"DNS server not responding" and "can't find this site"

Your connection is up, but the service that turns website names into addresses is not answering. It is one of the easier network faults to fix.

What you seeThe DNS server isn't responding / DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN / DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET / Server IP address could not be found

What DNS is

Computers reach websites by number, and DNS is the directory that turns a name such as a shop's web address into that number. Your router normally passes these questions to your internet provider's DNS servers. When the directory does not answer, the browser cannot find any site by name, although the line itself is working. Signs: video calls or chats already running continue, but new websites will not open.

Fixes, easiest first

1. Check the address. If only one site fails and others open, the site is down or the address is mistyped. Nothing to fix on your side.
2. Restart the router. Off for one minute, then on. The router is the DNS go-between for the whole house.
3. Restart the computer.
4. Clear the computer's DNS memory. Open Terminal or Command Prompt and run:

ipconfig /flushdns

1. Clear the browser's own memory. Close the browser fully and reopen it. Try another browser, and a private window, to rule out an extension.
2. Turn off VPN, proxy and "secure DNS" for a test. VPN apps and some antivirus "web shields" take over DNS. In Chrome or Edge: Settings › Privacy and security › Security › "Use secure DNS", try it off.
3. Reset the network settings. In Terminal (Admin), one line at a time, then restart:

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

Change the DNS server

If your provider's DNS is unreliable, use a public one. Well-known public DNS addresses are Google's 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, and Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1.

Windows 11

1. Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) › click your network's properties.
2. Beside DNS server assignment, click Edit.
3. Choose Manual, turn on IPv4.
4. Preferred DNS: 8.8.8.8. Alternate DNS: 1.1.1.1. Save.

Windows 10

1. Windows key + R › ncpa.cpl › right-click your connection › Properties.
2. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) › Properties.
3. Choose Use the following DNS server addresses, enter the two addresses, OK.

To undo it, set the assignment back to Automatic (DHCP). To change it for every device in the house instead, enter the same addresses in the router's DNS fields.

Test whether DNS is the problem

In Terminal:

ping 8.8.8.8
nslookup example.com

• ping gets replies, nslookup fails or times out: DNS is the fault. Change the DNS server as above.
• ping fails too: the connection itself is down. See Wi-Fi connected but no internet.
• Both work, but the browser fails: the browser, an extension, a proxy setting or security software is the cause.

If only some sites fail

• The hosts file may contain a stray entry: open Notepad as administrator, open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts, and look for lines naming the site that fails. Lines beginning with # are comments and harmless.
• Date and time wrong by months breaks secure sites. See date and time wrong.
• Some sites are blocked by the provider, office or college network; no setting on the PC changes that.

For Windows 11 and Windows 10. Written in November 2026. Menus move between updates; use the search box in Settings if a name differs. Back up important files before any step that resets, repairs a disk or opens the computer. This is an independent guide, not connected with Microsoft.