September 8, 2026

Can’t load your interview? Troubleshooting guide

A step-by-step guide to getting your micro1 interview open when a security tool, ad blocker or network filter is stopping it.

If you opened your micro1 interview link and landed on this screen, you're in the right place. Most people are back in the interview within two or three minutes. Work through this page from the top.

What actually happened

The interview page loaded, but one of the background requests it needs - the one that fetches your interview session - never came back. Almost always, something between your browser and micro1 stopped that request. The usual suspects, in order of how often we see them:

CauseHow commonFix
Antivirus or internet security software doesn't recognise our domain yetVery commonJump to the guides below
An ad blocker or privacy extensionCommonBrowser extensions guide
A blocker running on your router, VPN or DNSCommonBrowser extensions guide
A genuinely flaky connectionLess commonQuick checks

Nothing is wrong with your computer, and nothing has been flagged as unsafe. Security tools are cautious with domains they haven't seen before, and micro1.ai is simply new to them.

Start here: the two-minute checks

Do these in order. Stop as soon as the interview loads.

  1. Press "Try again." Sometimes the request just timed out.
  2. Force a fresh reload. Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows, Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac.
  3. Open the link in a private window. Ctrl + Shift + N (Chrome/Edge) or Cmd + Shift + N. Extensions are usually switched off there, so if it works here, an extension is your culprit → browser extensions guide.
  4. Try a different browser. Chrome and Edge are the safest bets.
  5. Switch networks. Turn Wi-Fi off on your phone, share its mobile hotspot, and connect your laptop to that. If the interview loads on the hotspot, the block is coming from your usual network or router, not your laptop.
  6. Turn off any VPN and reload.

Still stuck? Then something on your machine is filtering the request, and the next section is the fix.

Allow micro1 in your security software

You need to tell your security tool that micro1 is safe. Every tool calls this something slightly different — allow list, safe list, exceptions, exclusions, trusted sites — but it's the same idea.

Pick the guide that matches what you have installed:

Microsoft Defender

built into Windows, no extra app installed

Open Guide

McAfee

Total Protection, LiveSafe, WebAdvisor

Open Guide

Norton

Norton 360, Norton Security, Safe Web

Open Guide

Malwarebytes

Desktop app or Browser Guard

Open Guide

Avast or AVG

Free Antivirus, Premium Security, Internet Security

Open Guide

Ad blockers and privacy extensions

uBlock Origin, AdBlock, Ghostery, Privacy Badger, Brave Shields

Open Guide

Not sure which one you have?

  • Windows

    Click the ^ arrow near the clock, bottom-right. Your security app's icon lives there. Or open Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → Virus & threat protection — it names whichever app is in charge.

  • Mac

    Look along the top menu bar for a shield, an "A" in a circle, or a similar icon.

  • Nothing Installed?

    You're on Microsoft Defender, so start with that guide.

You may have more than one. If the first guide doesn't fix it, work through the others.

Confirming it's really a block

Only if you're comfortable poking around, and it helps our support team a lot:

  1. Open the interview link.
  2. Press F12 (Windows) or Cmd + Option + I (Mac) to open developer tools.
  3. Click the Console tab and reload the page.
  4. Look for red lines. These are the giveaways:
What you seeFix
net::ERR_BLOCKED_BY_CLIENTAn extension is blocking it → extensions guide
net::ERR_CONNECTION_RESET or ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSEDAntivirus or firewall is cutting the connection
net::ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVEDA network-wide blocker such as Pi-hole, AdGuard Home or NextDNS → see here

A screenshot of that Console tab is the single most useful thing you can send us.

Still not working?

Use the Contact support button on the error screen, or email us at support@micro1.ai, and include:

  • Your interview link

  • Which browser and version, and Windows or Mac

  • Which security software you have, and which guides you already tried

  • A screenshot of the Console tab, if you got one

We'd rather hear from you early than have you miss the slot. If your interview time is close, tell us — we can reschedule.

A note on the pictures in these guides

The screenshots in the vendor guides are simplified illustrations of each app's settings screen, not photographs of the real thing. Menu names match, but colours and layout will differ a little from your version — vendors redesign these screens often. Follow the words, and you'll find the setting.

Allow micro1 in Microsoft Defender

Use this guide if: you're on Windows and haven't installed any other antivirus. Defender is switched on by default, so this is most Windows users.

