Chrome STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION means a Chrome process tried to access a part of your computer's memory that it is not allowed to touch. This causes Chrome to immediately crash the affected tab or the whole browser. It is almost always caused by a faulty extension, outdated Chrome, or software that conflicts with Chrome's memory protection.

Affected Models

Google Chrome on Windows 10
Google Chrome on Windows 11
Google Chrome on Windows 7/8

Common Causes

A Chrome extension is writing to protected memory space
Third-party software (such as antivirus or screen recorders) is injecting code into Chrome
Chrome's hardware acceleration is conflicting with your graphics driver
An outdated or corrupted version of Chrome has a known memory bug
A specific webpage contains code that triggers a memory access error in Chrome

How to Fix It

Disable all Chrome extensions. Click the three-dot menu > More Tools > Extensions and turn everything off. Restart Chrome.

Extensions are the number-one cause of STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION. Start here before anything else.
Update Chrome to the latest version. Go to the three-dot menu > Help > About Google Chrome.

Older Chrome versions have known memory bugs that were fixed in updates.
Disable hardware acceleration. Go to Settings > System and turn off Use hardware acceleration when available. Restart Chrome.

GPU driver conflicts with hardware acceleration are a known cause of this crash.
Run Chrome in safe mode by adding --no-sandbox to the shortcut target. Right-click the Chrome icon > Properties > add flag after chrome.exe.

This is a temporary diagnostic step — do not browse sensitive sites with the sandbox disabled.
Uninstall Chrome completely, then download a fresh installer from google.com/chrome and reinstall.

A full reinstall removes any corrupted Chrome files that may be causing the crash.

When to Call a Professional

If Chrome crashes constantly with this error even after reinstalling and disabling all extensions, your Windows installation may have a deeper problem. A PC technician can run memory diagnostics and check for corrupted system files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION only crash one tab?

Chrome runs each tab as a separate process. When one tab crashes, Chrome isolates it and closes just that tab. This is actually a feature — it prevents one bad tab from taking down your entire browser. If the same tab crashes every time, the page itself may have buggy code.

Can antivirus software cause this error?

Yes, quite commonly. Some antivirus programs inject their own code into Chrome to scan web traffic. This can conflict with Chrome's memory protection and cause STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION. Try temporarily disabling your antivirus web protection feature to test if it is the cause.

Does this error mean my RAM is failing?

Occasionally. If you see this error alongside other crashes in different programs, faulty RAM is possible. You can test your RAM using Windows Memory Diagnostic. Search for it in the Start menu and run the test after restarting.