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"This site can't be reached" (DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN)? 8 fixes

✓ Reviewed & updated August 3, 2026

By the ErrorAway Editorial Team · How we research and review guides

You enter an address and receive "This site can't be reached" with DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN. The resolver did not obtain a valid domain answer, but that alone does not tell you whether the domain, device, router or DNS provider is responsible. Test the scope before changing DNS settings.

Work through these in order, starting by comparing another device, network and domain before changing the local DNS configuration.

Quick check first: does the same site fail on your phone using mobile data? If it loads there, the site is fine and the problem is on your PC or Wi-Fi — the fixes below will sort it. If it fails everywhere, the site itself may be down or its domain expired, and there's nothing to fix on your side.

Quick checklist

  1. Check the address and test another device
  2. Restart your router and PC
  3. Flush the DNS cache and renew your IP
  4. Switch to a public DNS (8.8.8.8 / 1.1.1.1)
  5. Clear Chrome's cache and host cache
  6. Disconnect VPN and check security logs
  7. Check the hosts file
  8. Reset the network stack

What DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN means

DNS is the internet's phone book — it turns a name like example.com into the numeric address your browser actually connects to. This error means the lookup finished ("probe finished") and the answer was "non-existent domain" (NXDOMAIN) — no address found. The usual culprits: an outdated DNS cache on your device, a misbehaving ISP DNS server, a VPN or antivirus interfering, or (rarely) an entry in your hosts file blocking the site. Each fix below clears one of those.

The 8 fixes

1

Check the address and test another device

Rule out the simple stuff before touching settings.

  • Re-type the address carefully — a single typo produces exactly this error.
  • Try 2-3 other websites. If nothing loads, it's your connection, not DNS for one site.
  • Try the failing site on your phone with Wi-Fi off (mobile data). Loads there? The problem is local to your PC/network — continue below.
2

Restart your router and PC

A stale router DNS cache causes this more often than people expect.

  • Unplug your router for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and let it fully reconnect.
  • Restart your PC too, then try the site again.
3

Flush the DNS cache and renew your IP

Your PC keeps a local copy of old lookups. If an entry is stale or corrupted, the browser keeps failing on it. Clearing it is safe and takes seconds.

  • Click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt → Run as administrator.
  • Run these one at a time, pressing Enter after each:
    ipconfig /flushdns
    ipconfig /release
    ipconfig /renew
  • Try the website again.
4

Switch to a public DNS

If your current resolver is failing while another resolver works, a temporary switch can confirm the DNS-provider branch. Changing DNS also changes which provider receives your lookup requests, so record the current setting first and review the provider's privacy terms.

  • Write down the current DNS setting so you can restore it.
  • Go to Settings → Network & Internet → click your connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) → Edit next to DNS server assignment.
  • Choose Manual, turn on IPv4, and enter 8.8.8.8 (preferred) and 8.8.4.4 (alternate) — or Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1.
  • Save, then flush the cache again (ipconfig /flushdns) and reload the site.
5

Clear Chrome's cache and host cache

Chrome keeps its own DNS cache separate from Windows, and it can hold onto a bad entry.

  • Paste chrome://net-internals/#dns into the address bar and press Enter.
  • Click Clear host cache.
  • Then press Ctrl + Shift + Del, select Cached images and files, and clear.
  • Restart Chrome and test.
6

Disconnect VPN and check security logs

A VPN may send DNS requests through a different resolver, while security software can record a browser or DNS block. Test these branches without switching off device protection.

  • Disconnect your VPN completely and reload the site.
  • Check firewall or security-software event history for a DNS or browser block. Follow the vendor's support guidance before creating any exception; do not disable protection for this test.
7

Check the hosts file

This is the step most guides skip. The hosts file can override DNS entirely — if the site you want is listed there with a wrong address, it will never load, no matter what else you fix.

  • Click Start, type Notepad, right-click it → Run as administrator.
  • Go to File → Open, change the file type from "Text Documents" to All Files, and open:
    C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
  • Before editing, save a backup copy. Look for any line containing the website you're trying to reach. If you find an entry you understand and did not add intentionally, place # at the beginning of that line to comment it out rather than deleting unrelated entries.
  • Save the file and reload the site.
8

Reset the network stack

If nothing above worked, a Windows network reset can rebuild adapters and networking settings. Record VPN, proxy, static IP and Wi-Fi details first because they may need to be configured again.

  • Open Command Prompt as administrator again.
  • Run these one at a time:
    netsh winsock reset
    netsh int ip reset
  • Restart your PC and test the site.

Primary references: Microsoft's ipconfig command reference and Windows network troubleshooting sequence, plus Google's Public DNS configuration guide. Checked August 3, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN a virus?

No. It's a network lookup failure — your device couldn't translate the website's name into an address. It's a configuration issue, not malware. (That said, if many sites suddenly appear in your hosts file that you never added, run a malware scan.)

Only one specific website shows this error. Why?

If it fails across unrelated devices and networks, the domain or its authoritative DNS may be responsible, so local changes are unlikely to help. If it fails only on your PC, check the hosts file (fix 7) and flush local DNS data (fix 3).

The site loads on mobile data but not on my Wi-Fi. What does that mean?

That points at your router or your internet provider's DNS. Restart the router (fix 2), and if it persists, set a public DNS (fix 4) — you can also change DNS on the router itself so every device benefits.

Is it safe to change my DNS to 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1?

They are established public resolvers, but changing DNS changes which provider receives your lookup requests. Record the old settings, use the provider's official addresses and privacy information, and switch back if the test does not help.

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