What you're adding: micro1.ai

Defender itself has no "allowed websites" list. When a request to micro1 is cut off on a Defender-only machine, it's normally Microsoft Edge's own privacy settings doing it — so that's where the two fixes below live. Do both.

If you use Chrome or Firefox rather than Edge, skip Step 1 and go straight to Step 2, which has the Chrome equivalent.

Step 1 - Let the site through Edge's tracking prevention

  1. Open Microsoft Edge.
  2. Click the menu, top-right, then Settings.
  3. In the left-hand list, click Privacy, search, and services.
  4. Scroll to Tracking prevention → Exceptions, and click Add a site.
  5. Type micro1.ai and confirm.
Microsoft Edge settings Privacy section showing micro1.ai in tracking prevention exceptions
Microsoft Edge settings, Privacy section, showing micro1.ai added to the tracking prevention exceptions list

Step 2 - Always allow micro1's cookies and site data

The interview needs to remember who you are between requests. If cookies are blocked, the request that fetches your session comes back empty and you get the error screen.

  1. Still in Edge Settings, click Cookies and site permissions in the left-hand list.
  2. Click Manage and delete cookies and site data → See all site data and permissions, then find the Allow section and click Add.
  3. Type exactly:
[*.]micro1.ai
  1. Tick Including third-party cookies on this site.
  2. Click Add.
Microsoft Edge cookie settings adding micro1.ai wildcard to allow list
Microsoft Edge cookie settings with the micro1.ai wildcard entry being added to the allow list

In Chrome, the same setting lives at Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies → Sites allowed to use third-party cookies → Add, and it uses the same [*.]micro1.ai format.

Did it work?

Close every Edge window, reopen the interview link, and press Ctrl + Shift + R.

Still blocked? Defender probably isn't the one doing it. Check whether you also have an ad blocker or privacy extension, or a blocker on your router, VPN or DNS. If neither applies, get in touch.

Allow micro1 in McAfee

Use this guide if: you have McAfee Total Protection, LiveSafe, Antivirus Plus, or just the McAfee WebAdvisor browser extension. McAfee comes pre-installed on a lot of new laptops, so you may have it without ever having chosen it.

What you're adding: *.micro1.ai

McAfee's web filtering is called WebAdvisor. It checks every site you open against McAfee's reputation database, and quietly drops connections to anything it doesn't recognise — which is what happens to newer domains.

Step 1 - Open Web Protection

  1. Find the red M shield in your system tray, near the clock. Click the ^ arrow first if you don't see it.
  2. Double-click it to open McAfee.
  3. In the left-hand menu, click Web Protection (older versions call this WebAdvisor or Web Security).
McAfee Total Protection Web Protection settings
The McAfee Total Protection app with Web Protection selected in the sidebar and its settings shown

Step 2 - Add micro1 to the allowed sites

  1. Click Manage allowed sites (in some versions: Settings → Allowed sites, or Blocked and allowed sites).
  2. In the address box, type:
*.micro1.ai
  1. Click Add.
McAfee allowed sites with micro1 wildcard
The McAfee allowed sites screen with the micro1 wildcard address typed into the website address field

Once it appears in the list below, McAfee will stop checking it.

Step 3 - Check the browser extension too

WebAdvisor also runs as a browser extension, with its own separate opinion about the site.

  1. Click the McAfee WebAdvisor icon in your browser's toolbar (a red shield, top-right).
  2. Open its settings (gear icon).
  3. Turn off Block risky sites automatically for this site, or add micro1.ai to its allowed list.

If you'd rather not hunt for it, you can disable the extension for the duration of the interview: in Chrome, go to chrome://extensions , find McAfee WebAdvisor, and switch it off. Turn it back on afterwards.

Step 4 - Only if the Firewall is involved

If the interview still won't load and everything else has been ruled out:

  1. In McAfee, click Firewall → Settings.
  2. Open Net Guard and make sure it isn't set to block unknown connections outright, or add micro1 as an allowed connection.

Did it work?

Close your browser completely, reopen the interview link, and press Ctrl + Shift + R (Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac).

Still blocked? Check whether you also have an ad blocker or privacy extension, or a blocker on your router, VPN or DNS. If neither applies, get in touch with us — don't let it eat into your interview slot.

Allow micro1 in Norton

Use this guide if: you have Norton 360, Norton Security, Norton AntiVirus Plus, or the Norton Safe Web browser extension.

