Geonode logo
Website blocks

How to Fix Unusual Traffic From Your Computer Network on Google

Find out whether this browser, this device or the whole network set it off, then fix it.

Updated

Get residential proxiesCheck your proxy

TL;DR

This page means Google Search has flagged your network's public address for sending automated searches, which another person or program on it may have caused. Complete the reCAPTCHA on the page and Google lets you search again; if the message returns, find and stop the source.

What the unusual traffic message looks like

Google's own page and the reCAPTCHA widget on other sites word it differently.

WhereWhat you see
Google Search in a browser (google.com/sorry/ page)Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network.
Google Search, page shown without a reCAPTCHAOur systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. Please try your request again later.
reCAPTCHA widget on another siteWe're sorry, but your computer or network may be sending automated queries. To protect our users, we can't process your request right now.
Python urllib script that reached the block pageurllib.error.HTTPError: HTTP Error 429: Too Many Requests

Why this happens

Google saw searches from your network that look like a program sent them.

Google judges the whole network, so other people's automated searches on the same VPN, school, office or internet provider can bring the page up for you.

Diagnose your unusual traffic message first

Each check narrows the source to this browser, this device, the network or a program.

  • Search in a private window or another browser on this device; if the page appears there too, Google is judging the network, not this profile.

  • Search on another device on this Wi-Fi; if only yours gets the page, the cause sits on your device rather than the network.

  • Open What is my IP; if the network shown is a VPN company, not your home provider, Google sees that service's shared address.

  • List programs that query Google, such as rank checkers or SEO tools; if one is running, Google counts its searches as automated traffic.

Solutions ranked by effectiveness

Most visitors only need the first fix; the next two stop the traffic that set it off.

  1. Most common fix

    Complete the reCAPTCHA on the page

    Applies whenever the page shows a checkbox. Google added it so a person can confirm they are not a robot and carry on.

    1. Tick the checkbox, and follow the on-screen puzzle if one appears.

    2. If no box shows, allow JavaScript for google.com in your browser's site settings.

    3. Update the browser, since reCAPTCHA supports only the two newest major versions.

  2. Check next

    Stop the automated searches at their source

    Applies when the page keeps coming back after the reCAPTCHA. Something on your network is still sending searches, so find it and switch it off.

    1. Scan each device for malware, and remove browser extensions you don't recognize.

    2. Disconnect the VPN; Google is judging its shared address, not you.

    3. At school or work, ask the network administrator to find the device sending them.

    4. If nothing turns up at home, report the message to your internet provider.

  3. For developers

    Use a search product Google offers

    Applies when your own script or SEO tool set off the page. Move the job to a route Google offers for code instead of loading results pages.

    1. For results from up to 50 chosen domains, use Vertex AI Search.

    2. For full web results, contact Google about its full web search solution.

    3. Custom Search JSON API takes no new customers; move existing jobs by January 1, 2027.

    4. For other sites, read robots.txt and the terms, or ask the owner for access.

Stop the unusual traffic message from coming back

For homes, offices and schools where many people and programs share one connection to Google.

  1. Install browser extensions only from developers you trust, and remove ones you no longer use.

  2. Keep Safe Browsing on in Chrome, which warns about malware and abusive extensions.

  3. Skip downloads that promise prizes or free copyrighted content; Google's malware help names both as warning signs.

  4. If you run the network, trace the source to a device and block it there, as Google asks operators.

Test your own reCAPTCHA formCity targeting loads your own sign-up page from a residential IP in your users' city.
Try residential proxies

Related errors

Learn more

FAQ

Google has seen what looks like robot traffic from your connection and wants a human to confirm before it shows results. Someone else sharing that connection may have caused it.

Google publishes no fixed length. A network-wide block ends after the automated searches stop, which is why the page can keep returning until the source is found.

That is the reCAPTCHA widget's message, and Google points people who see it to the unusual traffic help page. It names a shared network used abusively, a suspicious IP from your provider, or a site under heavy attack.

Some VPNs and IPv6 tunnel services get all their traffic blocked, because Google cannot tell abusive searches from normal ones on them. On those, the page keeps returning until you disconnect.

No. Google's robots.txt disallows /search for all crawlers, and its terms forbid automated access that ignores robots.txt or bypasses protective measures such as this block page.

Yes. Google's block page says it can appear when someone sends searches very quickly or uses advanced search terms that robots are known to use, so search at a normal pace by hand.

Rerun each test on one IP

A sticky port keeps one residential IP while you recheck your own sign-up page.

Try residential proxies