Chrome shows “Aw, Snap!” when a tab crashes from memory strain, bad extensions, or corrupt data; quick steps below get pages working again.
Seeing the gray “Aw, Snap!” page again and again can grind work to a halt. The message means the tab crashed before the site could finish loading. The cause may be tight memory, a flaky extension, a damaged profile, a GPU driver quirk, or even a page bug. The good news: you can fix the crash loop with a short set of checks, then move to deeper steps only if needed.
Why Your Laptop Keeps Saying “Aw, Snap!” — Root Causes
Chrome throws this message when its renderer process dies. That process handles page code, images, fonts, and scripts. If the renderer can’t start or crashes mid-load, Chrome swaps in the “Aw, Snap!” screen.
| Cause | What You Notice | First Fix To Try |
|---|---|---|
| Low free RAM or too many tabs | All tabs feel sluggish; fans spin; crashes rise with heavy pages | Close memory-hungry apps, then reload the tab |
| Problem extension | Crash stops in Incognito or Guest | Disable extensions, re-enable one by one |
| Corrupt cache or cookies | Only one site fails, others load fine | Clear site data, then try again |
| Outdated Chrome build | Crashes after an OS update or driver change | Update Chrome, restart the browser |
| Damaged profile | Crashes follow your profile to other PCs | Create a fresh profile to test |
| Graphics driver hiccup | Crashes when scrolling video or 3D | Toggle hardware acceleration |
| System malware | Random redirects, new tabs, odd popups | Run a trusted offline scan |
| Faulty RAM | Blue screens or reboots outside Chrome | Run a RAM test tool |
Quick Wins Before Deep Fixes
Start with changes that take seconds and often stop the loop. Reload the tab with Ctrl+R or Cmd+R. Try the site in Guest or Incognito. If it loads there, the crash ties to cache or an extension. Close heavy apps like video editors, games, or virtual machines. Watch the browser Task Manager with Shift+Esc to see tabs or extensions that eat memory.
Fast RAM Relief Without Reboot
Click the three dots > Settings > Performance and switch on Memory Saver. That lets Chrome pause tabs you haven’t used for a while. Pair that with closing any desktop apps that sit in the tray. A quick purge like this often stops the crash loop without a full restart.
Clear One Site’s Data Only
You don’t need to nuke the entire browser. Click the padlock in the address bar, pick Cookies and site data, then remove the entries for the failing domain. This keeps sessions on other sites intact while giving the broken site a clean slate.
Proxy And VPN Checks
If you use a VPN or a per-app proxy, toggle it off for a minute. Some tunnels rewrite certificates or block QUIC, which can look like a tab crash. If things work with the tunnel off, add an exception for Chrome in your VPN app.
Step 1: Update Chrome Cleanly
Open the menu > Help > About Google Chrome to trigger an update, then relaunch. Fresh builds ship crash fixes for renderer issues, GPU handoffs, and sandbox bugs. After big OS updates, a fresh Chrome build helps.
Step 2: Test In Incognito Or Guest
Press Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+N (macOS) to open an Incognito window, then load the page. If pages load fine here, the base browser is okay and the culprit sits in your profile: cache, cookies, site settings, or an add-on.
Step 3: Clear The Right Data
Wipe stale data for the site that keeps failing. Use the padlock icon > Site settings > Clear data, or use the full dialog for cache and cookies. Pick a time range like 7 days first, then widen if needed.
Step 4: Rule Out A Bad Extension
Visit chrome://extensions and toggle all add-ons off. Reload the page. If the crash stops, turn them on one at a time until the break returns. Keep ads, password managers, privacy tools, and media helpers on your list of suspects. Remove any add-on you don’t trust or no longer use.
Step 5: Toggle Hardware Acceleration
Go to Settings > System and switch Use hardware acceleration when available off, then restart Chrome. If video tabs stop crashing, install a current GPU driver, then switch it back on.
How To Fix A Laptop That Keeps Saying “Aw, Snap!” In Chrome
If quick checks didn’t do the trick, move down this ladder. Each step isolates a class of faults and gives you a clean rollback path.
Reset Site Permissions And Content Settings
Open the address bar menu > Site settings and reset permissions for the broken site. Bad camera, mic, or pop-up rules can break scripts. Content blockers can too. Allow the default settings, reload, then tighten again once the page works.
Refresh DNS And Network Stack
On Windows, run ipconfig /flushdns in an elevated terminal, then restart the browser. On macOS, run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Switch to a known DNS like 8.8.8.8 for a test. A stale or failing resolver can trip loads that look like tab crashes.
Create A Fresh Chrome Profile
Profiles carry extensions, cookies, and preferences. Make a clean one with the profile picker, then sign in to sync bookmarks later. If the new profile loads every page, move on with it or try a settings reset. Chrome has a built-in option to restore settings to defaults; your bookmarks stay intact.
Copy Only The Good Stuff
After a profile test, move only clean data back. Export bookmarks from the new profile, then import them into your everyday profile. Reinstall extensions from the store rather than copying their folders. Avoid dragging the old Default profile folder into the new one, since that can transplant the very files that caused the loop.
