How to Unblock a Blocked Download in Chrome

Evan Gower January 21, 2020

You can’t browse the internet without your favorite browser. And if that means Google Chrome for you, it’s not at all surprising. Chrome is, hands down, one of the most popular browsers available. Why? Because it’s user-friendly, sleek, and fast.

How to Unblock a Blocked Download in Chrome

But even great things aren’t completely perfect. From time to time, Chrome’s been known to glitch and freeze. One thing that Chrome has going for it, though, is that it plays an active role in protecting your device from malware. That’s why it sometimes blocks a download. So, what can you do about it?

Unblocking Downloads

When Google Chrome first came out, people were understandably concerned about it in terms of security. But that hasn’t been an issue for a while now. Chrome uses different tools like harmful software scanning and isolated site processes to make sure it’s one of the most secure browsers you can use.

It’s also vigilant when it comes to protecting your computer or another device from malware. It will automatically block files that it deems unsafe for download. And that’s a very practical and useful feature to have for sure. But the problem occurs when you and Chrome don’t agree about the safety of the source of a download. You know for a fact it’s okay, but Chrome just blocks it. Here’s how to fix this issue:

Open the Chrome menu (three dots in the upper-right corner).
Go to Settings and select “Advanced”.
Go to the “Privacy & Security” section and turn off the switch next to Safe Browsing.

Now you know how to successfully download anything you want with Chrome. But keep in mind that the download was blocked in the first place for two potential reasons. One: that you tried downloading malware or that you tried downloading a deceptive piece of software. At least according to Google. And second: that you’re trying to download something from a website known for distributing malware.

Things to Consider

It’s perfectly reasonable to bypass this restriction in Chrome when you trust the download source. But overall, this feature is there to protect you. Therefore, if you must turn off safe browsing, it’s probably best to do it for a short period of time and then turn it back on again.

Safe Browsing also protects you from dangerous sites. For that reason, you’ll see a warning message before you enter a website that might leave you exposed to harmful malware. This feature covers your Google search results as well. In addition, it identifies dangerous links in email messages in your Gmail account.

What’s So Great About Chrome?

You might get a little annoyed when Chrome blocks you from a website or won’t let you download something. But there’s an easy fix and it’s still the top browser to use. Here are some of the things that make Chrome so appealing to users?

Independence

Most internet browsers are created exclusively for one operating system. That isn’t the case with Chrome. It’s not bound to anything. You can find Chrome on most devices. It’s available on Android phones, Linux-based systems, and also on Mac OS systems. That’s incredibly versatile and practical, and it allows for a wider reach.

Speed

What is the one thing that you want from a browser? Speed. And compared to others, Chrome still comes out on top. Think of pages with plenty of graphics and videos. Well, Chrome opens them really quickly. This doesn’t mean others are slow. But when it comes to browsing the Internet, every millisecond counts.

Simplicity

Right after speed, comes design. And it’s all about simplicity and a user-friendly interface. Chrome doesn’t embellish, it’s just there to help you search. It’s easy to navigate and has a lot of tools to help you, but not too many to make you feel like you’re trying to solve a puzzle.

Security

Finally, it all comes back to security. Google has many web-based products dedicated to keeping their users safe. Chrome has frequent and easy-to-install updates. They normally carry security patches and bug fixes, so no malicious attempts to your computer are made.

Download with Caution

Regardless of how internet savvy you think you might be, no one can prepare for security breaches completely. Being on the internet means being exposed. But it doesn’t mean that being careless is prudent either. If Chrome blocks your download, maybe it’s good to investigate why. It could be that Chrome is a bit paranoid. In that case, you can bypass the restriction. On the other hand, Safe Browsing undoubtedly helps you a lot and it’s probably best to keep that in mind.

Let us know what you think about safe browsing and blocked downloads in the comments section below.