You type an address, press Enter, and Chrome shows a grey page: "This site can't be reached. Check if there is a typo in example.com." Under it, in small caps, DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.
In plain words, your browser asked a DNS server where the site lives, and the server answered that the name doesn't exist. Sometimes that's true: the address has a typo or the domain expired. Much more often the site is fine and the problem is on your side, in a stale cache, a broken DNS setting or a network that blocks the site.
It's usually a five-minute fix. Do the one-minute test first, so you know which fix to try.
What DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN means
Every site has a name (atomicvpn.io) and an IP address (a number like 104.18.20.35). DNS is the system that turns one into the other. Before Chrome can load a page, it asks a DNS server for the IP address.
The error has two parts:
- DNS_PROBE_FINISHED: Chrome finished the DNS lookup.
- NXDOMAIN: "non-existent domain", the standard DNS answer for a name that has no records. It's response code 3 in the DNS standard, RFC 1035, where it's called a "name error".
So the lookup worked, and the answer was "no such site". Cloudflare's docs put it the same way. The question is who gave that answer and why.
Other browsers show the same problem with different words:
The fixes below work for all of them.
The one-minute test: is it you or the site?
Take your phone, turn Wi-Fi off and open the same address on mobile data.
A second quick check: does it happen on every site or only one? If every site fails, your DNS isn't working at all, and fixes 3-6 are the ones that matter. If only one or two sites fail, a cache entry or a block on that site is more likely.
10 ways to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN
1. Check the address
It sounds obvious, but a missing letter, an extra dot or .co instead of .com gives exactly this error, because that domain really doesn't exist. Copy the link again from where you got it instead of retyping.
2. Restart the browser, then the router
Close every Chrome window (on Windows, check the tray icon too) and reopen it. If that doesn't help, turn the router off for 30 seconds. Routers cache DNS answers too, and a restart clears them.
3. Switch Chrome's secure DNS to a public provider
This is the fix that worked for most people in the Google Chrome Community thread and on Reddit, and it takes 20 seconds:
- Open Chrome Settings > Privacy and security > Security.
- Scroll to Advanced and find Use secure DNS.
- Change "With your current service provider" (or "OS default") to Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (Public DNS).
- Reload the page.
This sends Chrome's lookups to a different DNS server over an encrypted connection. If your provider's DNS server was broken or was answering NXDOMAIN on purpose, this gets around it in Chrome.
4. Clear Chrome's own DNS cache
Chrome keeps its own list of recent lookups, separate from your computer's.
- Type chrome://net-internals/#dns in the address bar.
- Click Clear host cache.
- Go to chrome://net-internals/#sockets and click Flush socket pools.
5. Flush your computer's DNS cache
If a site moved to a new server, your computer may still have the old answer saved.
Windows: open Command Prompt as administrator and run:
Mac: open Terminal and run (it asks for your password):
Linux (most modern distributions):
6. Change the DNS server for your whole device
Fix 3 only covers Chrome. To change DNS for every app, set a public DNS in your system settings. Use 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (Google Public DNS).
- Windows 11: Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) > your network > DNS server assignment > Edit > Manual. Turn on IPv4 and enter the two addresses.
- Mac: System Settings > Wi-Fi > Details next to your network > DNS. Click + and add the addresses.
If you set a custom DNS a long time ago and forgot about it, this is also where you'll find it. A dead server typed in years ago causes this error on every site.
7. Turn off your VPN, proxy or DNS filter for a minute
VPNs, antivirus "web shields", parental control apps and ad blockers like NextDNS or Pi-hole all handle DNS. If one of them is misconfigured or blocks the site, you get NXDOMAIN.
Turn each off, reload the page, and turn it back on. If the site loads with one of them off, you've found it. For a VPN, try reconnecting to another server first: a VPN with a broken DNS server is a VPN problem, not a reason to browse without one.
8. Check the hosts file
The hosts file lets your computer override DNS for specific sites. Malware, old dev projects and some "ad blocking" tools add lines to it.
- Windows: open Notepad as administrator and open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.
- Mac: run sudo nano /etc/hosts in Terminal.
Look for a line with the site's name. Delete it, save the file and flush the DNS cache again (fix 5).
9. Renew your IP address and reset the network (Windows)
Run these in Command Prompt as administrator, one at a time, then restart:
This gets a fresh address from the router and resets the network settings that apps can break.
