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How to fix Google Chrome is waiting for cache issue on Windows 10?


Some users on Windows 10 have reported facing an annoying issue in Chrome where the browser keeps saying “waiting for cache” and freezes. When this happens, the site you are trying to access loads very slowly, if at all. Your computer might also suffer a systemwide freeze or experience an unnatural jump in RAM and disk usage percentages.

The bug is more likely to affect Windows 10 PCs operating with SSDs rather than the conventional hard disk drives. The freezing duration can be anywhere from a dozen seconds to a few minutes before Chrome resumes working normally.

Why does Google Chrome keep saying “waiting for cache” on Windows 10?

The simple answer is, because the information that Chrome downloaded to your PC has become inaccessible. The cache is where your browser stores certain information about your browsing activity, so it can load websites faster when required. The “waiting for cache” message is displayed when the Chrome browser is unable to access this information.

Chrome and almost all other browsers are designed to fetch data from the locally stored cache first before merging it with fresh content downloaded from the internet when you visit web pages. This leads to faster browsing—or it does if there isn’t a “waiting for cache” message slowing your browsing down to a crawl.

What if Google Chrome keeps waiting for cache and freezing?

If you keep getting the notification that Chrome is waiting for cache, there are some simple steps that can be taken to rid your computer of the bug for good.

Clearing your browser cache

More often than not, the error message is caused by corrupted cache files on your system. Removing these files allows Chrome to create fresh caches, thus eliminating the problem.

To clear your browser cache in Chrome on your Windows 10, follow these steps:

  1. In Chrome, click on the vertical ellipsis (three vertical dots) in the top right corner to bring up the Chrome menu.
  2. Scroll down the dropdown list to More tools and select Clear browsing data in the second dropdown that appears.
  3. In the Clear browsing data dialog, choose all time in the time range dropdown. Next, tick all the boxes of the data that you want removed. When you’re done, click clear data.
  4. Restart Chrome and browse.
  5. Preventing Chrome from writing to your SSD

This is another option that can be tried if you are wondering how to fix Chrome’s “waiting for cache” system hang. This is achieved by disabling the Disk Write Caching feature on Windows 10. Although it is a useful feature that improves performance and speed, it could cause unintended side effects like memory loss. However, if you don’t mind your Windows 10 PC performing slightly slower so long as the cache error in Chrome is fixed, then disabling disk write caching is worth a try.

How to stop cache from writing to your SSD:

  1. On your Windows 10 computer, bring up search and type Device Manager. Launch the program.
  2. In Device Manager, scroll to Disk drives and expand it. Now you can see all the drives on your computer.
  3. Right-click the SSD on which Chrome is installed and click properties.
  4. In the properties dialog that appears, click the policies tab.
  5. Uncheck the enable write caching on the device box and click OK.
  6. Reverting Chrome to default settings

This will remove all your customizations and other settings you have applied in Chrome and revert everything to how it was when it was newly installed. Follow these steps to restore Chrome to default settings:

  1. In Chrome, click the vertical ellipsis (three vertical dots)
  2. Go to Settings > Advanced > Reset and cleanup > Restore settings to their original defaults > Reset settings.
  3. Using a new user profile in Chrome

With this method, you can swap your current profile in Chrome for a new one and see if that resolves the error. To create a new profile:

  1. In Chrome, click the picture icon representing your profile. It is in the top right corner, next to the three vertical dots.
  2. In the dropdown that appears, go to Manage people > Add person and create a new profile. When you are done, click Add.
  3. Chrome will restart with your new profile. If the issue is solved, you can sign in to Google to import your saved data to your new profile.
  4. Uninstalling and Reinstalling Chrome

This is the nuclear option for when all else fails. Before you uninstall the application from your Windows 10, try updating to a newer version of Chrome and see if that makes the “waiting for cache” message go away.

In almost all cases, the root cause of the “waiting for cache” message in Chrome on Windows 10 is a corrupted cache. You can prevent these files from being infected by running an anti-virus program like Auslogics Anti-Malware that helps keep your files safe from corruption. You can even use its Custom Scan feature to specifically target folders associated with Chrome on your Windows 10 PC. It will find and quarantine any suspicious files or hazardous cookies that can compromise your browser.