In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the issue of Google Image Search not working and giving out Error 500. When it comes to search engines, then there are quite a few noteworthy names that one could think of. However, it is the offering from the Silicon Valley giant that has always remained at the top of the priority queue and might continue to remain so in the foreseeable future.
However, judging by the current stance, it wouldn’t take long for the users to switch over to a different service. This is because numerous users have voiced their concern that the Google Image Search is not working and is instead giving out Error 500. Apart from that, some users are also reportedly getting the ‘Looks Like there aren’t any matches for your search’ error message. If you are also getting bugged with any of these issues, then this guide shall help you out. Follow along for the fixes.
Table of Contents
Fix Google Image Search not working: Error 500
It is recommended that you try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then see which one spells out success for you. So with that in mind, let’s get started.
FIX 1: Use Incognito Mode
Many users were able to rectify this issue after browsing in the private mode. So open the Incognito window via Ctrl+Shift+N shortcut keys and then try loading the Google Search page, check if it fixes Error 500.
FIX 2: Restart Chrome Processes
Your first course of action should be to restart Chrome and all its processes. Doing so will give it a fresh instance to work upon and this, in turn, might rectify the underlying issue as well.
- Close the Chrome browser and bring up the Task Manager via Ctrl+Shift+Esc shortcut keys.
- Then scroll to Background Processes, select all the Chrome processes, and hit End Task.
- After that, go to the Details tab, select all the chrome.exe processes and click End Task.
- Check if it fixes Google Image Search not working Error 500.
FIX 3: Disable Preload Pages
Chrome automatically preloads a few web pages that it thinks you might visit at a later date. It does so based on the cookies that it had collected and based on your browsing history. However, this feature has more drawbacks than benefits as it ends up consuming necessary storage space as well as crucial system resources, with the only benefit being that you would be able to view these pages a few seconds earlier. So with the caveats outweighing the perks, it’s better to keep this feature disabled, which could be done as follows:
- Launch Chrome and head over to the below location
chrome://settings/cookies
- Now scroll to Preload pages for faster browsing and searching and disable the toggle next to it.
- Check if it fixes Google Image Search not working Error 500.
FIX 4: Disable Chrome Extensions
Third-party extensions are notoriously infamous for causing conflict with the proper loading of the websites. And it could well be the culprit behind the inability of the Google Search page to function properly. Therefore, you should consider disabling all the extensions and then test out the results.
- Launch Chrome and head over to the below location:
chrome://extensions/
- Now turn off the toggle next to all the extensions to turn it off.
- Check if it fixes Google Image Search not working Error 500. If it does, then let’s identify the culprit. So, re-enable the extension one at a time until the issue re-appears.
- Once that happens, your last enabled extension is the culprit. So it’s better to keep it disabled or rather remove it from your browser altogether.
FIX 5: Flush Chrome DNS
Chrome stores the data related to the websites you visit in its Domain Name Server. But if a lot of data gets stored in this record book, then it could slow down the loading of the websites as well have negative consequences on the browser as well. Therefore, consider deleting these data and let the browser repopulate them from scratch the next time you visit that site.
- So launch Chrome and head over to the below location:
chrome://net-internals/#dns
- Then click on the Clear Host Cache button and wait for the process to complete.
- Check if it fixes Google Image Search not working Error 500.
FIX 6: Disable Chrome’s Hardware Acceleration
The Hardware Acceleration feature checks the prowess of your PC’s CPU as well as GPU and if it finds the latter’s processing capability to be much more than the formers, then it allocates the browser’s functionality to the latter aka GPU. But it is still a debatable topic as to how GPU could eclipse the CPU in this aspect, and hence the general advice is to disable this feature. Here’s how it could be done:
- Launch Chrome and head over to the below location
chrome://settings/system
- Then disable the toggle next to Use hardware acceleration when available
- Check if it fixes Google Image Search not working Error 500.
FIX 7: Delete Chrome Data
If a lot of browser data gets accumulated over the due course of time or if the stored data gets corrupted, then it could spell trouble for the entire functioning of the browser. Therefore, you should consider deleting the cookie’s data as well as its cached files. So refer to the below instruction steps to try it out:
- Launch Chrome and head over to the below location
chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
- You may also use the Ctrl+Shift+Del shortcut for the same.
- Now checkmark Cookies and Other site data and Cached images and files.
- Finally, hit the Clear Data button and wait for the process to complete.
- Once done, verify if it fixes Google Image Search not working Error 500.
FIX 8: Delete Chrome User Profile
Chrome stores all the browser-related data inside the C Drive. If any of this data gets corrupted, then its repercussions will have to be faced by the entire browser environment. Therefore, you should consider deleting this Profile data and letting Chrome re-populate it from scratch from your Google Account. Do note that this will delete bookmarks, favorites, site settings, cookies, and all the locally saved data (which you could easily get back after signing in with your Google account).
- Open File Explorer via Windows+E shortcut keys and go to the below location:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data
- Copy this User Data folder and paste it somewhere else (it will act as a backup).
- Now delete this User Data folder from the Chrome directory.
- Check if it fixes Google Image Search not working Error 500.
- If it doesn’t, then paste the User Data back to the Chrome directory to get all your data back and then move over to our next fix.
FIX 9: Reset Chrome
If the browser settings and configuration files get corrupted, then the best course of action is to reset the browser to its factory default state, exactly how it was when you first downloaded it. This will remove all the customizations and will revert it back to its original state. So proceed with the below steps and give it a try
- Launch Chrome and head over to the below location:
chrome://settings/resetProfileSettings?origin=userclick
- Then click on Reset Settings in the confirmation dialog box.
- Now restart your browser and check if it fixes Google Image Search not working Error 500.
FIX 10: Downgrade Chrome
In some instances, the issue might be due to a buggy update released by Google. Therefore, you should consider rolling back to an earlier stable version of Chrome that was free from this issue. To do so, please check out our guide on How to Downgrade Google Chrome on Windows 11.
So with this, we round off the guide on how you could fix the Check if it fixes Google Image Search not working Error 500. We have listed ten different methods for the same. As far as the official stance on this matter is concerned, the developers are aware of this issue, but they haven’t given out any ETA for the rollout of a fix. As and when that happens, we will update this guide accordingly. In the meantime, the aforementioned workarounds are your best bet.
