error?
Before diving deep into the fixes for the pesky “THIS SITE CAN’T PROVIDE A SECURE CONNECTION” error, we first need to learn what causes it in the first place.
The technical issue in question occurs because of a problem with the SSL/TLS connection between the user’s web browser and the website he’s trying to reach.
Before learning how to drive a car, it’s recommended to learn a bit about how that vehicle works and its main technical components. The same simple principle applies to errors while trying to access a website: learning why the error occurs in the first place before trying to figure out how to fix it can be crucial.
Luckily enough, there are enough steps that the user can take to troubleshoot and fix the error, so let’s cut to the chase!
How to fix the error
Feel free to try each of the following steps at a time and check if the “THIS SITE CAN’T PROVIDE A SECURE CONNECTION” error still persists:
Check the URL
You need to make sure that the URL you’ve entered is correct and it starts with “https://” rather than “http://”. The “s” from “https” indicates that it must be a secure connection. Furthermore, you need to confirm that there aren’t any typos or mistakes in your URL, as those could also trigger errors.
Clear cache and cookies from your browser
Connection issues can sometimes occur if there are cached data and cookies in your browser. This means that you must clear the cache and cookies of your browser and then try to access the same website again. Simply going in your browser’s settings menu can solve the trick.
Check the date and time settings
If the time and date settings on your device are incorrect, don’t be surprised if SSL/TLS errors kick in. Therefore, you need to make sure that the date and time settings of your device are accurate. If they aren’t correct, it means you need to update them and try accessing the website once again to see if the error persists.
Check for antivirus or firewall interference
Believe it or not, sometimes, your antivirus or firewall settings could act against you, such as blocking the secure connection with specific websites. This means that you should temporarily disable your antivirus or firewall and try to access the website once again. If the mission turns out to be successful, you will just have to adjust the settings to allow the connection.
Update the browser and operating system
Using an outdated browser and operating system can lead to a lot of technical errors, including the inability to visit a specific website anymore. This means that you should definitely grab the latest update for both your favorite browser and the operating system you use and see if the error still persists.
You can also feel free to check out our previous article about how to get rid of the “err_connection_timed_out” error for WordPress.
Tim M. Hill helped bring Digital-Overload from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a writer to Digital-Overload, Tim mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.