◇ Browser Errors
STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION in Chrome / Edge — How to fix
STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION in Chromium-based browsers means a tab process tried to access memory it doesn't own. Almost always an extension, a buggy hardware-acceleration code path, or a corrupted profile.
- Time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Applies to
- Windows 11, Windows 10
- Updated
- May 25, 2026
Error message
Aw, Snap! Something went wrong while displaying this webpage. Error code: STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION
Symptoms
- ▸'Aw, Snap!' error with STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION on random tabs
- ▸Happens more often on sites with heavy JavaScript / WebGL
- ▸Started after a Chrome update or new extension install
Likely causes
- ▸Buggy extension injecting into all tabs
- ▸Hardware acceleration interacting with an old GPU driver
- ▸Corrupted user profile
- ▸Antivirus injecting into the browser process
How to fix it — step by step
- 01
Disable all extensions
chrome://extensions→ toggle every extension off. Re-enable one at a time until the crash returns. - 02
Disable hardware acceleration
chrome://settings/system → Use hardware acceleration when available → Off. Restart Chrome. - 03
Run Chrome with --no-sandbox temporarily
Only as a diagnostic — if the crash stops, you've confirmed it's a sandbox interaction with an external app (antivirus, screen recorder).
- 04
Create a new browser profile
chrome://settings/manageProfile→ Add. If the new profile doesn't crash, the original profile is corrupted. - 05
Update the GPU driver
Outdated GPU drivers cause STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION in Chrome's GPU process — install the latest from NVIDIA / AMD / Intel.