Question:

What could be the cause of Cloudflare verification failure on every website and browser on a new laptop?

I have recently purchased a new laptop with Windows build 22631.3085 and I am unable to access any website that uses Cloudflare verification. The verification process takes too long and eventually shows an error message: “Verification is taking longer than expected. Check your Internet connection and refresh the page if the issue persists.” This happens on all the popular browsers – Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, and Opera – and on both WIFI and Ethernet connections. I am not using any VPN. Is this a problem with my laptop configuration or something else? How can I fix this issue?

Answer:

Cloudflare is a service that provides security and performance enhancements for websites by acting as a proxy between the visitors and the origin servers. Sometimes, Cloudflare may ask visitors to complete a verification process, such as solving a CAPTCHA or clicking a button, to confirm that they are human and not malicious bots. This verification is usually quick and seamless, but in some cases, it may fail or take longer than expected, preventing the visitors from accessing the website.

There are several possible reasons why Cloudflare verification may fail or take too long on a new laptop. Some of the common ones are:

• The IP address of the laptop has a bad reputation. Cloudflare uses various methods to determine the reputation of an IP address, such as the number of requests, the type of requests, the origin of requests, and the feedback from website owners. If an IP address has a history of sending spam, malware, or other unwanted traffic, Cloudflare may flag it as suspicious and require more verification. This may happen if the laptop is using a shared or dynamic IP address that was previously used by someone else, or if the laptop is infected by a virus or malware that is sending malicious requests in the background. To fix this issue, the laptop user may try to change the IP address by restarting the modem/router, contacting the ISP, or using a different network. Alternatively, the laptop user may scan the laptop for any virus or malware and remove them if found.
• The browser settings or extensions are interfering with the verification process. Cloudflare verification relies on cookies and JavaScript to function properly. If the browser settings or extensions are blocking or deleting cookies, disabling JavaScript, or modifying the requests, Cloudflare verification may not work as expected. To fix this issue, the laptop user may try to clear the browser cookies and cache, enable cookies and JavaScript in the browser settings, disable any ad-blocker or privacy-related extensions temporarily, or use a different browser or an incognito/private mode.
• The network connection is unstable or slow. Cloudflare verification requires a stable and fast network connection to communicate with the Cloudflare servers and complete the verification process. If the network connection is unstable or slow, the verification process may timeout or fail. To fix this issue, the laptop user may try to check the network connection quality, use a different network, or contact the network provider for assistance.

If

none of the above solutions work, the laptop user may contact the website owner or Cloudflare support for further help. The laptop user may also provide the Ray ID, which is a unique identifier for each request, to help troubleshoot the issue. The Ray ID can be found at the bottom of the verification page or the error message..