How to fix roblox error code 279 is probably the only thing on your mind when you're right in the middle of a great session and suddenly get booted back to the menu with that annoying "Disconnected" pop-up. We've all been there. You're finally about to win a round or finish a difficult obby, and then—bam—the game cuts out, leaving you staring at a gray box with a generic message about connection issues. It's frustrating, especially when your internet seems to be working just fine for everything else.
The good news is that while Error 279 (usually followed by ID=17, 146, or 148) sounds technical and scary, it's almost always something you can resolve yourself with a little bit of poking around in your settings. It's basically a fancy way of the game saying, "Hey, I tried to talk to the server, but something blocked me." Whether it's a stubborn browser extension, a grumpy firewall, or just some old-fashioned bad luck with your router, let's walk through the steps to get you back into the game.
Start with the "Is it me or them?" Check
Before you start tearing your computer apart or resetting your whole network, you should check if the problem is actually on your end. Sometimes Roblox's servers just have a bad day. If the servers are down, no amount of troubleshooting on your computer is going to help.
The easiest way to do this is to head over to a site like DownDetector or the official Roblox Status page. If you see a giant spike in reports from other players saying they can't connect, then you can breathe a sigh of relief—it's not your fault. In that case, the only thing you can really do is grab a snack, watch some YouTube, and wait for the devs to fix it. But if everything looks green on their end, then it's time to dig into the fixes below.
Clear Out Those Browser Junk Files
If you're playing Roblox through a web browser rather than the standalone app, your browser might be the culprit. Over time, browsers collect a lot of "junk" in the form of cache and cookies. Sometimes, a tiny bit of corrupted data gets stuck in there and messes with how Roblox communicates with the game servers.
Try clearing your browser's cache and cookies. In Chrome, you just hit those three dots in the corner, go to More Tools, and then Clear Browsing Data. Make sure you select "All time" to be thorough. Once that's done, restart your browser and try joining a game again. It's a simple fix, but you'd be surprised how often it works.
Turn Off Those Pesky Ad-Blockers
We all love ad-blockers for making the internet readable, but they can be a bit over-enthusiastic sometimes. Some ad-blocking extensions see the way Roblox connects to a game as a "suspicious" script and block it entirely. This is a very common cause for Error Code 279.
Before you try anything more complicated, disable your ad-blocker (or any other browser extensions that might be interfering) and try to join a game. If the error goes away, you've found the problem. You don't have to leave the ad-blocker off forever; you can usually just add Roblox to your "Allow List" or "Whitelist" so the extension ignores it in the future.
Give Your Router a Moment to Breathe
It sounds like a cliché at this point, but "turning it off and turning it back on again" is legit advice for a reason. Your router is basically a mini-computer that runs 24/7, and sometimes its internal memory gets bogged down.
Unplug your router from the power, wait about 30 seconds (this gives the capacitors time to fully discharge), and then plug it back in. Give it a few minutes to boot back up and get your internet light glowing again. This refreshes your connection to your ISP and can clear up any weird "ghost" connection issues that might be triggering that 279 error.
Check Your Windows Firewall
Windows Defender Firewall is there to keep the bad guys out, but sometimes it treats Roblox like an intruder. This is especially common after a Windows update or a Roblox update.
To check if this is the issue, you can temporarily disable your firewall. Go to your Control Panel, look for System and Security, and then Windows Defender Firewall. Click on "Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off" and disable it for both private and public networks.
Wait! Don't leave it off. Try to join a Roblox game while the firewall is disabled. If it works, you know the firewall was blocking the game. Turn the firewall back on immediately, but then go into the "Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall" settings and make sure Roblox is checked. This way, you stay protected, but Roblox gets a free pass.
Dealing with Third-Party Antivirus
If you use a third-party antivirus program like Norton, McAfee, or Avast, they might be even more aggressive than Windows Defender. Some of these programs have "Web Protection" or "Gaming Mode" settings that can interfere with Roblox.
Similar to the firewall fix, try disabling your antivirus for ten minutes and see if you can connect. If you can, you'll need to go into your antivirus settings and add Roblox as an "Exclusion" or "Exception." Each program is a bit different, but look for a section called "Exceptions" or "Allowed Apps" in the settings menu.
Flush Your DNS
This sounds super technical, but I promise it's easy and takes about ten seconds. Your computer keeps a "phonebook" of internet addresses called a DNS cache. If that phonebook gets outdated or corrupted, your computer might be trying to connect to a Roblox server address that doesn't exist anymore.
Here is how you fix it: 1. Type cmd in your Windows search bar. 2. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator. 3. Type ipconfig /flushdns and hit Enter.
You should see a message saying it successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache. It's like giving your computer a fresh pair of glasses so it can see the right server addresses again.
Use the Right Port (Port Forwarding)
This is a bit more of an "advanced" move, but if you're still seeing Error 279, it might be because the specific "ports" Roblox needs to talk to the internet are closed on your network. Roblox specifically uses the UDP 49152 – 65535 port range.
To fix this, you'd usually have to log into your router's admin panel (usually by typing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into your browser) and look for a section called Port Forwarding. Since every router is different, I'd recommend looking up your specific router model online followed by the words "port forwarding." It's a bit of a hassle, but if your network is particularly strict, this is often the permanent fix.
The "Nuclear" Option: Reinstall Roblox
If you've tried everything above and you're still getting kicked, it's possible that your actual Roblox game files are corrupted. Maybe an update didn't download correctly, or a file got accidentally deleted.
The best thing to do is a clean reinstall. Go to your Apps & Features in Windows settings, find Roblox, and hit Uninstall. Once it's gone, I'd also recommend going to your AppData folder (type %localappdata% in your Windows search bar) and deleting the Roblox folder there just to be sure. After that, go back to the Roblox website, download the launcher, and install it fresh. It's a bit of a pain to wait for the download, but it clears out any weird bugs living in your local files.
A Quick Word on Internet Speed
Lastly, just make sure your internet actually has the "oomph" to run the game. Roblox isn't as demanding as a massive 100-player battle royale game, but it still needs a stable connection. If someone in your house is streaming 4K movies or downloading huge files while you're trying to play, your connection might just be "timing out" because it's too slow. Try a quick speed test online; if your ping is super high (over 200ms), that's likely why the server is cutting you off.
Wrapping Things Up
Usually, one of the first three or four steps—especially disabling ad-blockers or flushing the DNS—will solve the problem. Error 279 is annoying, but it's rarely a sign of something seriously wrong with your computer. It's just a little communication breakdown.
Try these steps one by one, and don't get discouraged if the first one doesn't work. Eventually, you'll find the setting that's being stubborn. Once you do, you can get back to what really matters: finally beating that level or hanging out with your friends without the fear of a sudden disconnect. Good luck!