How to fix “This connection is not private” error.
It’s frustrating to encounter the “This connection is not private” error, whether it’s 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 provide some answers for both website owners and visitors who encounter “This connection is not private” error while browsing any website. Of course, the article is divided into two parts. Depending on what type of fix you need, jump to the appropriate section.
📚 Table of contents:
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 can be your own website or someone else’s. By showing you the error, the browser wants to prevent you from accessing the website due to the possibility that your personal information such as contact, password and payment methods will be compromised.
So why does the browser distrust the site?
It’s mainly due to an SSL issue.
The SSL certificate is issued to a website to verify the identity of the website, which means that it is proof that the website is who it says it is.
In the past, SSL certificates were only required on websites where visitors bought or shared important personal information. But today, every website must have an SSL certificate installed, since in 2018 Google started flagging websites without an SSL certificate to encourage website owners to install it on their websites [1]. Every other browser followed suit. From Google’s point of view, they make the internet a safer place for their users. So if a website doesn’t have an SSL certificate installed, Chrome will show the error “This connection is not private” and prevent visitors from accessing the website.
It’s worth noting that different browsers will show you different variations of the “This connection is not private” error, but the solution is the same. Before we dive into the fix, let’s look at some of the variations:
Google Chrome
In Google Chrome you will probably find the following message:
Your connection is not private. Attackers may try to steal your information from domain.com (such as passwords, messages, or credit cards). NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID
Mozilla Firefox
If Firefox cannot find a certificate on a website, it issues the following warning:
The domain.com owner misconfigured their website. To protect your information from theft, Firefox has not connected to this website. ERROR_SELF_SIGNED_CERT
safari
Unlike other browsers, Safari doesn’t show error codes, but you’ll likely find this message:
This website can impersonate “domain.com” to steal your personal or financial information. You should return to the previous page.
Microsoft Edge
The error message on Edge is similar to Chrome and is as follows:
Your connection is not private. Attackers may try to steal your information from domain.com (e.g. passwords, messages or credit cards). DLG_FLAGS_SEC_CERT_CN_INVALID
Opera
Opera’s version of the warning reads:
Attackers may try to steal your information from example.com (e.g. passwords, messages or credit cards). NET::ERR_CERT_WEAK_SIGNATURE_ALGORITHM
As you can see, most of the warnings are a variant of the “This connection is not private” error. Many of you will find that the error codes are different in your browser. Regardless, you can still follow the solution below to fix the problem.
How to fix “Your connection is not private” error.
As mentioned at the beginning, the solutions are divided into two parts. The first part is for those who see on their own website that this connection is not private and the second part is for those who encountered the error while browsing someone else’s website.
👉 We recommend jumping to the appropriate section.
Let’s start!
How to fix the error on your own website
If the error occurred on your website, follow the steps below to fix it.
- Install SSL certificate
- Set up the SSL certificate correctly
- Update the SSL certificate
- Run the SSL server test
1. Install SSL certificate
Install an SSL certificate on your WordPress website if you haven’t already. It sends trust signals to browsers proving that your website is a legit company and not a scam. It also ensures that the website has taken steps to prevent cyber criminals from taking advantage of its visitors. Here is a guide on how to get cheap or free SSL certificates.
2. Set up the SSL certificate properly
If you have an SSL certificate installed on your website and you still get the error, the certificate is most likely not set up correctly. After installing a certificate, it is important to ensure that all links on your website have been switched from HTTP to HTTPS (i.e. from to https://yoursite.com). Oftentimes, images and media links are not automatically moved to HTTPS after installation on major websites.
To ensure that the certificate is set up correctly, you must activate the Really simple SSL plugin on your site. It upgrades all links of your website to HTTPS. It also redirects any traffic trying to access your website via HTTP. We covered how to set up the plugin in this article: How to Properly Switch WordPress from HTTP to HTTPS.
3. Update the SSL certificate
Another reason why the error “This connection is not private” appears even after installing an SSL certificate is that the certificate has expired. You should have received an email notification before the expiration date, but you may have missed that. The email should contain instructions on how to update the certificate. If this is not the case, we recommend that you log into your hosting account or the place where you purchased the certificate and speak to support. Read this guide to renewing SSL certificates.
