---
title: "Your connection is not private on Windows: cause and fix"
description: "A drifted system clock or a stale Windows certificate store makes valid certificates fail validation across every browser at once."
canonical: "https://lemwatch.com/errors/your-connection-is-not-private/on-windows"
source: "https://lemwatch.com"
---

# Your connection is not private on Windows

> A drifted system clock or a stale Windows certificate store makes valid certificates fail validation across every browser at once.

## Why it happens on Windows

 A drifted system clock or a stale Windows certificate store makes valid certificates fail validation across every browser at once.

## The fix on Windows

 Settings → Time & language → set time automatically, then run `certutil -urlcache * delete` in an elevated prompt to clear cached revocation data and restart the browser.

## If that didn't fix it

 Windows has its own failure mode, but Your connection is not private has a wider set of causes. The most common one overall is: The certificate expired (NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID).

 Renew the certificate and reload the web server.

## Check your own domain

 Running the check from outside your device separates a real certificate problem from a local clock or network issue in one step.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why does Your connection is not private happen on Windows?

 A drifted system clock or a stale Windows certificate store makes valid certificates fail validation across every browser at once.

### How do I fix Your connection is not private on Windows?

 Settings → Time & language → set time automatically, then run `certutil -urlcache * delete` in an elevated prompt to clear cached revocation data and restart the browser.

### What does Your connection is not private mean?

 Chrome's full-page warning shown whenever certificate validation fails. It is not a single error — the real cause is the NET::ERR_CERT_* code printed underneath it, and that code tells you which of expiry, trust, or hostname is wrong.


## Related

- [All causes of Your connection is not private](https://lemwatch.com/errors/your-connection-is-not-private)
- [All website error codes](https://lemwatch.com/errors)
- [Your connection is not private on iPhone](https://lemwatch.com/errors/your-connection-is-not-private/on-iphone)
- [Your connection is not private on Chrome](https://lemwatch.com/errors/your-connection-is-not-private/on-chrome)
- [Your connection is not private on WordPress](https://lemwatch.com/errors/your-connection-is-not-private/in-wordpress)
- [Free SSL certificate check](https://lemwatch.com/tools/ssl-checker)
- [Cloudflare Error 1015: You are being rate limited](https://lemwatch.com/errors/cloudflare-1015)
- [Your connection is not private on Mac](https://lemwatch.com/errors/your-connection-is-not-private/on-mac)