Google Chrome won't Start - Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "adwaita"

Google Chrome won't start after a recent apt-get upgrade. I can't figure out what I'm missing, and google doesn't turn up many results for these errors:

$ google-chrome
[1:1:0518/085616:ERROR:image_metadata_extractor.cc(111)] Couldn't load libexif.
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "adwaita",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "adwaita",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
[5807:5807:0518/085616:ERROR:browser_main_loop.cc(199)] GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
Aborted (core dumped)


$ google-chrome --version
Google Chrome 42.0.2311.152

Chrome was working fine on this machine before the upgrade.

Solution 1:

The first part of my answer:

For GTK theme error: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap"

sudo apt-get install  gtk2-engines-pixbuf:i386

Solution 2:

The problem appears to only happen with the i386 version of Google Chrome on a 64-bit Ubuntu system. The hint that it was a 32-bit vs 64-bit problem was that installing the :i386 version of certain packages made some errors go away. I was able to get Chrome working again by installing the 64-bit version:

$ sudo aptitude install google-chrome-stable

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 libappindicator1 : Conflicts: libappindicator1:i386 but 12.10.1+15.04.20141110-0ubuntu1 is installed.
 libappindicator1:i386 : Conflicts: libappindicator1 but 12.10.1+15.04.20141110-0ubuntu1 is to be installed.
 google-chrome-stable : Conflicts: google-chrome-stable:i386 but 42.0.2311.152-1 is installed.
 google-chrome-stable:i386 : Conflicts: google-chrome-stable but 42.0.2311.152-1 is to be installed.
 libindicator7 : Conflicts: libindicator7:i386 but 12.10.2+14.10.20140922-0ubuntu1 is installed.
 libindicator7:i386 : Conflicts: libindicator7 but 12.10.2+14.10.20140922-0ubuntu1 is to be installed.
The following actions will resolve these dependencies:

     Remove the following packages:
1)     google-chrome-stable:i386   
2)     libappindicator1:i386       
3)     libindicator7:i386          

Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?] 

I accepted the proposed solution to upgrade several packages to the 64-bit version, and Chrome is working again.

Solution 3:

Cant always update the application, this worked for me

$ sudo apt install gnome-themes-standard:i386