How to Fix "DNS Server Not Responding" and DNS_PROBE Errors

These errors all mean the same underlying thing: your device asked a DNS server to translate a domain name into an IP address, and it never got a usable answer back. The exact message depends on your browser and operating system, but the fixes below work for all of them.

What these error messages mean

• "DNS server is not responding" (Windows) means Windows couldn't reach any DNS server at all, not even to get a "no" answer.
• "The DNS server isn't responding" is the same error, worded slightly differently depending on Windows version.
• DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET (Chrome) means Chrome checked and couldn't detect an internet connection at all, so it never got as far as trying DNS.
• DNS_PROBE_STARTED or DNS_PROBE_POSSIBLE are transitional states Chrome shows while it's still running that check. If the page hangs on this message, the probe itself is failing to complete.
• "Can't reach this page" / "server DNS address could not be found" usually means DNS resolved nothing for that specific domain, while other sites may still load fine.

The difference matters for troubleshooting: if only one site fails, it's likely that site's DNS records, not your connection. If every site fails, the problem is your network setup.

Quick fixes, in order

Try these in sequence. Most cases resolve in the first two or three steps.

1. Restart your router and modem. Unplug both for 30 seconds, plug the modem back in first, wait for it to fully reconnect, then the router. This clears router-level DNS glitches, which is the most common cause.
2. Flush your local DNS cache. On Windows, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns. On Mac, run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder in Terminal. A corrupted local cache entry can cause this exact error for one specific site while everything else works.
3. Switch to a public DNS server. Your ISP's DNS server can go down or become unreachable even when the rest of your internet works. Change to 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google) instead of your automatic, ISP-assigned DNS.
4. Disable your VPN or proxy temporarily. VPNs route DNS queries through their own servers, and if that server is slow or down, you'll see this exact error. Disconnect and try loading the page again.
5. Restart your device's network adapter. On Windows, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings, and disable then re-enable your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter. On Mac, toggle Wi-Fi off and on from the menu bar.
6. Check if it's just one domain. Try a well-known site like google.com. If that loads but your target site doesn't, the problem is likely on that domain's end, not yours. A DNS lookup will show you whether the domain has valid, resolving records at all right now.

Fixing it on Windows specifically

If ipconfig /flushdns and switching DNS servers don't help:

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run ipconfig /release, then ipconfig /renew.
3. Run netsh winsock reset, then restart your computer. This resets the network stack, which can fix DNS resolution issues that survive a simple flush.

Fixing it in Chrome

DNS_PROBE errors in Chrome are usually a browser-level or system-level issue, not a Chrome bug specifically.

1. Clear Chrome's internal host cache at chrome://net-internals/#dns, clicking Clear host cache.
2. Disable browser extensions temporarily, especially ad blockers or VPN extensions, since they can intercept DNS requests.
3. Try the same URL in an incognito window. If it loads there, an extension is the cause.
4. If nothing else works, try a different browser to confirm whether the issue is Chrome-specific or system-wide.

When it's not actually a DNS problem

If you've flushed DNS, switched servers, and restarted everything, and the error persists on every single site, check these before assuming it's DNS:

• Your device's date and time are wrong. This breaks HTTPS certificate validation in a way that can surface as a connection error.
• A firewall or antivirus is blocking DNS traffic, usually on port 53. Temporarily disabling third-party antivirus (not just Windows Defender) can confirm this.
• Your ISP is having an actual outage. Check on a mobile data connection. If sites load fine there, the issue is with your home network or ISP, not your device.

If a specific domain resolves inconsistently across devices or networks, a DNS lookup against both Google and Cloudflare's resolvers will show you whether the domain itself has a problem, or whether it's isolated to your connection.