NoneCap
hCaptcha not working or not loading.
The checkbox never appears, the spinner never stops, or you answer the puzzle correctly and it comes back anyway. When hCaptcha breaks for one person and works for everyone else, the cause is nearly always on that person's side: a blocker, a privacy setting, a VPN, or Tor. Here is how to find which one.
Match the symptom to the cause
| What you see | Most likely cause | First thing to try |
|---|---|---|
| An empty box where the checkbox should be | A blocker stopped the widget script from loading | Allow hcaptcha.com in your ad blocker or DNS filter |
| A spinner that never finishes | Part of the widget is blocked, or the connection is very slow | Lower Brave Shields or tracking protection for the site, then reload |
| Correct answers, but the puzzle keeps coming back | The request that confirms your answer is blocked, or your clock is off | Sync your system clock and allow the widget through your blockers |
| Round after round of hard puzzles | Your IP has a poor reputation (VPN, Tor, shared address) | Turn the VPN off or switch networks |
| Nothing happens on Tor Browser | JavaScript is disabled at the Safest security level | Use the Standard level for that site, or another browser |
Ad blockers and DNS filters
The widget is a script and an iframe served from hcaptcha.com
and its subdomains. Some filter lists in uBlock Origin, AdGuard, Pi-hole or
NextDNS block those hosts, either on purpose or as collateral from a broader
rule. The quickest test is a private window with extensions off. If the
widget works there, turn your extensions back on one at a time until it
breaks, then allow hcaptcha.com in that one.
Brave Shields
Brave blocks trackers and some scripts by default. On stricter Shields settings that can stop the challenge from loading, or let it load and then block the call that checks your answer, which looks like a puzzle that loops forever. Click the Brave icon in the address bar and lower Shields for the site you are on. You only need to do it for sites where hCaptcha misbehaves.
Tor Browser
Two separate problems hit Tor users. At the Safest security level, Tor Browser turns JavaScript off, and hCaptcha cannot run without it, so you see nothing at all. At the Standard level the widget loads, but Tor exit addresses are public and shared by everyone using the network, so they get some of the longest challenge chains hCaptcha serves. Expect several rounds. If a site refuses Tor traffic outright, no setting on your side changes that.
VPNs and shared connections
A VPN doesn't usually stop the widget from loading. It makes you look riskier, because your exit IP is shared with thousands of other people and carries their history. The result is more rounds and harder puzzles, which can feel like hCaptcha is broken. Turning the VPN off for the one site, or switching to a less crowded server, is the fix. Mobile data can behave the same way, because carriers put many phones behind one address.
Cookies, tracking protection and your clock
Firefox's Strict tracking protection and browsers that block all third-party cookies can interfere with the widget, since it runs in a frame from another domain. Add an exception for the site if it keeps failing. A system clock that is a few minutes off also breaks the timing checks behind the token, and the symptom is an answer that never seems to count. Set the clock to sync automatically.
When it is the site
If the widget fails in a clean profile, on a different network, with no VPN and no blockers, the site may have a broken setup or may be under attack and challenging everyone hard. Try again later or contact the site. If you run the site yourself, hCaptcha error codes lists what each verification error means.
Once it loads, let the extension solve it
The NoneCap Chrome extension can't repair a widget that never loads. Once the challenge is on screen, it solves image grids, drag puzzles and point-on-image challenges for you. You get 100 free solves a day with no account, and you can pause it on any site. It sends only the challenge area while a challenge is open; see the extension privacy policy. Add it from the Chrome Web Store.
Last updated October 2026.
Frequently asked
Why is hCaptcha not loading at all?
hcaptcha.com and its subdomains, and some ad-block lists, DNS filters and privacy settings catch those requests. Allow hcaptcha.com for the site you are on and reload. If the box is still empty in a clean browser profile with no extensions, the problem is likely on the site's side.