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lmbmi
lmbmi
New Member
March 24, 2025
Question

Sometimes FortiClient hangs in browser awaiting authentication on MacOS

  • March 24, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 1703 views

This is intermittently happening to me and some teammates. We have Macs and log into our corporate active directory (azure). Connecting to VPN on FortiClient opens up a browser tab in Chrome; usually this connects quickly and then has a message about being able to close the tab and then FortiClient connects. However, sometimes the browser window that pops up just hangs and stays empty forever, and FortiClient does not connect. To fix this we usually have to reboot. I opened the Chrome dev tools to see what was going on, and it appears that the web page that opens is trying to connect to http://127.0.0.1/8020 and that never responds. Is there a permanent fix for this so that we don't have to reboot to connect to VPN?

3 replies

Jean-Philippe_P
Staff & Editor
Jean-Philippe_P
Staff & Editor
March 27, 2025

Hello lmbmi, 

 

Thank you for using the Community Forum. I will seek to get you an answer or help. We will reply to this thread with an update as soon as possible. 

 

Thanks, 

Jean-Philippe - Fortinet Community Team
Jean-Philippe_P
Staff & Editor
Jean-Philippe_P
Staff & Editor
March 28, 2025

Hello,

 

We are still looking for an answer to your question.

 

We will come back to you ASAP.

 

Thanks,

Jean-Philippe - Fortinet Community Team
    Jean-Philippe_P
    Staff & Editor
    Jean-Philippe_P
    Staff & Editor
    March 28, 2025

    Hello again lmbmi,

     

    I found this solution, can you tell me if it helps?

     

    If FortiClient is attempting to connect to `http://127.0.0.1:8020` and not responding, it may be related to the local web server component of FortiClient not functioning correctly. Here are steps to address this issue:

     

    1. Check FortiClient Configuration: Ensure that the FortiClient configuration is correct and matches the settings required for your VPN connection.

    2. Restart FortiClient Services: Try restarting the FortiClient services on your machine. This can often resolve issues with local services not responding.

    3. Update FortiClient: Ensure you are using the latest version of FortiClient. Updates often include bug fixes and improvements.

    4. Check for Conflicting Software: Ensure no other software is using the same port (`8020`) or conflicting with FortiClient.

    5. Firewall and Antivirus: Check if your firewall or antivirus software is blocking the connection to `127.0.0.1:8020`. If so, create an exception for FortiClient.

    6. Reinstall FortiClient: If the issue persists, consider uninstalling and then reinstalling FortiClient to ensure a clean setup.
    Jean-Philippe - Fortinet Community Team
    lmbmi
    lmbmiAuthor
    New Member
    April 10, 2025
    1. Check FortiClient Configuration: Ensure that the FortiClient configuration is correct and matches the settings required for your VPN connection.

    looks good

    1. Restart FortiClient Services: Try restarting the FortiClient services on your machine. This can often resolve issues with local services not responding.

    I am not able to do this without an IT admin password

     

    1. Update FortiClient: Ensure you are using the latest version of FortiClient. Updates often include bug fixes and improvements.

    It seems to be up to date, but this is controlled by IT

     

    1. Check for Conflicting Software: Ensure no other software is using the same port (`8020`) or conflicting with FortiClient.

    Nothing else uses that port

     

     

    1. Firewall and Antivirus: Check if your firewall or antivirus software is blocking the connection to `127.0.0.1:8020`. If so, create an exception for FortiClient.

    Nothing else uses that port

     

     

    1. Reinstall FortiClient: If the issue persists, consider uninstalling and then reinstalling FortiClient to ensure a clean setup.

    I have reinstalled a couple times. It does not help. When this situation happens it is usually after the computer has been asleep in between sessions. The only solution is to reboot, which is inconvenient.

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