The browser says DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN
How do I fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
That code means the name lookup failed: your computer asked which address the site name belongs to and got no answer. Almost always the cause is a stale local cache, a name server that is not responding, or a leftover entry in the hosts file, rather than the site being down. The quickest thing to try first: check the spelling and try it on another device — Type the address again carefully. If your phone on mobile data loads it, the site is fine and the fault is on your network. Most people are done in about 15 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 6 steps for Windows and Mac, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •'This site can't be reached' with that code
- •Other sites may load normally
- •The same page works on your phone's mobile data
Why it happens
That code means the name lookup failed: your computer asked which address the site name belongs to and got no answer. Almost always the cause is a stale local cache, a name server that is not responding, or a leftover entry in the hosts file, rather than the site being down.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Check the spelling and try it on another device
Type the address again carefully. If your phone on mobile data loads it, the site is fine and the fault is on your network.
- 2
Flush the name cache
Windows: Terminal (Admin), then ipconfig /flushdns followed by ipconfig /registerdns. Mac: Terminal, sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. This clears the stored wrong answer.
- 3
Reset the network stack
In Terminal (Admin) run these in order: netsh winsock reset, netsh int ip reset, ipconfig /release, ipconfig /renew. Restart afterwards. This repairs a corrupted network configuration that no setting exposes.
- 4
Switch to a public name server
Settings, Network and internet, your connection, DNS server assignment, Edit, Manual, IPv4 on, and enter 1.1.1.1 with 1.0.0.1, or 8.8.8.8 with 8.8.4.4. Provider name servers going stale is a very common cause.
- 5
Clear Chrome's own resolver cache
Open chrome://net-internals/#dns and press 'Clear host cache', then chrome://net-internals/#sockets and 'Flush socket pools'. Chrome caches lookups separately from Windows.
- 6
Check the hosts file
Open Notepad as administrator and open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts. Remove any line naming the site you cannot reach. Malware and some blockers add entries here.
If none of that worked
Restart the router, and if only one site fails everywhere on your network, the domain may genuinely have expired. Check it on downforeveryoneorjustme.com before troubleshooting further.
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Who wrote this and how we checked it
The CommonFixes team
Writer and researcher
We are a small group of people who spend our days repairing laptops and desktops for family, friends and small offices. Every guide here starts with a problem someone actually brought to us, and we only write down the steps that put the machine right.
- Everyday repairs
- Windows and Mac
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CommonFixes review desk
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Before a guide goes live, a second person walks through it on a real machine and checks each instruction against the maker's own support pages. Anything we cannot confirm is removed rather than guessed at.
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This guide was last updated on 10 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
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