How To Fix reCAPTCHA Not Working: Step-by-Step Solutions for Every User

Dealing with reCAPTCHA glitches can be a real pain, especially when it’s stubborn enough to not load or keeps spinning endlessly. It’s kind of weird, but sometimes it’ll be a browser hiccup, ad blockers, or maybe even network restrictions messing things up. Other times, for devs, it’s about wrong configurations or outdated scripts. This rundown tries to cover both sides—whether you’re just trying to log in or troubleshoot a site you’re working on. Fixes can be surprisingly simple, but figuring out what’s causing it sometimes feels like a guessing game.

How to Fix reCAPTCHA Not Working

reCAPTCHA Doesn’t Load or Keeps Spinning

What’s Happening:

The checkbox or challenge box just refuses to appear, or all you get is a loading spinner that never stops. On some setups, it’s almost like the script is just stuck waiting for a response, which can be frustrating if you’re in a hurry.

Fix for Users:

• Update your browser to the latest version. Google mainly supports the last two major versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc., so if you’re running something ancient, it might not play nicely.
• Enable JavaScript and cookies in your settings. This can be a common culprit, especially if you’ve disabled them for privacy or security reasons.
• Turn off ad blockers like Ghostery or uBlock Origin temporarily, or whitelist Google’s domains (www.google.com, apis.google.com, gstatic.com).Because of course, ad blockers love to interfere.
• Clear your browser cache or try opening the site in Incognito Mode. Sometimes cached scripts or cookies mess with things.
• Switch networks or use a VPN if you’re on a restrictive network or country where Google’s domains are blocked or heavily filtered. This seemed obvious, but hey, it’s worth mentioning.
• Double-check which browsers are supported for CAPTCHA to make sure yours isn’t missing some essential compatibility — just Google “reCAPTCHA supported browsers” and you’ll find the list.

Fix for Developers:

• Make sure you’ve included the <script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js" async defer></script> for v2, or the v3 version with render parameter, like <script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js?render=YOUR_SITE_KEY"></script>. Because nothing’s more frustrating than a missing or wrong URL.
• Ensure your widget isn’t hidden inside a modal or display: none div *before* rendering — reCAPTCHA needs to be visible to initialize properly.
• If your captcha is in a hidden state initially, call grecaptcha.reset() when it becomes visible. Otherwise, it might never load correctly.
• Review your Content Security Policy (CSP) headers, especially if you’re deploying with strict CSPs. Make sure permissions include:
  • https://www.google.com/recaptcha/
  • https://www.gstatic.com/recaptcha/
• If Google is region-blocked, consider switching to https://www.recaptcha.net/recaptcha/api.js instead.
• For local testing, add localhost and your development hostname to the allowed domain list in the Google reCAPTCHA admin console.

2.“Could Not Connect to reCAPTCHA Service”

What’s Happening:

This one’s clear: you get an error telling you reCAPTCHA failed to load because it couldn’t connect. Usually a network or firewall block or your internet just being flaky.

Fix for Users:

• Check your internet connection. Open Google to see if it loads—if it doesn’t, your whole network might be the issue.
• Switch to another network—maybe Wi-Fi if you’re wired or mobile data if you’re on Wi-Fi with crazy restrictions.
• Try a different browser or device—sometimes certain browsers block scripts more aggressively.
• If you’re in an app or embedded webview, make sure it allows DOM storage and inline scripts. Some apps disable these by default, messing with CAPTCHA.

Fix for Developers:

• Check your browser console for errors like BROWSER_ERROR or network failures.
• Retry reCAPTCHA execution if the network hiccups. Sometimes it’s a temporary fluke.
• For Android WebView, ensure DOM storage is enabled with settings.setDomStorageEnabled(true);.
• Avoid mixed content errors. Make sure your site uses HTTPS everywhere; loading scripts over HTTP gets blocked.
• Confirm the system clock is correct. SSL cert errors can pop up if the date/time is way off.
• Test locally with a “localhost” domain whitelisted in your Google admin console for site key validation.

3.“Invalid Domain for Site Key”

What’s Happening:

Usually you see a message like: ERROR for site owner: Invalid domain for site key. Basically, your key isn’t matching where it’s being used.

Fix for Developers:

• Log into the Google reCAPTCHA admin console.
• Add the exact domain(s) you’re hosting on, like example.com or subdomain.example.com. No http:// or https:// — just the domain name.
• Use the correct version of the key: v2 for checkbox/invisible and v3 for score-based. Don’t mix keys or use the wrong version.
• If it’s still not working, regenerate a new key, then update it in your site’s code. It’s surprisingly common that a key gets revoked or expires.

Fix for Users:

• If you’re just visiting a site and see this error, it’s probably on the developer’s end. You can try accessing the www or non-www version of the URL—sometimes the domain mismatch is just about protocol or subdomain.
• Otherwise, just wait and let the site admin know. It’s a developer fix.

4.“Invalid Site Key” or “Invalid Key Type”

What’s Happening:

The CAPTCHA might show up broken or get rejected immediately, with errors about key type or invalid key.

Fix for Developers:

• Double-check that the site key matches the widget version:
  • v2 keys only work with v2 widgets (checkbox, invisible)
  • v3 keys are for score-based APIs and won’t work with v2 forms
  • Using an enterprise key? Make sure the API calls are configured correctly.
• Make sure you aren’t confusing your site key with your secret key. Secret keys are for server-side verification only, not in your frontend code.
• If you generated a new key or switched key types, remember to update your site with the new one. Sometimes, old or deactivated keys just cause errors.

Fix for Users:

• This tends to be on the developer’s end; if you see this error, there’s not much you can do except wait or refresh. The fix is on the site owner’s side.

5.reCAPTCHA Always Fails Verification

What’s Happening:

You complete the CAPTCHA, but the form just won’t submit, or it says verification failed. Pretty annoying because it feels like – well – the captcha is working, but the server just refuses to accept it.

Fix for Developers:

• Check your server’s POST request to https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/siteverify. Make sure it includes the right ‘secret’ and ‘response’ parameters.
• Send data as application/x-www-form-urlencoded — don’t JSON-stringify it unless you handle that server-side.
• If you’re on reCAPTCHA v3, verify your score threshold—sometimes the system blocks users with low scores. Adjust if necessary.
• Inspect server logs—maybe the secret key is wrong, expired, or the verification call gets blocked by a firewall.

Fix for Users:

• Try to solve the CAPTCHA again, maybe switch to the audio challenge if the images are too tough.
• Clear your cache or try a different browser — sometimes stored cookies or scripts cause hiccups.
• Report issues to the site support if verification keeps failing even after multiple attempts.

6.“Your Computer or Network May Be Sending Automated Queries”

What’s Happening:

This warning pops up if Google thinks your network is suspicious or automated—kind of annoying, especially if your IP got flagged for some reason.

Fix for Users:

• Switch to a different network—maybe disconnect VPNs or proxies, then try again.
• Wait a few hours or a day, since Google usually lifts temporary rate limiting.
• If prompted, complete the CAPTCHA challenges to show you’re human, especially if you’re on a shared or dynamic IP.

Fix for Developers:

• Make sure your code isn’t triggering loops that keep loading or re-running CAPTCHA repeatedly.
• If many users see this, consider implementing cooldowns or rate limiters, and advise them to switch IPs or disable proxies temporarily.

FAQs