Chrome not loading images on Android? Top 5 solutions

Although Chrome for Android usually serves its purpose, some users are reporting what seems to be a major bug. For some of them, Chrome is not loading images on Android. If you are among them, check the steps we listed below.

Table of contents:

1. Clear cache from Chrome
2. Clear browsing data
3. Disable Beta features
4. Uninstall Google Chrome updates
5. Disable Lite mode

Why are images not loading in Chrome for Android?

There are just a few reasons for this occurrence but it’s hard to pinpoint what’s causing it. Firstly, make sure that you are connected to a stable network (be that Wi-Fi or mobile data) and that no VPN, proxy, or adblocker is active. Also, you can try clearing the cache or all data from Chrome. Finally, disable Lite Mode or reinstall the app.

1. Clear cache from Chrome

The first thing you should do is clear the local cache from Google Chrome. There’s a chance that the local data is corrupted but, before you clear everything, let’s stick to the cache on the first run. That should speed up the browser and, hopefully, resolve the problem at hand.

Here’s how to clear the cache from Chrome:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Expand All apps. On some devices, choose App manager or Manage apps.
4. Select Google Chrome.
5. Tap Storage.
6. Clear the cache and restart your device.

2. Clear browsing data

If that doesn’t help, try clearing all local data next. This should reset the app and, hopefully, resolve the problem. Have in mind that this will delete all locally stored files so, if you have any downloads, back them up beforehand.

Follow these steps to clear browsing data in Google Chrome on Android:

1. Again, navigate to Settings > Apps > All apps > Google Chrome.
2. Open Storage.
3. Tap Manage storage.
4. Tap Clear all data.
5. Confirm when prompted and restart your device.
6. Open Chrome and check for improvements.

If images are still not loading on Chrome for Android, make sure to check the next step on the list.

3. Disable Beta features

If you never meddled with experimental features (flags) in Chrome, you can safely skip this step. However, if you enabled certain practical features (I usually have the dark mode web contents enabled), you can try disabling them and see if the problem is gone.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Chrome on your Android.
2. In the address bar, type or copy-paste chrome://flags and open it.
3. Tap Reset All.
4. Force close Chrome, re-open it again and look for improvements.

4. Uninstall Google Chrome updates

Another viable solution is to either reinstall Google Chrome or uninstall its updates in case you can’t remove it altogether. The latter is often the case since Google Chrome comes as a system app on many Android skins.

Follow these steps to uninstall Google Chrome updates on your Android:

1. Open Google Play Store.
2. Search for Google Chrome.
3. Tap Uninstall.
4. Restart your device and navigate to Google Play Store.
5. Update or reinstall Google Chrome.

This should resolve the problem. On the other hand, if images are still not loading in Chrome on Android, try the next step.

5. Disable Lite mode

Ideally, the Lite Mode can save you some data and speed up the loading speeds of various websites. However, for the sake of troubleshooting, we recommend disabling it.

Here’s how to disable the Lite Mode in Google Chrome for Android:

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Tap on the 3-dot menu and open Settings.
3. Scroll to the bottom and open Lite Mode.
4. Disable it and see if the images are loading or not.

Of course, as we said in the introduction, this might be a connectivity problem. Make sure to disable VPN/proxy, and all system-wide adblockers (AdGuard and similar apps).

Also, make sure that your Wi-Fi or cellular network is working as intended. If they are super slow, the images won’t load. In case you have any connectivity issues, you can learn more about troubleshooting Wi-Fi issues or cellular data issues.

If the problem with image loading continues, report it to Google Support. They might be able to explain it since there’s always a possibility of server-side problems that are temporary.

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in October 2021. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.