It is a frustrating experience to encounter ‘this connection is not private’ error, be it on your own website or someone else’s. Luckily, you can fix the error by implementing the solutions we have listed in the section below.
In this article, we offer some answers to both website owners and visitors who encounter the ‘this connection is not private’ error while browsing a website. Naturally, the article is divided into two parts. Depending on what type of fix you need, jump to the dedicated section.
📚 Table of contents:
- What is the ‘this connection is not private’ error? What causes it?
- How to fix a ‘your connection is not private’ error
What is the ‘this connection is not private’ error? What causes it?
The ‘this connection is not private’ error appears when your browser does not trust the website you are visiting. It could be your own site or someone else’s. By showing you the error, the browser wants to discourage you from accessing the site because there is a real possibility that your personal information, like contact, password, and payment methods, will be compromised.
So why does the browser mistrust the site?
It’s mainly due to an SSL issue.
The SSL certificate is issued to a website to verify the identity of the site, meaning it’s proof that the website is who they say they are.
In the past, SSL certificates were only required on sites where visitors were purchasing or sharing important personal information. But today, it’s required for every website to have an SSL certificate installed because, in 2018, Google began flagging websites without an SSL certificate to encourage website owners to install them on their sites [1]. Every other browser followed suit. From Google’s perspective, they are making the internet a safer place for their users. So when a website does not have an SSL certificate installed, Chrome shows the ‘this connection is not private’ error and prevents visitors from accessing the site.
It’s worth noting that different browsers show you different variations of the ‘this connection is not private’ error, but the fix is the same. Before we get into the fix, let’s look at some of the variations:
Google Chrome
On Google Chrome, you are likely to find the following message:
Mozilla Firefox
If Firefox can’t find a certificate on a website, it’ll throw the following warning:
Safari
Unlike other browsers, Safari won’t show you error codes but you are likely to find this message:
Microsoft Edge
The error message on Edge is similar to Chrome and it goes like this:
Opera
Opera’s version of the warning is:
As you can see, most warnings are a variation of the ‘this connection is not private’ error. Many of you will notice that the error codes differ on your browser. No matter, you can still follow the solution below to fix it.
How to fix a ‘your connection is not private’ error
As we mentioned at the beginning, the solutions are divided into two parts. The first part is meant for those who are seeing ‘this connection is not private’ on their own website and the second part is for those who came across the error while browsing someone else’s site.
👉 We suggest skipping to the relevant section.
Let’s begin!
How to fix the error on your own site
If the error occurred on your website, then follow the steps below to fix it.
1. Install SSL certificate
Install an SSL certificate on your WordPress website if you haven’t done it already. It sends trust signals to browsers, which proves that your website is a legitimate business and not a scam. It also ensures that the site has taken steps to prevent cyber-criminals from exploiting its visitors. Here’s a guide on how to get cheap or free SSL certificates.
2. Set up SSL certificate properly
If you have an SSL certificate installed on your website and you are still seeing the error, then most likely the certificate is not properly set up. After installing a certificate, it’s important to make sure that all the links on your website have moved from HTTP to HTTPS (i.e., from http://yoursite.com to https://yoursite.com). Often images and media links don’t automatically move to HTTPS after installation on large websites.
To ensure that the certificate is properly set up, you need to activate the Really Simple SSL plugin on your website. It will update all the links of your website to HTTPS. It also redirects any traffic that tries to access your website via HTTP. We have covered how to set up the plugin in this article: how to properly move WordPress from HTTP to HTTPS.
3. Update SSL certificate
Another reason why you could be seeing the ‘this connection is not private’ error even after installing an SSL certificate is that the certificate has expired. You should have received an email notification before the expiry date, but you may have missed that. The email should have instructions on how to update the certificate. If it doesn’t, then we suggest logging into your hosting account or wherever you bought the certificate from and talking to support. Read this guide on how to renew SSL certificates.
4. Run SSL server test
If nothing works, try running a test on SSL labs by Qualys. Depending on how large your website is, it can take a few minutes to run the test. It’ll grade your website and show a summary of what issues were, or weren’t found. It’s hard to interpret the report, so we suggest seeking help from your hosting provider.
By now, you should have fixed the error, and your website should be up and running. But if the error still appears, we recommend trying out some of the solutions in the next section.
