Navigating a Google Chrome conundrum – what you can do to fix recent problems in macOS Sonoma
A new macOS is just around the corner, macOS Sonoma, and unfortunately it comes with a new bundle of software issues for users. The latest of these is that Google Chrome is not working in full screen mode on macOS for some users.
While Apple prefers macOS users to use its own web browser, Safari, many users prefer to use Google’s popular alternative, Chrome. However, it seems that some users have experienced issues such as tabs freezing and parts of the screen or the entire browser becoming unresponsive. According to PiunikaWeb, this problem reportedly also occurred with the previous generation of macOS, Ventura. This suggests that the problem is actually on Google’s side and that update M118 for Google Chrome is to blame.
Users are not particularly happy with Chrome’s macOS performance as these types of issues occur frequently, forcing them to close and reopen Chrome, potentially losing their session. The regular recurrence makes the problem particularly frustrating. When the Chrome window or tab becomes unresponsive, users report that they can no longer interact with parts of the screen at all, such as tabs and buttons.
Solutions to try if your Chrome isn’t working
This seems to happen more often when Chrome is in full screen mode, so one workaround is to simply not use Chrome in full screen mode on macOS. However, this isn’t an ideal solution for people who want (or need) to use Chrome in full screen. Not all hope is lost as there are a few things you can try to see if they fix the problem
The first thing you can try is to make sure you have the latest version of Chrome:
1. Enter chrome://settings/help in your Chrome address bar (or you can navigate here from your menu which you can find by clicking the three-dot icon in the top right corner of your browser).
2. Check which version of Chrome you are using (this should be visible).
3. If any updates have become available, your browser should have them installed and all you need to do is restart your browser. Click Restart to update/restart.
Simply updating your browser can help, and if Google has developed patches for the problem, they will be applied.
If the above doesn’t work, you can try checking if you have the latest macOS version and update it if not. Some users have found that applying a macOS update and restarting Chrome fixed the problem while the above approach did not help.
If none of these solutions work for you, it’s best to use a different browser until Google finds a new solution for users to try. You can try Apple’s own Safari, Microsoft’s Edge (which is built on Chromium and available for macOS), or FireFox. Make sure to check out our roundup of the best web browsers to use in 2023.
It appears that Google is aware of this glitch and is developing a fix. It is suggested that users avoid using full screen in Google Chrome for the time being. We expect the patch for the issue to be ready quite quickly, as Google is usually quite efficient at addressing issues as soon as they are known.
Hopefully one of the shorter solutions will help you fix the problem, but if not, don’t worry: it should be resolved in no time. If full screen mode is fundamental to your being, you might want to consider using a new browser, if only to compare and contrast, and see what else is out there.