EasyAbout 10 minutesBoth

Every site says “Your connection is not private”

Why does my browser say the connection is not private on every website?

CF

Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk

Last updated

Short answer

Browsers check a site's security certificate against your computer clock. A wrong date, an unfinished public Wi-Fi sign in, or antivirus that inspects secure traffic makes every certificate look invalid. The quickest thing to try first: fix the clock first — Settings, Time and language, Date and time. Turn Set time automatically off and on, then press Sync now. A clock that is days out breaks every certificate check. Most people are done in about 10 minutes.

Full walkthrough below: 5 steps for Windows and Mac, rated easy.

Sounds like this

  • NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID
  • Warnings on sites you trust
  • Only this computer shows it

Why it happens

Browsers check a site's security certificate against your computer clock. A wrong date, an unfinished public Wi-Fi sign in, or antivirus that inspects secure traffic makes every certificate look invalid.

Work through these in order

0% done
  1. 1

    Fix the clock first

    Settings, Time and language, Date and time. Turn Set time automatically off and on, then press Sync now. A clock that is days out breaks every certificate check.

  2. 2

    Finish the Wi-Fi sign in

    On hotel, cafe or airport Wi-Fi, open neverssl.com. The network sign in page appears, and once you accept it the warnings stop.

  3. 3

    Test in a private window

    Open an incognito or private window. If sites load there, an extension is interfering. Disable extensions, then re-enable them one at a time.

  4. 4

    Clear cookies and cached files

    Clear cached images, files and cookies for All time in your browser settings, then close and reopen the browser.

  5. 5

    Turn off HTTPS scanning in antivirus

    Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, Kaspersky and ESET each have an option called HTTPS scanning, SSL scanning or encrypted connection scanning. Switch it off and reload.

If none of that worked

If only one site warns you and other devices load it fine, that website's certificate has expired. Wait for the owner to renew it instead of clicking through the warning.

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Who wrote this and how we checked it

CF

The CommonFixes team

Writer and researcher

We are a small group of people who spend our days repairing laptops and desktops for family, friends and small offices. Every guide here starts with a problem someone actually brought to us, and we only write down the steps that put the machine right.

  • Everyday repairs
  • Windows and Mac
  • Plain language
RD

CommonFixes review desk

Technical editor

Before a guide goes live, a second person walks through it on a real machine and checks each instruction against the maker's own support pages. Anything we cannot confirm is removed rather than guessed at.

  • Fact checking
  • Safety warnings
  • Source links

This guide was last updated on 10 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.

A gentle reminder: back up anything you cannot afford to lose before major repairs. If a step ever feels risky, stop and ask a technician. There is no shame in that.