Fix I’m Not A Robot reCAPTCHA Issue in Google Search – WebNots (2024)

CAPTCHA is an acronym forCompletelyAutomatedPublicTuring testto tellComputers andHumansApart. This is a challenging test to differentiate between humans and automated bots based on the response. reCAPTCHA is one of the CAPTCHA spam protection services bought by Google. Now it is being offered for free to webmasters and Google also uses the reCAPTCHA on their own services like Google Search.

Automated robots are the biggest headache for producing spams and consuming server resources which supposed to be utilized by real users. In order to avoid automated bots Google introduced “No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA” API concept for website owners to protect their sites. Later to improve user experience, Google introduced invisible reCAPTCHA and also Android API.

Invisible CAPTCHA helps to stop bots without showing “I’m not a robot” message to human users. But it does not work on many situation as the message will be still shown. For example, Google search page itself will show the “I’m not a robot” CAPTCHA message on certain circ*mstances when you enter the query and hit search button. You will be asked to prove you are a human by selecting the checkbox or selecting images based on the given hint.

Why This is Embarrassing?

When you do a real Google search and getting interrupted with “I’m not a robot” message will make you really embarrassing. Sometimes it will allow you with a simple click on the checkbox. Google will check the clicking position on the checkbox. Bots click exactly on the center of the checkbox while humans click somewhere on the box. This will help to decide Google whether the user is a human or bot.

Even there is a browser extension for Chrome to click on the checkbox as soon as the page loads.

But most of the time it needs you to verify five or six times before seeing the real search results. Remember to click the “Verify” button when you do not see the matching images or when you feel the verification is done. Google will decide to confirm the verification or still continue to verify further.

In the worst case, Google will completely stop you by showing the sorry page. The only option you have here is to wait and try later.

What is the Root Cause of I’m Not a Robot reCAPTCHA Message?

Well, when you get the “I’m not a robot” reCAPTCHA message, just click on the “Why did this happen? Link. Alternatively you can go to this sorry page of Google anytime to see the reasons as below:

This page appears when Google automatically detects requests coming from your computer network which appear to be in violation of theTerms of Service. The block will expire shortly after those requests stop.

This traffic may have been sent by malicious software, a browser plug-in, or a script that sends automated requests. If you share your network connection, ask your administrator for help — a different computer using the same IP address may be responsible.Learn more

Sometimes you may see this page if you are using advanced terms that robots are known to use, or sending requests very quickly.

Fix I’m Not A Robot reCAPTCHA Issue in Google Search

Now you know why it happens!!! If you are always getting interrupted then here are some tips to fix I’m not a robot issue in Google search. Unfortunately, there are no strong alternatives to Google search. Bing and Yahoo! are far away from the expected results and no where nearer to the accuracy of Google. So, try out the below options to fix i’m not a robot problem, even some points don’t make correct sense to you.

1. Check Your IP Address

Google blocks the search results based on the originating IP address. There are large numbers of databases maintained publicly and by private companies to keep track of the suspicious IP addresses. If there are any suspicious activities from your IP address and is marked for spam then Google will throw the reCAPTCHA message and stop you for verification.

Generally internet service providers use dynamic IP addresses with large range. So disconnect the internet connection and reconnect to get the new IP address. Or just wait for sometime then try searching again. Possibly you can reset your modem or router connection for this. Follow the below steps if you want to reset the IP address manually:

Reset IP Address on Windows 10:

• Press “Windows + X” keys to open power user menu and go to ““Command Prompt (Admin)” option.
• Enter the following commands to reset the network adapter and IP address.

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Reset IP Address on Mac:

• Press “Command + Spacer bar” to open spotlight search and go to “System Preferences”.
• Go to “Network” options and choose your active Wi-Fi connection.
• Click “Click the lock to make changes” and enable the edit mode by providing your administrator password.
• Go to “Advanced…” option and then “TCP/IP” tab.
• Click on the “Renew DCHP Lease” to release and renew your IP address.

2. Check Your Network

Sometimes (mostly in countries like China) the Internet Service Provider (ISP) masks the IP address and track your browsing activities. This will cause the complete network of IP addresses used by that ISP to get blocked by security systems like reCAPTCHA used by Google. If you face the CAPTCHA on every instance then approach your ISP and clarify with them on the issue.

