Why Can't I Install Chrome on Windows 11/10 & How to Fix It

Since its introduction to the market in 2008, many complained about Google Chrome not installing Windows 10 issues.

Google Chrome has won the trust of millions of users thanks to its impressive speed and resources. This performance is due to Google’s initiative to improve its in-house browser. But what do you do if you cannot install Google Chrome on Windows 10 or 11?

Some users claim the browser uses too much RAM, but the amount of memory used by Chrome doesn’t influence the computers’ processing speed as long as you open a reasonable number of tabs.

Nevertheless, older PCs will be affected, so we recommend any of the best browsers for old and slow PCs.

Why can’t I install Chrome on Windows 10/11?

There have been many cases where users reported that they could not download Chrome on Windows 10 and 11. Most cases have been due to:

• Compatibility issues with an antivirus
• Problems with registry entries
• Another installation is running

Also, note that there are variations to this installation problem. Here are the most common ones:

• Google Chrome installation failed due to unspecified error, error code 0xa043 – If you encounter any of these issues, be sure to disable or uninstall your antivirus and check if that solves the problem.
• Can’t install Google Chrome – This might be related to your registry, so be sure to remove Chrome entries and try to install it again.
• Chrome setup not running – This can happen because the User Account Control feature is disabled, so be sure to enable it and check if that solves the problem.
• Google Chrome install failed to start, not working – You might be able to solve this problem simply by removing all earlier versions of Chrome from your PC.

Is Windows 10/11 blocking Google Chrome?

Typically, the operating system will not impede Chrome from installing, but certain anomalies may make the browser incompatible with the OS.

Besides these rare cases, Google Chrome and your Windows OS are compatible.

If you can’t install Chrome on Windows 10, here are some useful solutions for you to try out.

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How do I fix Google Chrome not installing?

1. Use Uninstall troubleshooter

1. Download and launch the software.
2. Click on Next to start troubleshooting the problems.
3. Select Installing if you cannot install the Chrome browser.
4. Check if Google Chrome appears on that list, otherwise select Not Listed.
5. After the processing stage, you will see a notification about the problems which have been solved.
6. You can click on Explore additional options if you are curious about other program features.
7. If you consider you finished the job, click on Close the troubleshooter.

These are newer errors, but they can easily be fixed thanks to free software that Microsoft rolled out to its users. You can download the Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter from Microsoft’s website.

If you cannot download Chrome on Windows 10, run this program, and the system should allow you to install the browser. You can also explore more awesome troubleshooting tools for a more generous selection.

2. Check your antivirus

According to users, Chrome not installing in Windows 10 and 11 might be triggered by your antivirus. So, we advise you to try disabling certain antivirus features and check if that solves it.

If you still cannot install Google Chrome on Windows, you might want to try disabling your antivirus altogether.

We suggest you go for a top contender with high detection rates, real-time protection against known and emerging threats, and obviously, a light infrastructure that will not interfere with your system’s components.

For this purpose, we recommend ESET HOME Security Essential.

Once your new antivirus is up and running, Google Chrome not installing in Windows 10 and 11 should not be a problem anymore.

3. Uninstall all previous versions of Chrome

1. Open the Run dialog by using the hotkeys Windows + R.
2. Type Control Panel and hit Enter.
   
3. Select the Uninstall a program option.
   
4. Click on Google Chrome, then click the Uninstall option.
   
5. Follow the wizard to complete the uninstallation.

If you store older Chrome versions on your PC, it can lead to Google Chrome not installing Windows 10 and 11 issues. Thus, if you cannot install Google Chrome on Windows, be sure to remove any old versions of Chrome and try to install it again.

There are several ways to do that, but the fastest method is to use uninstaller software. It’s a special application that can remove any program from your PC.

In addition to removing older versions of Chrome, these tools will remove all files and registry entries associated with an application. This is great since, most likely, this was causing Chrome not to install in Windows 10 and 11.

Any of the best uninstaller software on Windows will get the job done.

Note that users have complained that the installation failed because another installation of a Google application is in progress. Hence you must not attempt installing two programs at once after an uninstallation.

4. Check if the necessary services are running

1. Go to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Services.
2. Open Background Intelligent Transfer Service. This will open a window with settings and service details.
   
3. Change the Startup type to Automatic and ensure the Service status is Running.

BITS is a system service that facilitates the asynchronous, prioritized, and throttled transfer of files between machines using idle network bandwidth.

In other words, this system allows you to install different programs from other devices and the Internet.

5. Modify your registry

1. Go to Start > Run.
2. In the Run tab, write regedit and click OK.
3. From the Registry Editor menu select HKEY_CURRENT_USERGoogleUpdateClientState

   

Once you delete the {4DC8B4CA-1BDA-483e-B5FA-D3C12E15B62D} folder, you can close the Registry Editor tab and try to install the browser one more time.

Several users recommend completely deleting any Chrome registry entries before you try installing it. To do that, find these keys in your registry and remove them:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareGoogle
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareGoogle
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareWow6432NodeGoogle

Once you remove those keys, check if the Chrome not installing in Windows 10 is resolved.

6. Delete Google Update directory

1. Press Windows Key + R and enter the value below:
   %LOCALAPPDATA%Google
   
2. Now press Enter or click OK.
3. You should see the Update directory available. Delete this directory.

If you cannot download Chrome on Windows 10, removing the Update directory should help. However, some users reported that they don’t have an Update directory on their PC. If that’s the case, you should skip this solution and try something else.

7. Consider using Beta or Canary versions of Chrome

1. Download the Beta or the Canary versions by clicking the Download Chrome Beta or Download Chrome Canary buttons.
   
2. Save the downloaded file and double-click on it to start the installation.
   
3. Follow the wizard to complete the installation.

If you cannot install Google Chrome on Windows 10, you might be able to fix this issue simply by switching to a Beta or Canary version.

In case you’re unfamiliar, these are experimental versions of Chrome that usually include upcoming features and bug fixes. Therefore, try installing the Beta version if Chrome won’t install on Windows 10 or 11.

It’s worth mentioning that both Beta and Canary might not be the most stable versions, so be prepared to experience certain issues along the road.

These versions are often recommended if Chrome setup is not opening or if Google Chrome installation failed due to an unspecified error and would not be installed after multiple trials. Also, it is beneficial if you are unable to download Chrome.

8. Use the offline installer

The issue might be related to your setup file if you’re having Chrome installation problems. As you know, Chrome setup will download the necessary files during the installation process; however, sometimes, that can lead to certain issues.

Many users reported that they managed to circumvent Chrome not installing in Windows 10 problems simply by using the offline installer.

It won’t download any files from the Internet; instead, all the necessary setup files will be stored on your PC. Many users reported that using the offline installer solved the problem, so be sure to try it.

9. Turn on User Account Control

1. Press Windows Key + S and enter user account control; select Change User Account Control settings.
   
2. Move the slider to the default position and click OK to save changes.
   

Google Chrome stopped working on Windows 10

We have done an extensive dive into the installation issue. Some of the solutions are also useful when the browser stops working.

We recommend you start with a simple browser restart; if it is ineffective, you may try a complete reinstallation of the browser.

According to users, sometimes you cannot download Chrome on Windows 10 and 11 because your User Account Control is disabled. User Account Control is a security feature, but since its notifications can be a bit intrusive, many users choose to turn it off.

However, this can sometimes prevent specific applications from installing, and to fix the issue, you need to enable User Account Control again. After turning UAC back on, check if Google Chrome is still not installing on Windows 10 and 11.

As you can see, this can be an annoying situation, but we hope that you solve it using some of our solutions.