How To Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN?

Typically, when you type a website’s address (www.xyz.com) on your address bar, a DNS server converts it to its corresponding IP address (145.38.42.192). This IP address is used to locate to your website.

Therefore, whenever your computer has a problem translating the domain name to its IP address, you get the error message DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.

And the probable solution is to double-check and retype the domain name. However, if the domain name is correct but you are still seeing this error, it is time to troubleshoot it.

What is a DNS?

DNS, or, the Domain Name System, is a server that has a collection of the domain name and their IP addresses. It converts the address you type in the browser’s address bar, such as google.com, to their respective IP address, i.e. 142.250.179.142.

What Causes DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN?

When the browser cannot find the IP address of the domain name typed on the address bar, it shows the error message DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.

How to Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN

Now that we know things that stop a browser from resolving the domain name, let us see how we can fix these issues.

Restart DNS Client Service

According to Microsoft’s official documentation, the DNS client stores setting for configuring the DNS. The DNS client service resolves the domain name by locally querying cached data from previous searches. Restarting the service might solve any issues with it.

Disabling this service stops all DNS lookups and stops the services that explicitly depend on the DNS client. Therefore, it is not ideal to leave it disabled. 

Below, we have mentioned the steps to restart DNS Client Services.

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
2. Type msconfig and press Enter to open System Configuration.
3. Go to the Services tab and uncheck DNS Client and click OK.
   
4. Restart your PC.
5. Again open System Configuration and go to the Services tab.
6. Check DNS client.
7. Click Apply, then OK.

Alternately, you can also tweak registry settings to reset the DNS client. However, changing the wrong registry settings can make your system unusable. Therefore, it is always a good idea to backup your registry before performing the steps mentioned below.

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
2. Type regeditand press Enter.
3. Navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache
4. Now on the right panel, double click on Start. 
   
5. Change the value on Value data from 2 to 4. 
6. Value 1 is automatic (delayed), 2 is automatic, 3 is manual, and 4 is Disabled.
7. Restart your computer and again change the value from 4 to 2. Restart your computer once you make the necessary changes.

Set DNS Server Manually

If your network adapter cannot access the DNS server, you can provide the adapter with the address to the server manually. Follow the steps mentioned below to set the address to a DNS server.

For Windows

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
2. Typencpa.cplto open Network Connections.
3. Double-click on the device you are currently using to access the internet, i.e., Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
4. Click on Properties.
5. Double click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
6. Check to Use the following DNS server addresses:
7. Set Preferred DNS server as 8.8.8.8 and Alternate DNS server as 8.8.4.4. These are Google’s public DNS IP addresses for IPv4.
   

For MacOS

1. Go to System Preference
2. Click on Network. 
3. Click on Wi-Fi and then Advanced…
   
4. Go to the DNS tab 
5. Click on + sign to add a new DNS server.
   
6. Now add the following addresses:

• 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (Prefered and alternate addresses for IPv4)
• 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844(Prefered and alternate addresses for IPv6)

7. Click OK, then Apply.

Check Hosts File

The host file contains domain names that map to the respective IP address before going to DNS servers. Although the host file contains only sample data, the DNS may not work if this file has incorrect IP address values mapped with domain names.

To fix this, you need to re-write the host file. Before we start, make sure to back up the current Hosts file.

1. First go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\
2. Right-click on hosts and select Open with.
3. Select Notepad.
4. Now replace everything with the following.

# Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to hostnames. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding hostname.
# The IP address and the hostname should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.
# 127.0.0.1 localhost
# ::1 localhost

5. Save this file somewhere on the desktop without any extension.
6. Now, replace the current hosts file inside C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\ with the new one.
7. Restart your computer and check if the browser can access the internet.

Clear DNS Cache

Another reason that might be causing DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN is due to Chrome’s DNS cache. Chrome has a DNS cache that contains data that a website uses constantly.

Clearing this cache deletes all DNS entries from Chrome that might be causing the issue.

1. Open Chrome and type Chrome://net-internals/#dns on the address bar and press Enter
2. Click on Clear host cache.
   
3. Restart Chrome and check if it fixed the problem.

Use Browser’s Secure DNS 

Domain Name System Server that the ISP (Internet Service Provider) provides may not always work. That is why the browser also offers a feature to use a secure DNS.

You can access this setting in any browser inside Privacy and security. Once you find this setting, choose any DNS listed on the drop-down menu. Now, try connecting to a website to see if it fixed the issue.

Disable Antivirus/Firewall and VPN

If you are facing issues when accessing a certain website, it can also be that the firewall or antivirus software is blocking the said website. If antivirus detects any threats from a website, it will stop these sites from loading. 

Enabling VPN may also cause issues with DNS server settings. This, in turn, may also stop you from browsing certain websites.

Reset Network Configuration

If none of the solutions fix the issue with DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN, you can try resetting your network configurations. Resetting your network will reset all your IP stacks and flush and re-register DNS information.

Here is an article that you can follow to reset network configuration on Windows. However, if you use a macOS, here are some steps you can perform to reset your network configuration.

1. First, you need to turn off the Wi-Fi
2. Open Finder and select Go to Folder.
3. Navigate to /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/
4. Now, select the following files

• com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
• com.apple.network.identification.plist or com.apple.network.eapolclient.configuration.plist
• com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
• NetworkInterfaces.plist
• Preferences.plist

5. Copy these files and save them else, whereas a backup.
6. Press Command + Delete to remove the original files (not the backup) to the Trash.
7. Now, empty trash to completely remove the files.
8. Restart the computer. 

Now, all your network configurations should reset.

Restart router

This step might be very simple, but something as simple as a simple restart might fix the issue you face. Sometimes, when a router is turned on for too long can put it under a lot of stress and might even heat up. Restarting will also clear any cache stored on the router. 

Try restarting your router for five to ten minutes to see if it fixes the issue.