Every second Tuesday of the month, Microsoft releases ‘Patch Tuesday,’ an update that rolls out security fixes for the Windows 11 and 10 operating systems and any relevant Windows software. This week, the update landed on Tuesday as normal, but what wasn’t quite so regular was that it left Malwarebytes users unable to load Chrome in Windows 11, and the problem is still ongoing.
Multiple users of the well-known antivirus software flocked to the Malwarebytes forums on Tuesday to report that, since the update, Chrome wouldn’t load up on Windows 11 despite it being clearly visible in the Task Manager. Those on Windows 10 reported that they were having no issues, suggesting that there was something specifically within the Windows 11 KB5027231 patch causing Chrome to crash.
Many forum members recommended rolling back the Windows update, which did temporarily fix the issue for some, but this can leave you vulnerable to security attacks. Among the many posts offering advice to help get Chrome loading again, a staff member by the name of Arthi offered some workarounds, which included setting Chrome as a default browser, though for many this hasn’t resolved the issue (thanks, TechRadar).
Since Malwarebytes has been made aware of the problem, staff member Msherwood notified forum users with a pinned post explaining that they are “actively troubleshooting” the issue, and though the cause is not currently known, they will report back, hopefully with a solution, as soon as possible.
In the meantime, they have offered temporary workarounds to help get Chrome back up and running, which includes disabling Google Chrome as a protected application in your Malwarebytes security settings.
To make sure your PC and devices are protected, you can check out our up-to-date guide on the best antivirus software.