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Chrome "Aw, Snap!" Page Crashes? Fix the Memory and Extension Causes

Published June 10, 2026 · by The FixHub Team

A page in Chrome shows “Aw, Snap! Something went wrong while displaying this page” (sometimes STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION or ERR_OUT_OF_MEMORY).

What it means: Chrome’s tab process failed to render the page. The usual causes are memory pressure (too many tabs/extensions), a bad extension, or a corrupt cache — not a broken website. Work down the list.

Fix 1: Reload and free up memory

  • Reload the tab (Ctrl+R). Close other tabs and apps — Aw-Snap spikes when RAM is tight, especially on low-memory PCs.
  • Restart Chrome entirely (close every window).

Fix 2: Test in Incognito (isolate extensions)

Open the page in an Incognito window (extensions are off by default). If it loads, an extension is the culprit:

  • Go to chrome://extensions, disable all, re-enable one at a time to find the bad one, and remove/​update it.

Fix 3: Clear cache & cookies

Settings → Privacy and security → Clear browsing data → Cached images and files (and cookies). A corrupt cache reliably causes Aw-Snap on specific pages.

Fix 4: Update Chrome and your GPU driver

  • chrome://settings/help → let Chrome update and relaunch.
  • Crashes that mention rendering/STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION can be GPU-driver related — update your graphics driver, or temporarily turn off Settings → System → Use graphics acceleration when available to test.

Fix 5: New profile / reset

  • Create a new Chrome profile (the old one may be corrupt) and test.
  • Last resort: Settings → Reset settings → Restore settings to their original defaults (keeps bookmarks/passwords, clears extensions/cache config).

FAQ

It only Aw-Snaps on one heavy page? That page is memory-hungry — close other tabs (Fix 1) and disable extensions (Fix 2). 64-bit Chrome on more RAM helps.

Every page crashes immediately. Likely a bad extension or corrupt profile — Incognito test (Fix 2), then a new profile (Fix 5). If the whole PC is short on RAM, see Vmmem high memory and 100% disk usage.

Sources: Google Chrome Help — Get help with common error messages in Chrome