The other network issue could be due to sharing of WiFi network. In this case there are possibilities someone else on your network might be sending some automated traffic and Google will stop the searches from the entire network. You can contact the network administrator to address the issue and get more details.

Also you can get an unique static IP for you from your ISP. This will help you to overcome the spammy network problem. Learn more on how to assign a static IP address to your computer.

3. Disconnect VPN

Virtual Private Network (or VPN) hides your IP address and route the traffic from different location. This is used to access the blocked websites and also used mainly for hiding the originating IP address to do illegal activities.Use of VPN is illegal in many countries due to the nature of usage. Though you may use for good purposes, the entire server may not be clean or blocklisted.

Therefore, avoid using free VPN applications and uninstall them from your computer. If you are using premium VPN service, discuss with your VPN service provider and get the appropriate server to connect properly. As far as we have checked, most of the time Google shows i’m not a robot reCAPTCHA verification when connecting through VPN server. The problem rarely occurs when disconnected from VPN and using Google public DNS.

4. Avoid Unknown Proxy Servers

Similar to ISP and VPN, the proxy server you use can also cause you the trouble as illegal activities might be identified through that proxy server. Don’t use unreliable proxy servers on your browser to route all traffic through them. On Windows 10, you can press windows key and go to “Settings > Network & Internet” option. Here you can disable all proxy and VPN connections. Learn more about changing network settings in Windows.

On Mac, follow the similar steps as explained above for resetting IP address. Under “Proxies” tab, ensure to remove all proxy servers.

5. Use Google Public DNS

Another problem in the network could be your DNS. Domain Name System or DNS helps to resolve numeric IP address of a website to a host name. The DNS problem could be from your computer settings or from the ISP’s or from the VPN’s private DNS. Though corrupted DNS will not cause reCAPTCHA message it will slow down the connection.

The simple solution here is to switch the DNS to reliable public DNS. Check out the article on how touse Google public DNS. In most of the cases, this will work out to overcome internet connection problems.

6. Stop Searching Illegal Queries

Well, if you are really trying to search illegal terms then most probably Google will stop you for verification. You can clear your browser’s cache and try searching again. Remember Google can easily track all search queries from the IP addresses. So clearing browser’s cache will work only if you accidentally searched something wrong. Otherwise any searches violating Google terms will get stopped andyou should wait sometime before retrying.

7. Slowdown Your Clicks

If you are not using VPN, proxy and your IP and ISP are good then the most probable cause could be the unusual clicks from you. When you enter the keyword and hit the enter key very fast, Google will match your activity with the automated bots and stop you.

Though this is strange, slowdown your mouse clicks and speed and use normal speed to avoid the CAPTCHA message.

8. Stop Sending Automated Queries

You can easily search terms directly using the URL like “https://www.google.com/#q=search-term”. This is the most popular way automated bots send traffic to Google. Always use the search box to send the query terms and avoid searching directly with the URL.

If you are a developer, stop manipulating the user query before sending to Google. Also display the search results as it obtained from Google without manipulating.

9. Avoid Searching Like Robots

There are lot of differences between the search behavior of humans and automated robots. When you are already signed in with your Google account, it is easy for Google to understand you are human. However, this is not sufficient as the network problems can take more precedence than the browsing history of the account. For example, automated bots use capital letters in each word of the search phrase like “I Want To Search This” while most humans will not search like that. So, always search the term using the way normal humans do.

10. Check Malware & Browser Extensions

Your computer may be infected with malware that sends automated traffic to Google. Also some browser extensions and plugins can send automated traffic. If you are frequently seeing “I’m not a robot” message then check your computer for malicious programs and remove unnecessary browser extensions. Try the official Chrome cleanup tool if you use Chrome and Windows operating system.

If you have removed any malware then reset the browser settings to initial settings.

Final Thoughts

Google will only stop with CAPTCHA message when there are unusual traffic activities detected. Once the unusual activity is stopped Google will allow you to search normally. So if you are seeing the message frequently then definitely there is something wrong. Most probably the network is spammy or you are too fast matching the bots. Consider thoroughly checking your network, slow down your activities and use public DNS to get rid of the “I’m not a robot” CAPTCHA message. If you still have a problem then post your issue in official Google search forum to get advise from experts.