Chrome’s New HTTP Warning: Check Your Website Links and Redirects
Someone clicks the link in your Instagram bio or scans an old QR code. Instead of your website, Chrome shows a warning about an insecure connection. Yet when you open your own homepage, everything looks fine.
Since 21 October 2026, Chrome has asked before making certain insecure HTTP connections. It tries HTTPS first, but warns when it would need to fall back to HTTP. Most websites with properly configured HTTPS should not be affected. The question is whether every route to your website works securely.
A working homepage doesn't tell the whole story
Say https://www.mywebsite.com works, but a business card links to mywebsite.com without “www”. If that address doesn't support HTTPS, or a redirect passes through HTTP, visitors may see a warning before reaching the same homepage.
HTTPS encrypts the connection between a browser and a website; HTTP doesn't. An expired or incorrect HTTPS certificate is a different problem: Chrome may show a privacy error instead. Both are worth fixing, but they require different checks.
Appearance may vary by browser and operating system.
Check your website in 10 minutes
Start with the links people actually use, not the address saved in your browser.
- Open your website from your Google Business Profile, Instagram bio, email signature and any QR codes you use.
- Try both https://mywebsite.com and https://www.mywebsite.com (with your own domain). Each should reach the right website without security warnings.
- If you see a warning, save the exact link and a screenshot. Try another device if you've previously chosen to continue past a warning.
An old link beginning with http:// is not automatically broken: Chrome may upgrade it to HTTPS. What matters is whether the visitor gets through without a warning.
What if something is wrong?
If your site only loads over HTTP, ask your hosting provider about enabling HTTPS. If the homepage works but another version of the address fails, ask your host or developer to check the www/non-www setup, certificate and redirects. For a certificate error, share the exact message rather than assuming it's the new HTTP warning.
Once it's fixed, update links in your profiles, emails and QR codes where possible. This usually calls for a configuration change, not a new website.
Not sure what's causing the warning? Send me the link and what Chrome showed. I can help you work out where it's getting stuck.