4. Run the SSL server test
If nothing works, run a test Qualys SSL Labs. Depending on the size of your website, the test may take a few minutes to run. It will rate your site and show a summary of what issues were found or not found. It is difficult to interpret the report, so we advise you to contact your hosting provider.
By now you should have fixed the error and your website should be up and running. However, if the error persists, we recommend trying some of the solutions in the next section.
How to fix error when visiting someone else’s website
Since the “This connection is not private” error usually occurs due to an SSL issue, you’re probably wondering how you might be able to fix the error on someone else’s website. The truth is that you may be seeing the error because of a problem on your end.
We recommend viewing the website through a proxy (e.g KPROXY, for example). This allows you to access the site from another server. And if you can open the website without encountering the error, the cause of the error could be your computer, browser or network.
In this section, we cover the steps you can take from your side to fix the “This connection is not private” error when browsing someone else’s website.
- refresh page
- Disable caching
- Go incognito
- Open website in different browsers
- Disable VPN
- Temporarily disable antivirus
- Stop using public WiFi
- Reset computer date
- Update operating system and browser
- Reboot computer and router
1. Refresh page
When you open a webpage, a lot of back-and-forth communication takes place between the browser and the site server in the backend. Something might have gone wrong resulting in a miscommunication that caused the error. Such errors can be fixed by simply refreshing the page. Also try closing the browser completely and then reopening the page.
2. Disable 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 will show you this copy instead of the live page. In this way, the cache helps you access websites faster. However, the problem is that if the browser made a copy of the error, the error continues to appear even after it has disappeared from the website. So clear the cache and check the site again.
Some of you might not like the idea of clearing the cache because you would lose the benefits of the browser cache. If so, go incognito.
3. Go incognito
Open the website in Incognito mode. In Safari and Firefox, this is called private mode. It shows you the website as is, with no caching or stored content.
Do you still see the error? Try the next solution.
4. Open the website in different browsers
You may be seeing the “This connection is not private” error due to a problem with your browser. For example, a browser extension may have gone bad and caused the error. Open the website in different browsers and check it.
5. Disable VPN
VPNs allow you to surf the web anonymously. They protect your personal identity. Unfortunately, this level of security can result in SSL certificates being blocked, causing the error to appear. Disabling your VPN will remove this barrier and may fix the problem.
6. Temporarily disable antivirus protection
The antivirus software installed on your computer protects you from malicious websites. Some antivirus programs like Avast have an HTTP scanning feature that protects your computer from malware. We recommend temporarily disabling HTTP scanning. If the error is gone, this proves that the antivirus has blocked you from accessing the website, most likely for a good reason. We recommend enabling HTTP scanning and browsing another website if you don’t want to risk infecting your computer.
7. Stop using public WiFi
This may sound a bit strange, but using public WiFi can also result in the error “This connection is not private”. Some public networks still run on HTTP, causing your browser to think the website also runs on HTTP, meaning it’s insecure. Try accessing the site using your mobile data, or wait until you can connect to a private network at home.
8. Reset computer date
Your browser relies on your computer’s date when checking a website’s SSL validity. An incorrect date can lead the browser to believe that the website does not have an SSL certificate installed. This usually happens when you are working on a brand new device or operating system. The following guides will help you reset the data on your computer: Windows and Mac.
9. Update operating system and browser
An SSL certificate secures the connection between your browser and the website you are visiting. If your old operating system or browser cannot recognize the latest versions of a website’s SSL integration, this can lead to an error. Therefore, try to update your operating system and browsers. Then check if the error still appears.
These articles show you how to update Windows, Macand your browsers.
10. Restart the computer and router
We know it’s annoying, but you probably know that restarting your computer, or even your router, solves a lot of connection problems. Let’s go. Make sure you wait 10 seconds before turning the devices back on. Tech devices will not fully shut down immediately after the screen goes dark. So a short interval ensures that the device has been properly shut down and all tasks have stopped.
Finally “This connection is not private”
We hope that by now you have been able to fix the “This connection is not private” issue.
If you’re interested in solving some of the other common website problems and errors, check out one of these guides:
