How to fix Edge error Can’t connect securely to this page easily

My Surface Pro 6 worked fine after I had installed Windows 10 1903 and fixed the 0x8007007e printer error. However, I ran into the following TLS Security settings error when I tried to open my Gmail with Microsoft Edge:

Can’t connect securely to this page
This might be because the site uses outdated or unsafe TLS security settings. If this keeps happening, try contacting the website’s owner.
Your TLS security settings aren’t set to the defaults, which could also be causing this error.
Try this: Go back to the last page

Causes for the site uses outdated or unsafe TLS security settings

In case of this error there may be several reasons (and fixes). A quick sum-up:

1. The website makes use of older TLS encryption settings (like 1.0 or 1.1) and you have forced settings to only accept TLS 1.2 or greater
2. The website makes use of TLS 1.2 only, but you have disabled TLS 1.2 in your Internet Options, or: you have an older operating system that does not support TLS 1.2 (yet)
3. The website is HTTPS, but there are HTTP elements (for example external pictures) on the site too
4. You have (or the system administrator of your company has 🙂 ) disabled the use of weak MD5 and 3DES encryption algorithms

Fixes for Can’t connect securely to this page

Each cause requires other steps to resolve a problem. I’ve written down every fix, step-by-step. Every fix costs 3 minutes max. Promise.

Cause 1 (the website makes use of an older TLS version, and you do not support those)

For cause 1 the workaround is to accept TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1. To do so, follow these steps (screenshot added for visualization):

1. Click Start
2. Type Internet Options
3. Click the search result Internet Options
4. Go to tab Advanced
5. Scroll down to the end and add checkmarks to Use TLS 1.0, Use TLS 1.1 and Use TLS 1.2 .
   Don’t tick Use SSL 3.0 since this has proven to make things worst in many cases. SSL 3.0 is an unsafe encryption method nowadays.
6. Click OK to apply the changes. Retry to load the website

Cause 2 (The website makes use of TLS 1.2 only, but you have disabled TLS 1.2 in your Internet Options)

For cause 2 you need to enable TLS 1.2 in Internet Options. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
2. Type Internet Options
3. Click the search result Internet Options
4. Go to tab Advanced
5. Scroll down to the end and tick Use TLS 1.2.
6. Click OK to apply the changes. Retry to load the website

If you’re on Windows 7 or older, you may need to install a recommended update: KB3140245. It’s an update from 2016 (!), but if you’re not up-to-date I’d urge you to download it from Microsoft Update Catalog 

Cause 3 (The website serves so-called mixed content: https but also http)

For cause 3 it’s good to realize this may expose you to security risks if you’re submitting information (like personal information creditcard information, etc) But if you trust the site it’s an acceptable risk to display mixed content. Mixed content is still a caveat for “can’t connect securely to this page” in this HTTPS-era. Follow these steps as workaround (screenshot added for visualization):

1. Click Start
2. Type Internet Options
3. Click the search result Internet Options
4. Go to tab Security
5. Make sure the “Internet” logo is selected. Click Custom Level…
6. In Security Settings – Internet Zone, scroll down halfway until you see Display mixed content. Set it to Enable (or prompt, to be warned and asked every time a website wants to show http elements)
7. Click OK and click OK again to apply the changes and close all windows. Retry to load the website

Cause 4 ( use of weak MD5 and 3DES encryption algorithms is disabled)

For cause 4 you may need some technical expertise. Additional policies or relics from the past may have left incorrect settings on your pc. To reset these security settings, follow these steps:

1. Download IIS Crypto CLI from the following website: https://www.nartac.com/Products/IISCrypto/Download
2. Open a command prompt as administrator
3. Run “IISCryptoCli.exe /template default” as an admin in the command prompt
4. Reboot your computer. Retry to load the website and see whether Edge still shows This might be because the site uses outdated or unsafe TLS security settings.

More help on Can’t connect securely to this page

Are you still having issues reaching a page? Do you still face the error the site uses outdated or unsafe TLS security settings? Leave your question or comment below. I’d be happy to help. In addition, this specific Edge page is viewed by hundreds of visitors a month who are reading your problem and might know the direct solution!