Top 6 Ways to Get Rid of Chrome Didn’t Shut Down Correctly Message

When Google Chrome closes unexpectedly, due to a system shutdown or some other reason, you lose all of your open tabs. In such cases, Google Chrome usually gives you the option to restore tabs from the previous session, along with the message ‘Chrome didn’t shut down correctly’ message. However, it can be annoying if Chrome keeps displaying this pop-up every time you open it on your Windows computer.

Of course, you can easily ignore this message and go about your work. However, if you are tired of seeing the persistent ‘Chrome didn’t shut down correctly’ pop-up on your Windows 10 or 11 PC, this guide will show how to get rid of it for good.

1. Use the Restore Option

One of the most straightforward ways to stop Google Chrome from showing this pop-up is to restore your tabs. Click the Restore button to allow Chrome to reopen tabs from your previous session. Following this, the browser should not display this pop-up unless it closes abruptly again.

2. Allow Chrome to Run in the Background

Another reason why Google Chrome might keep asking you to restore tabs is if you have prevented the browser from running in the background. Here’s how you can change that.

Step 1: Open Google Chrome, click the three vertical dots menu icon at the top-right corner and select Settings.

Step 2: Select System from the left pane. Then, enable the toggle next to ‘Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.’

Restart the browser after this and see if it still asks to restore tabs.

3. Clear Browsing Data

Clearing old Chrome cache and cookies is an effective way to fix most browser-related issues, including this one. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete together on your keyboard to access the Clear browsing data panel. Select All time in the Time range menu. Then, tick the checkboxes that read ‘Cookies and other site data’ and ‘Cached images and files.’

Lastly, click the Clear data button.

Restart the browser after this and check if the ‘Chrome didn’t shut down correctly’ message reappears.

4. Rename the Default Folder

Chrome’s Default folder in Windows stores your profile’s data, including browsing history, bookmarks, saved passwords, and other settings. If there is a problem with this data, Google Chrome may display these annoying pop-ups.

To avoid this, you can try renaming Chrome’s default folder to something else. This will force the browser to recreate the folder from scratch, fixing any problems.

Step 1: Close Google Chrome on your PC. Click the search icon on the taskbar, type in file explorer and press Enter.

Step 2: Navigate to the following folder.

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data

Note: Replace [YourUsername] in the above command with your username.

Step 3: Locate and select the Default folder. Press F2 on your keyboard and then rename the folder to Default.old or something else.

After completing the above steps, open Google Chrome and check if the issue still occurs after that.

5. Modify Chrome’s Preferences File

If renaming the Default folder proves ineffective, you can modify the browser’s Preferences file to disable the ‘Chrome didn’t shut down correctly’ pop-up. Here are the steps you can follow.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + E keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer and navigate to the following folder.

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default

Note: Replace [YourUsername] in the above command with your actual username.

Step 2: Right-click on the Preferences file and select Open with.

Step 3: Select Notepad and then click Just once.

Step 4: In the Notepad window, press the Control + F keyboard shortcut to access the Find tool. Then, type exit_type in the text box and press Enter.

Step 5: Change exit_type value from Crashed to Normal.

Step 6: Click the File menu at the top and select Save.

6. Reset Google Chrome

If none of the solutions work, consider resetting Google Chrome on your PC. This will remove your custom settings, bookmarks, and browser extensions, resolving any issues.

Here are the steps to reset Google Chrome:

Step 1: Open Google Chrome on your computer. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner and select Settings.

Step 2: Use the left pane to navigate to the Reset settings tab. Then, click the ‘Restore settings to their original defaults’ option.

Step 3: Click the Reset settings button to confirm.

Shutdown Errors Begone

Google Chrome’s ability to restore a previous session can be quite helpful after an improper browser shutdown. However, you would not want to see the ‘Chrome didn’t shut down correctly’ message repeatedly on your Windows 10 or 11 PC. Following the tips mentioned above will fix the underlying issue and remove the message.