Google announced on October 21, 2026, that Chrome had rolled out its “Always Use Secure Connections” protection by default for all users. When Chrome can’t connect to a site over HTTPS but thinks HTTP might work, it asks before proceeding over HTTP. The prompt does not encrypt that connection or verify that the site is trustworthy. Google’s announcement explains the rollout; Chromium’s guide describes the behavior and settings.

When Chrome shows the warning

Chrome asks before a possible HTTP connection when HTTPS is unavailable but HTTP may work. An HTTP step in a redirect chain can trigger the prompt even if the final page uses HTTPS. For site operators, that means every redirect step needs to support HTTPS. Chrome’s DevTools Network panel can help identify which step uses HTTP.

A direct visit to an HTTPS address that fails works differently: Chrome shows a regular network error instead of falling back to HTTP. Sites using HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) also do not fall back to HTTP.

Remember or change your choice

If you approve an HTTP connection, Chrome remembers that choice for 15 days and renews it when you revisit the site. To turn off “Always Use Secure Connections,” go to chrome://settings/security. Chromium’s guide says Chrome keeps a choice you made before the default rollout.

Chrome suppresses warnings by default for some local or private names, including localhost, single-label hostnames such as intranet/, and local IP addresses such as 192.168.0.1. For organizations, Chromium also documents the HttpAllowlist policy for excluding specified hosts and HttpsOnlyMode for managing the setting.

What the prompt protects

Approving the prompt permits a possible HTTP connection; it does not turn HTTP into HTTPS. Google says the older “Not Secure” label appeared only after a connection was made and could miss brief HTTP steps, such as redirects. The new prompt asks before Chrome proceeds over HTTP.

In Google’s early rollout figures, nearly 95% of Chrome desktop users saw no HTTP warnings in a given week, while fewer than 1% saw three or more.