Update GPU And Audio Drivers
Install drivers from the laptop maker or the GPU vendor. Focus on display, audio, and chipset packages. Crashes tied to video or WebGL often clear once drivers match the OS and Chrome build.
Scan For Malware With An Offline Engine
Run a full scan, then an offline scan from the Windows Security app or your trusted suite. The offline mode reboots and scans before Windows starts, which helps catch stubborn injectors that crash tabs and spawn the error page.
Check System Memory
Faulty RAM can flip bits inside the renderer and kill the process. Use the built-in Windows Memory Diagnostic or a bootable tool, then let it complete several passes. If errors appear, reseat modules or test sticks one by one. Replace any stick that fails.
What The Error Means Under The Hood
Chrome splits work into processes for safety and stability. Each tab runs page code inside a sandboxed renderer. If that renderer exits with an error, the browser swaps in the gray crash view. Common exit codes point to access violations, out-of-memory kills, or GPU resets. The browser can recover by launching a fresh renderer, yet if the bad state persists in cache or an extension, the new process crashes again and you see the loop.
Common Crash Codes, In Plain Words
RESULT_CODE_HUNG points to a page script that stopped responding. STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION hints at an add-on or driver stepping on memory. Out of Memory speaks for itself: the tab ran out of RAM. The fixes above map to each: disable add-ons, refresh cache, update drivers, and free memory.
Chrome’s Own Guidance You Can Trust
Google’s docs match the steps here. When the crash screen appears, the official page for Chrome errors and “Aw, Snap!” recommends clearing data, updating Chrome, and testing extensions. The guide to cache and cookies shows the clicks, and the reset page explains how to restore default settings safely.
One Clean Troubleshooting Flow
Use this order to save time and keep data safe. Stop once the tab loads and stays stable for a bit. No need to perform steps you don’t need.
- Reload, then open the site in a new tab.
- Open the page in Incognito or Guest.
- Update Chrome, then relaunch.
- Close heavy apps; watch Chrome’s Task Manager.
- Clear data for the site; widen the range if needed.
- Disable all extensions; re-enable in batches.
- Toggle hardware acceleration; restart the browser.
- Create a new profile; test with no add-ons.
- Flush DNS; try a trusted DNS provider.
- Install current GPU and audio drivers.
- Run a full scan, then an offline scan.
- Test RAM and reseat or replace faulty sticks.
Windows, Mac, And Linux Notes
On Windows, check for pending restarts after updates. Pending changes can leave old drivers hanging around. On macOS, keep the system on the latest point release. On Linux, verify sandbox packages, GPU VA-API toggles, and distro codecs are current.
Windows Tips
Run sfc /scannow in an elevated terminal to repair system files. Follow with DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. Turn off stale third-party antivirus while you test, then set sane rules and turn it back on. Make sure the laptop’s power plan isn’t throttling the CPU during heavy pages.
macOS Tips
Reset the browser cache, remove launch agents you don’t recognize, and review Login Items for old helpers. If crashes align with video calls, grant camera and mic again in System Settings > Privacy & Security.
Linux Tips
Test Chrome against Chromium with the same flags. If Chrome alone crashes, purge the profile under ~/.config/google-chrome after backing it up, then retest. For Intel and AMD iGPUs, check VA-API packages and try launch flags toggling hardware decode.
Time-Saver Checklist
| Action | Time | Risk/Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Reload in a new tab | 10 seconds | No data loss |
| Incognito or Guest test | 15 seconds | No data loss |
| Update Chrome | 1 minute + relaunch | Restarts browser |
| Disable extensions | 2–5 minutes | Feature loss from toggled add-ons |
| Clear site data | 30–60 seconds | Site sign-ins may reset |
| New profile test | 2 minutes | Starts clean; sync later |
| Driver updates | 5–10 minutes | One reboot |
| Offline malware scan | 10–30 minutes | One reboot; device offline |
| RAM test | 1–2 hours | Down time during passes |
When The Error Points To The Site
If every fix above fails but only a single domain triggers the crash, the site may be calling a buggy script, a bad font, or a codec your setup can’t play. Try a different browser to compare. Share the stack trace from chrome://crashes if asked by the site owner. Turn off content blockers on that domain for a minute and retry. Keep your working profile and wait for a site update.
Keep The “Aw, Snap!” Page From Coming Back
Keep Chrome current, trim extensions you don’t use, and restart the browser once a week to free memory. Close tabs that sit open for days. Heavy sessions often trigger the crash loop after sleep or hibernation.
If The Message Appears Outside Chrome
Some apps throw look-alike crash pages. If you see “Aw, Snap!” in other browsers or Electron apps, the root cause is still similar: tight memory, GPU issues, or a rogue add-on. Apply the same ideas: update the app, clear its data, test without add-ons, then check drivers and RAM.
Final Checks And Next Steps
Run a short sanity pass after your fix: load a video site, a graphics-heavy page, and a clean text page. Watch CPU and memory in the browser Task Manager. If everything stays smooth for a day, you nailed it. Revisit extensions next week and remove any that you didn’t miss. Keep drivers current and backups handy. Done.