What you're adding: micro1.ai

Norton can stop the interview in two different places, so this guide covers both: Intrusion Prevention, which inspects network traffic and can drop it silently, and Safe Web, which rates websites.

Step 1 - Open the Intrusion Prevention exclusions

  1. Open Norton from your system tray, near the clock.
  2. Click Settings (the gear icon, top-right).
  3. Click Firewall, then open the Intrusion Prevention tab.
  4. Next to Exclusion List, click Configure.
Norton 360 firewall Intrusion Prevention settings
The Norton 360 firewall settings showing Intrusion Prevention and the Exclusion List configure button

Step 2 - Add micro1

  1. Click Add.
  2. Type:
micro1.ai
  1. If you're offered the option, tick apply to all subdomains.
  2. Click Add, then Apply and Close your way back out.
Norton add exclusion dialog with micro1.ai
The Norton add exclusion dialog with micro1.ai entered and the subdomain option ticked

Step 3 - Tell Safe Web the site is fine

Safe Web is the part that rates websites, and it runs both inside Norton and as a browser extension.

In the Norton app:

  1. Settings → Safe Web (or Browser Protection).
  2. Either add micro1.ai to the exclusions there, or temporarily turn off Block malicious sites while you take the interview.

In your browser:

  1. Click the Norton icon in the toolbar, top-right.
  2. If it's flagging the page, choose the option to trust the site.
  3. If you can't find it, go to chrome://extensions , switch Norton Safe Web off for the interview, and switch it back on afterwards.

Did it work?

Close every browser window, reopen the interview link, and press Ctrl + Shift + R (Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac).

Still blocked? Check whether you also have an ad blocker or privacy extension, or a blocker on your router, VPN or DNS. If neither applies, let us know, especially if your interview is soon.

Allow micro1 in Malwarebytes

Use this guide if: you have the Malwarebytes desktop app, the Malwarebytes Browser Guard extension, or both.

What you're adding: micro1.ai

Malwarebytes is stricter than most about unfamiliar domains, so it's a common cause of this error even though it usually sits alongside another antivirus rather than replacing it. If you have it, start here.

Step 1 - Open the Allow List

  1. Open Malwarebytes from your system tray, near the clock.
  2. Click Detection History.
  3. Switch to the Allow List tab at the top.
  4. Click + Add.
Malwarebytes Detection History Allow List
The Malwarebytes Detection History screen with the Allow List tab selected and the Add button highlighted

Step 2 - Allow the website

  1. Choose Allow a website.
  2. Select Add by Domain if you're asked how to specify it.
  3. Type:
micro1.ai
  1. On Windows, tick the box confirming you understand the risk.
  2. Click Done.
Malwarebytes Allow a website dialog
The Malwarebytes Allow a website dialog with micro1.ai entered by domain

Step 3 - Do the same in Browser Guard

Browser Guard is a separate product with its own separate list, even though it shares the name. If you have the extension, it needs its own entry.

  1. Click the Malwarebytes icon in your browser's toolbar, top-right.
  2. Click Dashboard at the bottom of the panel.
  3. In the left sidebar, click Allow list.
  4. Click + Add website.
  5. Enter micro1.ai.
  6. Under Choose which protections to turn off, select all of them for this site.
  7. Click Add to list.

Quick alternative: click the Malwarebytes icon while you're on the interview page and use the toggle to turn protection off for this site only.

Step 4 - Note what the "Website blocked" pop-up said

If Malwarebytes showed a notification when the interview failed, it named the address it stopped. That address is worth reading — if it's something other than micro1.ai, tell us what it was when you get in touch, as it helps us pin down the cause.

Did it work?

Close your browser completely, reopen the interview link, and press Ctrl + Shift + R (Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac).

Still blocked? Check whether you also have an ad blocker or privacy extension, or a blocker on your router, VPN or DNS. If neither applies, contact us — don't let it eat into your interview slot.

Allow micro1 in Avast or AVG

Use this guide if: you have Avast Free Antivirus, Avast Premium Security, AVG AntiVirus Free, or AVG Internet Security.

What you're adding: *.micro1.ai

Avast and AVG are the same company running the same engine, so the steps are identical — only the colours differ. If a menu name doesn't match exactly, look for the closest wording; it'll be in the same place.

