Chrome Crashes When Printing

Chrome Crashes When Printing

If Chrome crashes when printing, your internet is likely patchy or you have too many tabs open. Rogue extensions and malware can also cause the problem.

I’ve faced the issue a couple of times. Thankfully, the solutions discussed below have helped each time.

Fix 1: Check Your Internet Connection

Your internet connection might be the culprit. It could be patchy, and get disconnected while Chrome tries to print your document. Try moving closer to your router.

If this doesn’t help, connect to another wireless network. You can also turn Mobile Hotspot on.

Here’s how to do this on Android 11:

  • Go to Settings > Network & Internet
  • Select Hotspot & Tethering
  • Toggle Wi-Fi Hotspot on
  • Customize the hotspot to your liking
  • Open the Notification Center and turn Mobile Data on

Here’s what you do on iOS 15:

  • Open Settings > Personal Hotspot
  • Toggle the iPhone feature and then customize it
  • Open the Control Center and turn Mobile Data on

Now all you need to do is connect to your hotspot and try printing again.

Fix 2: Close All the Other Tabs

Having too many tabs open can cause Chrome to run out of memory. Close all unnecessary tabs and check whether you can print.

A pro-tip would be to close any other programs that are running, as well as pause file downloads.

Fix 3: Check for Malware

Malware could be causing the issue.

Here’s how you check for malware on Windows computers:

  • Click Start Menu > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security
  • Select Virus & Threat Protection > Current Threats
  • Click Quick Scan
  • A pop-up will tell you if there’s any malware. Windows will ask to take action

Macs:

  • Go to Applications > Utilities
  • Open the Activity Monitor
  • Open the CPU tab
  • Look for any processes that look suspicious
  • If you suspect Malware, download a specialized tool like MacKeeper

Fix 4: Restart Google Chrome

Google Chrome might be glitching. Closing and reopening the browser should help.

Fix 5: Restart PC

If your computer is glitching instead of Chrome, restarting it will help.

All you need to do is:

  • Close all the applications that are running
  • Click Start > Power
  • Click Restart
  • Wait for your desktop to power off and then power on again

You can wait a couple of minutes after your computer restarts before you print.

Fix 6: Reset the Browser

If Chrome is glitching badly, simply restarting it might not help. Take things up a notch and reset it. The memory and cache would be wiped clear. So, any stubborn bug would be erased.

Here’s what you need to do:

  • Launch Chrome
  • Click the three-dot button on the side
  • Click Settings
  • Select Advanced (in the pop-up window)
  • Scroll down and tap on Reset and Clean Up
  • Click Reset Settings to the Original Defaults
  • Click Reset Settings again to confirm

Close and then reopen Chrome for best results. You will no longer face any crashing.

Fix 7: Uninstall Extensions

Before I move on to my last solution, I recommend disabling all your extensions. One of them may have gone rogue. It will take a while to figure out which extension is running amok. An easy workaround would be to disable all of them and then try printing.

Here’s what you do:

  • Open Chrome
  • Locate the three-dot menu on the side
  • Click Settings
  • Choose More Tools > Extensions
  • Toggle each of your extensions off

Hopefully, you won’t face any trouble now.

If you want to find out which extension has gone rogue, disable all your extensions and re-enable them one by one while trying to print.

Fix 8: Uninstall and then Reinstall Chrome

You will have to uninstall and then reinstall Chrome if you’re still having trouble.

You won’t lose any data if you sign into the Google account that you had logged in, and turn Sync on.

Here’s how you uninstall the browser:

  • Close Chrome
  • Go to your computer’s Start Menu > Control Panel
  • Click Add or Remove Programs
  • Find and select Chrome
  • Click Remove
  • Click Uninstall

Here’s how you reinstall the program:

  • Visit the official Google Chrome website on any browser
  • Click Download

What did you think about the solutions discussed? Most of the time, the problem crops up due to your internet being patchy or you having too many tabs open. These problems are easy to fix. However, it can also be due to something more serious like an extension going rogue or malware being present. The issue could be a blessing in disguise as you can find and get rid of malware before it causes any further trouble.

If you followed my guide but are still having issues, contact Google support. There may be a bug on the browser and they will fix it for you.