10. Reset Chrome flags
If you ever played with chrome://flags, an experimental setting can break lookups. Open chrome://flags, click Reset all at the top and restart Chrome.
DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN on Android
On phones the cause is usually one setting: Private DNS. Android sends all DNS lookups to the server you enter there. If the name is wrong, or the service stopped working, every site fails with this error.
Set it to Automatic, or enter a working provider name like one.one.one.one (Cloudflare) or dns.google (Google). Don't type an IP address there, it only accepts a hostname. Google's help page on advanced network settings has the full steps.
If Private DNS is fine, clear Chrome's data: Settings > Apps > Chrome > Storage > Clear cache.
On iPhone, Safari shows "Safari can't find the server" instead. Check Settings > General > VPN & Device Management for DNS profiles you don't recognize, and try the site with Wi-Fi off.
When the error is a block, not a bug
Some networks answer NXDOMAIN on purpose, to stop you from opening a site. The top guides on this error skip it, and it's one of the most common reasons a single site won't load:
- School and office networks filter categories like games, social media or streaming.
- Parental control services and routers with "safe browsing" do the same at home.
- Internet providers in some countries block sites by court order, and the simplest way to do that is at the DNS server. Not every block works this way: in Spain, the blocks during LaLiga matches cut off IP addresses instead, so you get a timeout rather than NXDOMAIN. We explain that one in LaLiga Blocks Websites in Spain.
You can check if your DNS server is giving you a different answer from a public one. Open Command Prompt or Terminal and compare:
The first line asks your normal DNS server, the second asks Cloudflare. If the first one says "Non-existent domain" and the second returns an address, your network or provider is blocking or breaking that name. That's not something your browser settings can fix for every app.
Switching to encrypted DNS (fixes 3 and 6) gets around simple DNS blocks. Some networks block encrypted DNS too, and then you'll see a different message: This Network Is Blocking Encrypted DNS Traffic.
A VPN goes one step further. All your lookups travel inside the encrypted tunnel to the VPN's own DNS servers, so the local network never sees which names you ask for and can't answer them with a fake NXDOMAIN. That's the one situation in this guide where a VPN fixes the cause instead of working around it. If you're on a school or work network, though, a block is their rule: check the policy before you go around it.
If you use a VPN for this, make sure lookups don't leak outside the tunnel: How to Check Your VPN for DNS Leaks.
If it's your website
If the site fails on every network and device, the problem is in the domain itself. Check, in this order:
- The domain hasn't expired. Look it up in your registrar account or a WHOIS search. An expired domain returns NXDOMAIN everywhere.
- The nameservers are right. If you moved DNS to Cloudflare or a new host, the registrar must point to the new nameservers.
- The records exist. You need an A (or AAAA) record for the main domain, and a record for www if you use it. Cloudflare's guide lists what to check for domains on Cloudflare.
- Wait for changes to spread. New records usually show up within minutes, but old answers can stay cached for up to the record's TTL.
Running nslookup yourdomain.com 8.8.8.8 from your computer tells you what the rest of the internet sees.
FAQ
What does DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN mean?
Chrome asked a DNS server for the site's IP address and got the answer "non-existent domain". Either the domain really doesn't exist (typo or expired), or something on your device or network gave a wrong answer.
How do I fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN in Chrome?
Check the address, then go to Settings > Privacy and security > Security > Use secure DNS and pick Cloudflare or Google. If that doesn't work, clear the cache at chrome://net-internals/#dns and flush your system DNS cache.
Why does a site work on my phone but not on my computer?
Your computer has a stale DNS cache, a custom DNS server, a hosts file entry or a program that filters DNS. Flush the cache, check the DNS settings and turn off VPNs or security tools one by one to find it.
How do I fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN on Android?
Open Private DNS in your network settings and set it to Automatic or a working provider like one.one.one.one. A wrong Private DNS name is the most common cause on Android.
How do I fix it on a Mac?
Run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder in Terminal, then set DNS to 1.1.1.1 in System Settings > Wi-Fi > Details > DNS.
Can my internet provider cause this error?
Yes. A broken DNS server at your provider causes it for many sites, and some providers block sites by answering NXDOMAIN. Compare nslookup site.com with nslookup site.com 1.1.1.1 to find out.
