Google Chat may sometimes display an "Unable to connect to chat" error, where the application opens but fails to connect to your conversations. This issue is often caused by accumulated site data or cookies interfering with the app's functionality. Clearing this data can quickly resolve the problem.

Clearing Google Chat Site Data in Chrome

Step 1: Open chat.google.com in your Chrome browser. Click on the lock icon located at the far left of the address bar.

Step 2: In the dropdown menu that appears, select the Site settings option at the bottom.

Step 3: A new Settings tab will open. Under the Usage section, click the Clear data button to remove all site data for Google Chat.

Step 4: Confirm the action by clicking Clear in the permission dialog that appears.

After clearing the data, you should see "No usage data" under the Usage section, indicating that all cookies and site data have been removed.

Deleting Google Chat Site Cookies and Cache in Edge

Step 1: Open chat.google.com in Microsoft Edge. Click on the lock icon at the beginning of the address bar.

Step 2: In the dialog box that appears, click on Cookies under the "Permissions for this site" section.

Step 3: The "Cookies in use" dialog will open. Select google.com, then click Remove. Repeat this process for all sites listed, such as chat.google.com and contacts.google.com. Click Done when finished.

Deleting Cookies and Cache for All Websites in Edge

If removing cookies for Google Chat doesn't resolve the issue, you may need to clear cookies and cache for all websites in Edge.

Step 1: Open Edge and click on the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.

Step 2: Scroll down and select Settings from the dropdown menu.

Step 3: In the Settings page, click on Privacy, search, and services in the left sidebar.

Step 4: Scroll down to the Clear browsing data section. Click on Choose what to clear under the "Clear browsing data now" heading.

Step 5: In the "Clear browsing data" dialog, select the appropriate Time range from the dropdown menu. Ensure that Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked. Then, click Clear now.

By clearing the cookies and cache, all data related to Google Chat will be removed. You will need to log back into your Google Chat account, and the "Unable to connect to chat" error should be resolved.