PageKiwi Guide
"Aw, Snap!" and "Page Unresponsive" in Chrome
Facts checked Oct 8, 2026
"Aw, Snap!" means Chrome gave up showing a page; "Page Unresponsive" means a page froze. Usually closing other tabs and reloading fixes both.
What you'll see
- Aw, Snap!
- Aw, Snap! Something went wrong while displaying this webpage. with a Reload button. If it keeps happening, Chrome says Can't open this page and lists tips instead.
- Error code
- On a computer there may be a line like Error code: Out of Memory, Error code: STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION, RESULT_CODE_HUNG, STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH or SIGKILL. You don't need to understand it, but note it down if you ask for help.
- Out of memory
- On Windows, Chrome may say Not enough memory to open this page and Try closing other tabs or programs to free up memory.
- Page Unresponsive
- A box saying Page Unresponsive and You can wait for it to become responsive or exit the page., with Wait and Exit page buttons.
If you're visiting a site
- Page Unresponsive: press Wait once. A big page sometimes catches up in a few seconds. If the box comes back, press Exit page and reload.
- Aw, Snap!: press Reload. A one-off crash often doesn't happen again.
- Close other tabs and programs you don't need, then reload. This fixes most "Out of Memory" errors.
- Open the page in an Incognito window: Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows and Linux, ⇧⌘N on a Mac. Extensions are mostly off there. If it works, an extension is the likely cause: type chrome://extensions in the address bar and switch them off one at a time to find it.
- Restart Chrome, then restart your computer.
- Update Chrome. Old versions crash more.
- Still crashing on a lot of sites? Check your antivirus or security software and scan for malware, and try turning off Use graphics acceleration when available in Chrome's Settings › System, then restart Chrome.
If it only happens on one website, and other browsers struggle with it too, the page itself is the problem. Tell the business which page, on what device, and the error code if there was one. My setup gathers your browser and device details into one link you can send.
If it's your site
If visitors say a page on your site shows Aw, Snap! or freezes, try it yourself in an Incognito window, on a phone and on an older computer. Then look at what makes a page heavy or busy:
- Very large photos. Picture Check lists photos far bigger than the page needs, with web-sized copies of the heaviest ready to upload.
- Several videos that play by themselves.
- Lots of embeds on one page: maps, social media feeds, chat boxes, booking widgets.
- Something added just before it started: a plugin, a widget or a block of custom code. Remove the newest one and test again.
A page that freezes ("Page Unresponsive") usually has a script stuck working. Your web person can find it from the page's error messages.
Send this to your web person
Not sure what to say? Copy this into an email, add your website's address, and send it.
Hi, Some visitors get Chrome's "Aw, Snap!" error [or: a "Page Unresponsive" box] on [the page's address]. [The error code was: ...] It happens on [their device and browser, for example an older Windows laptop with Chrome]. Other pages on the site are fine. Could you check what makes that page so heavy or busy (big photos, videos, embeds, a stuck script) and slim it down? Anything we added just before it started is the first suspect: [what was added]. Thanks