How to fix the error when visiting someone else’s site
Since ‘this connection is not private’ error typically appears due to an SSL issue, you are probably wondering how you can possibly fix the error on someone else’s site. The truth is, you could be seeing the error because of an issue on your end.
We recommend opening the website via a proxy (like KPROXY, for example). It will enable you to access the site from a different server. And if you are able to open the site without encountering the error, then the cause of the error could be your computer, browser, or network.
In this section, we will cover the steps you can take from your end to fix the ‘this connection is not private’ error when browsing someone else’s site.
- Refresh page
- Turn off caching
- Go incognito
- Open site on different browsers
- Disable VPN
- Disable antivirus temporarily
- Stop using public Wi-Fi
- Reset computer date
- Update OS and browsers
- Restart computer and router
1. Refresh page
When you open a web page, a lot of back and forth communication occurs between the browser and the site server in the backend. Something could have gone wrong, leading to a miscommunication that caused the error. Such errors can be fixed by simply refreshing the page. Also, try closing the browser entirely and then opening the page again.
2. Turn off caching
A cache is a copy of a web page that the browser downloads to your computer. When you open the page again, the browser shows you that copy instead of the live page. In this way, the cache helps you access websites faster. But the problem is that if the browser made a copy of the error, then you will keep seeing the error even when it’s gone from the website. So clear the cache and check the site again.
Some of you may not like the idea of clearing cache because you’d be forfeiting the benefits of the browser cache. In that case, go incognito.
3. Go incognito
Open the site in incognito mode. In Safari and Firefox, it’s called the private mode. It shows you the website as it is without any caching or stored content.
Still seeing the error? Try the next solution.
4. Open site on different browsers
You could be seeing the ‘this connection is not private’ error because of an issue with your browser. For instance, a browser extension may have gone rogue and caused the error. Open the website in different browsers and check it.
5. Disable VPN
VPNs allow you to browse the internet anonymously. They protect your personal identity. Unfortunately, this layer of security can end up blocking SSL certificates, causing the error to appear. Disabling your VPN removes that barrier, and it might fix the issue.
6. Disable antivirus temporarily
The antivirus software installed on your computer protects you from bad websites. Some antivirus programs like Avast have an HTTP scanning feature that protects your computer against malware. We suggest disabling HTTP scanning temporarily. If the error is gone, it proves that the antivirus was preventing you from accessing the site, most likely for a good reason. We recommend enabling HTTP scanning and browsing a different website if you don’t want to risk infecting your computer.
7. Stop using public Wi-Fi
This may sound a bit odd, but using public Wi-Fi can also lead to ‘this connection is not private’ error. Some public networks still run on HTTP, causing your browser to believe that the website is also running on HTTP, which means it’s insecure. Try accessing the site using your mobile data or wait till you can connect to a private network at home.
8. Reset computer date
Your browser relies on the computer’s date when it checks the SSL validity of a website. A wrong date can cause the browser to believe there’s no SSL certificate installed on the website. This typically happens when you are working on a brand new device or operating system. The following guides will help you reset the dates on your computer: Windows and Mac.
9. Update OS and browsers
An SSL certificate secures the connection between your browser and the website you’re visiting. If your old operating system or browser can’t recognize the latest versions of a site’s SSL integration, then it could lead to an error. Therefore, try updating your operating system and browsers. Then check if you are still seeing the error.
These articles will show you how to update Windows, Mac, and your browsers.
10. Restart computer and router
We know it’s annoying, but you probably know that restarting your computer or even the router solves many connectivity issues. So go for it. Make sure you wait for 10 seconds before turning the devices back on. Tech devices don’t completely shut down immediately after the screen goes dark. So a short interval ensures that the device has properly shut down and stopped all tasks.
Concluding ‘this connection is not private’
We are hoping that by now, you were able to fix the ‘this connection is not private’ issue.
If you’re interested in solving some of the other common website issues and errors, check out any of these guides:
- 20 Common WordPress Errors and How to Fix Them
- How to Fix the 500 Internal Server Error
- How to fix: “The Uploaded File Exceeds the upload_max_filesize Directive in PHP.ini”
- How to fix: ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS
If you have any questions about the solutions we shared, let us know in the comments below.
Or start the conversation in our Facebook group for WordPress professionals. Find answers, share tips, and get help from other WordPress experts. Join now (it’s free)!