Google Chat

You can sometimes experience an error message while signing in to Chat due to a bad or spotty connection to the internet. We recommend you ensure that your internet connection is strong and stable. You may wish to test this by connecting to your network with another computer.

If you are connecting to Chat through Gmail, please try signing into Gmail via the secure site, available at https://mail.google.com/mail.

Gmail offers this interface for extra security. Since web browsers and security software are more likely to trust encrypted data, visiting Gmail through the secure site will often resolve issues caused by those applications.

We're glad to hear your problem has been resolved. You can sign back into Gmail, iGoogle or orkut.

Often clearing your browser's cache and cookies will resolve issues that may be preventing you from signing in to Chat. You can follow the instructions below to clear your browser's cache and cookies.

In some cases, it may be necessary to clear your cache more than once.

Please try refreshing the Gmail, iGoogle or orkut instance using your browser's refresh button.

If your Chat window shows the error, 'Your Network administrator has disabled chat in Gmail,' the most likely cause is that your network administrator or ISP has chosen to block chat.

Please contact your network administrator or ISP directly to determine if they have actually disabled Google Chat.

If your network administrator or ISP has blocked Google Chat, you will not be able to chat through that internet connection until they unblock chat. You may consider utilizing another internet connection or machine to connect to chat.

If you've verified that your network has not blocked chat, and you're still experiencing difficulties, this may be caused by a conflict with software on your computer. Internet security, firewall, and anti-virus applications can prevent Google Chat from working properly.

Please try disabling any known security applications or browser extensions/toolbars such as Better Gmail or Firebug. While browser extensions and toolbars are intended to enhance browser functionality, they can interfere with chat.

We're sorry to hear you're still experiencing this issue. Please contact us with additional information.

If you see the message 'Unable to reach Gmail. Please check your internet connection' in your Chat list and you also notice that the Gmail logo in the top left corner and the star image next to 'Starred' are missing on the left, your browser may be blocking images from mail.google.com.

To make sure images are displaying in Firefox:

1. Select the Tools menu at the top of your browser and click Options
2. In the Options dialogue box that appears, select Content
3. Next to 'Load images automatically' select the Exceptions... button. Enter 'mail.google.com' in the 'Address of web site:' field, and click Allow' Make sure images from mail.google.com are not set to 'Block'

In Internet Explorer 7:

1. Click the Tools button
2. Select Internet Options'
3. Click the Advanced tab
4. Scroll down to Multimedia and make sure 'Show pictures' is checked

In Safari 3.0:

1. On Mac OSX, select the Edit menu
2. Click Preferences'
3. Click the Appearance button
4. Select the checkbox next to 'Display images when the page opens'

If your Chat window shows the error, 'Chat is disabled. You have been signed out of Gmail. You must sign back in to reenable chat,' it is usually solved by clearing your browser's cache and cookies. If that step did not resolve this issue for you earlier, it could be due to a conflict with software on your computer. Internet security, firewall, and anti-virus applications can prevent Google Chat from working properly.

Please try disabling any known security applications or browser extensions/toolbars such as Better Gmail or Firebug. While browser extensions and toolbars are intended to enhance browser functionality, they can interfere with chat.

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Try resetting your Internet Explorer settings. Follow the steps below according to your version of Internet Explorer.

In Internet Explorer 6:

1. Sign out of Gmail, iGoogle or orkut. Close all other open browser windows.
2. In the top menu bar, click Tools, then select Internet Options.
3. Select the Programs tab.
4. Click the Reset Web Settings button.
5. Exit Internet Explorer by clicking File in the menu bar and then Exit.
6. Re-open Internet Explorer and sign in to Gmail, iGoogle or orkut

In Internet Explorer 7:

1. Sign out of Gmail, iGoogle or orkut. Close all other open browser windows or tabs.
2. In the top menu bar, click Tools, then select Internet Options.
3. Select the Advanced tab.
4. Click the Reset... button in the 'Internet Explorer settings' section.
5. Exit Internet Explorer by clicking File in the menu bar and then Exit.
6. Re-open Internet Explorer and sign in to Gmail, iGoogle or orkut.

Using Internet Explorer 7 with Google Web Accelerator will sometimes cause technical difficulties with chat in Gmail. We recommend disabling Google Web Accelerator if you'd like to use Gmail chat in Internet Explorer 7.

If you continue to experience difficulties with chat using Internet Explorer, please try using Mozilla Firefox (available for free download) to see if this resolves the issue. If the issue still persists, please contact us.

Please visit the Help Group to get additional support for your issue. You can post a question or find answers from Google guides and our most knowledgeable users.

We're sorry to hear you're still experiencing this issue. Please visit the Help Group to get additional support for your issue. You can post a question or find answers from Google guides and our most knowledgeable users.

Please contact your network administrator or internet service provider to troubleshoot your internet connection.