How to Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN

What the error means: your browser asked a DNS server to turn a domain name into an IP address, and the answer came back NXDOMAIN — non-existent domain. The site was never reached, because your computer never worked out where to send the request.

That narrows the causes considerably. The problem is in the name lookup, so anything unrelated to name lookup can be skipped. Work down this list in order; the first three fix the large majority of cases.

1. Check the address for a typo

Obvious, and genuinely the most common cause. NXDOMAIN is exactly what a misspelled domain returns. Check the spelling and the ending — .com against .co, .net against .ne — and try the address in a different browser. If it fails everywhere identically, move on.

2. Flush the DNS cache

Your machine caches lookups, including failed ones. If a site changed servers, or a lookup failed once while your connection was down, the stale record can persist.

Windows — open Command Prompt and run:

ipconfig /flushdns

macOS — in Terminal:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Linux — depends on the resolver, commonly:

sudo resolvectl flush-caches

Chrome keeps its own cache as well. Visit chrome://net-internals/#dns and choose Clear host cache. Edge uses the same page at edge://net-internals/#dns.

3. Restart your router

Routers cache DNS too, and their caches go stale in the same way. Unplug it for thirty seconds and plug it back in. Unglamorous, and it resolves a surprising share of cases — particularly when one device on the network works and another does not.

4. Change your DNS servers

If your provider’s resolver is failing or blocking the domain, switching resolvers is an immediate test as well as a fix.

• Cloudflare — 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
• Google — 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
• Quad9 — 9.9.9.9 and 149.112.112.112

Windows: Settings → Network & internet → your connection → Edit DNS server assignment → Manual, switch on IPv4 and enter the addresses.

macOS: System Settings → Network → your connection → Details → DNS, then add the servers with +.

Android and iOS: in Wi-Fi settings, edit the network and set DNS to manual.

If the site loads after this, your original resolver was the problem — either broken or filtering the domain.

5. Renew your IP configuration

On Windows, in an Administrator Command Prompt:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
netsh int ip reset
netsh winsock reset

Restart afterwards. The last two rebuild the network stack and are worth running if the error appeared after a network change or a security-software installation.

6. Check the hosts file

An entry in the hosts file overrides DNS entirely, and both malware and ad-blocking tools write to it. Some software also parks blocked domains there.

Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts, opened in Notepad run as Administrator.
macOS and Linux: /etc/hosts, via sudo nano /etc/hosts.

Look for a line naming the site you cannot reach and comment it out with a #.

7. Disable VPN, proxy and filtering software temporarily

VPN clients set their own DNS and often leave it behind after disconnecting badly. Antivirus suites with web protection, parental-control software and enterprise filtering all intercept DNS as well. Turn each off in turn and retest — and turn them back on afterwards.

Also check the proxy settings themselves: on Windows, Settings → Network & internet → Proxy, and make sure nothing is configured that you did not set.

8. Confirm whether it is only you

Before going further, establish where the fault lies. Load the site on mobile data with Wi-Fi off. If it works there, the problem is your network. If it fails there too, the domain itself may be down or expired — and NXDOMAIN is exactly what an expired domain returns.

A quick command-line check tells you the same thing:

nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1

If Cloudflare’s resolver also reports a non-existent domain, nothing on your machine is at fault.

Variations on the same error

• On Android — usually the Wi-Fi network’s DNS. Set a Private DNS provider in Settings → Network & internet, or test on mobile data.
• On a Chromebook — change DNS in the network settings; a Powerwash is not needed.
• With a VPN active — almost always the VPN’s own DNS. Reconnect, switch server, or disable it.
• On one site only, everywhere — that domain has a DNS problem of its own. Nothing on your side will fix it.

FAQs

Is this a virus?

Rarely, but malware does edit hosts files and DNS settings. If the error appeared alongside other odd behaviour, run a malware scan after checking steps 6 and 7.

Why does it happen on one browser only?

Chrome and Edge keep separate DNS caches, and secure DNS settings are per-browser. Clear the browser’s host cache and check its secure-DNS setting.

What is the difference between this and DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG?

NXDOMAIN means the resolver answered and said the name does not exist. BAD_CONFIG means the resolver could not be reached or replied unusably — more often a local network or router problem.

Will resetting my router settings help?

A restart, yes, often. A full factory reset is rarely necessary and loses your configuration; leave it until everything above has failed.