The part that blocks connections to websites is called Web Shield. When it stops one, it logs it as URL:Blacklist

Step 1 - Open Exceptions

  1. Open Avast or AVG from your system tray, near the clock.
  2. Click Menu, top-right, then Settings.
  3. Click General in the left-hand list, then Exceptions.
Avast AVG settings Exceptions
The Avast and AVG settings screen with Exceptions selected and the Add Exception button highlighted

Step 2 - Add the exception

  1. Click ADD EXCEPTION.
  2. Type:
*.micro1.ai
  1. Click ADD EXCEPTION to confirm.
Avast add exception dialog
The Avast add exception dialog with the micro1 wildcard address entered in the URL field

One entry here is honoured by Web Shield and the Firewall, so you don't need to repeat it elsewhere.

Step 3 - Check Web Shield's own exclusions

Some versions keep a second list inside the shield itself. Worth two minutes if step 2 didn't do it.

  1. Menu → Settings → Protection → Core Shields.
  2. Scroll to Web Shield, and open its Exclusions.
  3. Add *.micro1.ai here too.

Step 4 - Turn off HTTPS scanning, if you have to

Avast and AVG can decrypt and re-sign HTTPS traffic to inspect it. This occasionally breaks video and real-time connections even when the domain is allowed.

If the interview page loads but the camera or microphone won't connect:

  1. Menu → Settings → Protection → Core Shields → Web Shield.
  2. Untick Enable HTTPS scanning.
  3. Reload the interview.

Turn it back on when you're finished.

Did it work?

Close your browser completely, reopen the interview link, and press Ctrl + Shift + R (Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac).

Still blocked? Check whether you also have an ad blocker or privacy extension, or a blocker on your router, VPN or DNS. If neither applies, contact us.

Allow micro1 in your ad blocker or privacy extension

Use this guide if: the interview loads in a private window but not a normal one. That's the tell-tale sign of an extension, because most extensions are switched off in private windows.

What you're adding: micro1.ai

Ad blockers and privacy extensions work by cancelling requests before they leave your browser. When one cancels a request the interview needs, you get the error screen. In the developer console this shows up as net::ERR_BLOCKED_BY_CLIENT

The fastest fix: turn the blocker off for this one site

Nearly every extension has a per-site switch, and this is quicker than editing any list.

  1. Open the interview link.
  2. Click the extension's icon in your browser toolbar, top-right.
  3. Look for a big power button, a "Pause on this site" toggle, or a shield you can switch off.
  4. Reload the page.
Browser site controls with blocker off for one site
A browser site controls panel with the blocker switched off for interview.micro1.ai

Your protection stays on everywhere else. Switch it back on after the interview if you'd like.

By extension

uBlock Origin

  1. Open the interview link, click the uBlock Origin icon, and click the big blue power button. That allows the site.
  2. If you'd rather do it permanently: click the icon → gear to open the dashboard → Trusted sites tab → add micro1.ai on its own line → Apply changes.
uBlock Origin Trusted sites with micro1.ai
The uBlock Origin dashboard, Trusted sites tab, with micro1.ai added to the list

AdBlock / AdBlock Plus

Click the icon while on the interview page, then Pause on this site, or Don't run on pages on this domain.

Ghostery

Click the icon, then switch Trust site on, or use Pause Ghostery.

Privacy Badger

Click the icon and move every slider for micro1 to green (allow), or use Disable for this site.

DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials

Click the icon and switch Privacy Protection off for this site.

Brave Shields (built into the Brave browser)

Click the Brave lion icon in the address bar and turn Shields down for this site.

Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection

Click the shield icon to the left of the address bar and switch protection off for this site.

If you can't tell which extension is responsible

Rather than guessing:

  1. Go to chrome://extensions (or edge://extensions, or about:addons in Firefox).
  2. Turn all of them off.
  3. Reload the interview. It should work.
  4. Turn them back on one at a time, reloading in between, until it breaks again. That last one is your culprit.
  5. Allowlist micro1 in that one, using the steps above.

Also worth checking

These are less common, but they block in the same way and they aren't extensions:

  1. Router-level or network-wide blockers — Pi-hole, AdGuard Home, NextDNS. Allow micro1.ai in the admin panel.
  2. A VPN with a built-in blocker — NordVPN Threat Protection, Surfshark CleanWeb, Proton VPN NetShield. Turn the blocking feature off, or disconnect the VPN entirely for the interview.

If your whole household's internet runs through one of these, the change has to happen on the router, not on your laptop.

Did it work?

Reload the interview link with Ctrl + Shift + R (Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac).

Still blocked? Then it's probably not an extension after all — go back and check your antivirus, or get in touch.

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