How to Fix ERR_BAD_SSL_CLIENT_AUTH_CERT for Google Chrome?

Step by Step Guide to Fix ERR_BAD_SSL_CLIENT_AUTH_CERT on Google Chrome.

Popular browsers, including Chrome (which covers 67.56% of the global desktop internet browser), check varied securities before opening a site at the user’s request. One of the basic security checks includes examining the SSL certificate of the website.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate is positioned on the webserver to secure the data communications between the browsers and servers. Using cryptographic keys to encrypt data is a necessity in today’s digital era.

As said before, the Chrome browser checks the SSL certificate of the website. Now, if Chrome can recognize the SSL certificate, you will be able to view the site, and it will portray the trust icons (HTTPS and secure padlock in the address bar), which are proof of a secure connection.

But, if Chrome cannot verify the SSL certificate or can’t recognize the same, it will display an error stating “ERR_BAD_SSL CLIENT_AUTH_CERT” when the user tries to open the website.

In this article, we will discuss ERR_BAD_SSL_CLIENT_AUTH_CERT error, its causes, and its solutions.

What Causes ERR_ BAD_SSL CLIENT_AUTH_CERT Error?

As stated, this is an SSL error. Users access the internet for varied reasons. When a user tries to view a website, Chrome will verify the authenticity of the SSL certificate installed on the website. If Chrome can’t open the site requested by the user due to specific issues, it will display the above error.

User safety is the 1st priority of all popular browsers. However, if the SSL certificate placed on the website is issued from untrusted Certificate Authorities (CAs), the browser fails to accept the SSL certificates.

Apart from this issue, you will be surprised to know that many factors cause this error. A few of them are:

Incorrect Date & Time is out of sync
Outdated Browser
Outdated Windows
Compromised Cache Data
3^rd party SSL/TLS filtering is working
Third-party Software Conflicts
Browser Extensions

Even the webserver may cause this error by rejecting the certificate (expiry reasons or certificate issued from non-trustworthy sources) sent by the browser (site).

So, since the causes are many, multiple solutions need to be implemented to fix this error. While you are struggling to find out which solutions will fix your error, I have penned down some troubleshooting steps, which are a sure shot for error resolution.

So, let’s eliminate all the possible reasons by implementing their solutions for fixing the error mentioned above.

How to Fix ERR_BAD_SSL_CLIENT_AUTH_CERT Error for Google Chrome?

#1. Check the Date & Time:

The most obvious reason which triggers maximum errors is the wrong date and time shown on the computer. This leads to conflicts since there is a different date and time stated on the computer as compared to the SSL certificate.

This is not acknowledged by a majority of the browsers, including Chrome, who instantly display the above-stated error and reject the loading of user-requested websites.

To resolve this issue, ensure that the system date and time are always in sync with the servers.

Right-click on the lower-right hand corner of the Taskbar, which shows the date and time.
Go to Adjust Date/Time.
If the “Set time automatically” and “Set time zone automatically” are disabled, enable the same.
Later click “Sync Now” to match the date and time with the MS servers.
Restart your computer and check if the error is fixed or not.

#2. Update Chrome:

Chrome browser has many security lapses which are linked to SSL certificates. For example, recent issues state that users using Windows 7 were unable to utilize all Google services. Since Google is well aware of the same, it releases patches to cover these security vulnerabilities.

But, to benefit from these patches, it’s pivotal to update Google Chrome regularly.

If your Chrome is outdated, it may give rise to many minor SSL errors like ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID, ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED, etc.

Click on the 3 vertical dots on the upper right-hand corner to open Google Chrome
Go to Help > About Google Chrome

Wait till the entire Chrome update task is over and later go ahead with all the recent instructions related to the installations.
In the end, restart your computer.

#3. Clear Browser Data:

Browser data is a collection of users’ browsing activities collected by their browser. It’s always advisable to delete this data on a timely basis to keep your site error-free.

Outdated and old browser data may mess up with the site load process and may cause this error. It’s simple. Clean up the entire browser data to fix the error.

There is only one disadvantage of clearing this data, i.e., it will delete all the stored passwords and bookmarks.

Open Chrome by clicking the 3 dots
Select More Tools > Clear Browsing Data
Select the Advanced Tab
In the Time Range Option, select “All time.”
Tick all the boxes, i.e., Browsing history, Download History, Cookies, and other site data, and Cached images and files.
Later, click “Clear Data.”
Restart your browser and check if the error is eliminated or not.

#4. Check for Third-Party Software Conflicts:

Third-party software or web securities, as you name it, include firewalls, anti-virus software, etc. Though these software securities work wonders in keeping your site secure from hackers, sometimes they protect access to genuine sites by mistakenly detecting them as suspicious.

This could cause the browser to block the website.

You can also disable this third-party software temporarily, though I don’t personally recommend this solution since it is a risky move.
After the site visit, don’t forget to enable these securities one at a time. This will help in finding the software causing the issue. Disable that security that is creating the issue and ensure that your site is error-free.
One more solution is to resolve the error is to disable the SSL protocol from these 3rd party AV settings.

In AV settings > Go to Advanced Menu > Go to “Enable SSL/TLS protocol filtering” option and toggle it to OFF mode. This move may help erase the error.

If the error still exists and you feel AV is the issue, it would be best to remove all the third-party securities from your system. Once this move is made, Windows Defender will be your default security solution and may help fix the error.

#5. Change TLS/SSL QUIC Settings:

If the error mentioned above is still unresolved, check the protocol fixes for SSL/TLS. These protocol fixes may cause cipher mismatch, which may trigger this error.

Disable old TLS versions (TLS v1.1 and TLS v1.2) to activate the current SSL versions (SSL2 and SSL3).
Another solution is to disable the QUIC protocol by typing “chrome://flags/#enable-quic” in the address bar and clicking Enter.
Restart your browser and check for the error.

#6. Delete all Browser Extensions:

Old and outdated browser extensions interfere with the web securities and cause varied errors, including those stated above.

Remove these extensions by opening the Chrome menu.
Go to More Tools > Click Extensions. Check all outdated and suspicious browser extensions and delete them.
Restart Chrome and check for the error.

If the error persists, then:

Open Chrome > Go to Settings > Click Advanced option
Select the “Restore and Clean Up” option > click “Restore Settings to their original defaults.”

Now restart your browser and check again.

#7. Update your Operating System:

If you wish to abolish all the causes of error, do peep into your operating systems to confirm if the same is outdated or not. If your operating system is outdated, the browser is bound to display errors.

Even a system not being updated for long can cause issues, so the only solution is to upgrade your operating system.

Example: Many users found that majority of the errors are triggered on an old version of Windows since the browser denied the SSL certificate.

This error was rectified by updating the Windows.

Select Win + R, and in the run dialogue box, type “ms-settings: windows update.” Press Enter to reach the Windows update screen.

Check for recent updates on this update screen and install all pending updates.
After the update process is over, you will get a message stating Restart is required.
Click the “Restart now” button and restart your computer for error-check.

Wrapping Up:

By implementing the above solutions, You can easily fix ERR_BAD_SSL_CLIENT_AUTH_CERT for Google Chrome.