Websites don't load - troubleshoot and fix error messages

Revision Information
  • Revision id: 17429
  • Created:
  • Creator: scoobidiver
  • Comment: added links to Firefox will not start and Video or audio does not play, certain instead of one, fixed proxy links
  • Reviewed: Yes
  • Reviewed:
  • Reviewed by: Verdi
  • Is approved? No
  • Is current revision? No
  • Ready for localization: No
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Are you having trouble getting a website to load? Don't worry — we're here to help. This article will show you how to fix the problem so you can get back to surfing the web.

First, let's figure out where the problem is

With a little detective work, we can narrow down the cause of the problem.

  1. Open a new tab and check to see if you can load another website like google.com or mozilla.com.
  2. Launch another browser, like Internet ExplorerSafariGoogle Chrome, and try to open the site you were having problems with.

The problem only happens with certain websites

If you see any of these error messages, it might just be a problem with Firefox's cache:

  • The connection was interrupted
  • The connection was reset
  • The connection has timed out

Try clearing Firefox's cookies and cache

Do these steps and then reload the website you're having trouble with.

  1. Click the menu button Fx89menuButton to open the menu panel.
  2. Click History and select Clear recent history…
  3. In the Time range to clear: drop-down, select Everything.
  4. Below the drop-down menu, select both Cookies and Cache. Make sure other items you want to keep are not selected.
  5. Click Clear Now.
  1. Click the menu button Fx89menuButton to open the menu panel.
  2. Click History and select Clear recent history…
  3. In the When: drop-down, select Everything.
  4. Below the drop-down menu, select both Cookies and site data and Temporary cached files and pages. Make sure other items you want to keep are not selected.
  5. Click Clear.

If clearing Firefox's cookies and cache didn't work, it's probably a sign that there is a problem with the website itself. In that case you'll just have to wait for it to get fixed. With big sites like Twitter or Facebook this may only be a few minutes.

If you don't see any of the error messages above, check to see if any of the specific problems below match what you see:

The website loads but doesn't work properly

If the website doesn't look right or doesn't work the way it's supposed to, you should check out the following articles:

The problem only happens on a secure (https) website

Look at the web address in the location bar. Does it start with https:// (notice the "s")? If so, check if you see one of the following error messages. Click on the error message to find the solution for it:

The problem only happens in Firefox

If another web browser works just fine, one of following solutions should fix things:

If you see the following error messages, Firefox is trying to access the internet through a proxy server :

  • The proxy server is refusing connections
  • Unable to find the proxy server

To check your proxy settings:

  1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and select Settings (or Preferences, in some cases).Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings.
  2. Select the Advanced panel.
  3. Select the Network tab.
  4. In the Connection section, click Settings....
  5. Change your proxy settings:
    • If you don't connect to the Internet through a proxy (or don't know whether you connect through a proxy), select No Proxy.
    • If you connect to the Internet through a proxy, compare Firefox's settings to another browser's (such as Internet Explorer — see Microsoft's guide to proxy settings)(such as Safari — see Apple's guide to proxy settings).
  6. Close the Connection Settings window.
  7. Close the Settings page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.

The problem happens in all web browsers

This is probably a problem with your internet connection. See Firefox and other browsers can't load websites for some troubleshooting suggestions.

Other, less common problems

  • Offline mode - Your operating system indicates to Firefox whether it is connected to the Internet. If it reports that it is not connected, Firefox will go into offline mode. Make sure your computer has a network connection and then:
    • At the top of the Firefox window,On the menu bar, click on the File menu and make sure that Work Offline is unchecked.
  • Offline mode - If you see a message about offline mode, you may have set Firefox not to use your network connection. Make sure your computer has a network connection and then:
    • At the top of the Firefox window,On the menu bar, click on the File menu and make sure that Work Offline is unchecked.Press the Alt key to temporarily turn on the Menu Bar, click on the File menu (Windows XP, just click on the File menu) and make sure that Work Offline is unchecked.




Based on information from Error loading websites (mozillaZine KB)