DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN means the browser could not find an address for the site you typed. In plain terms, Chrome asked DNS where the website lives and received no usable answer. That can happen because the address is wrong, the site DNS is broken, or your device, router, VPN, or DNS provider is failing.
Does this affect you?
Use this for Chrome, Edge, and other Chromium browsers on Windows, Mac, or Chromebook when the error page shows DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN. Firefox may show a differently worded DNS error for the same underlying problem.
Check the basics first
Simple address and connection issues cause this error more often than advanced settings do.
- Inspect the address bar for typos, including wrong endings such as .con instead of .com.
- Try a known working website. If that fails too, troubleshoot your connection rather than the original site.
- Confirm Wi-Fi or Ethernet is connected.
- Restart the router by unplugging it for one full minute, then plug it back in and wait a few minutes.
- Hard reload the page with Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows or Chromebook, or Cmd+Shift+R on Mac.
Flush your DNS cache
A stale DNS record on the computer or inside Chrome can keep sending you to a failed lookup.
- On Windows, open Command Prompt as administrator, run ipconfig /flushdns, and wait for the success message.
- On Mac, open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder, then enter your Mac password if requested.
- In Chrome, open chrome://net-internals/#dns and click Clear host cache.
- Close and reopen the browser, then try the site again.
Switch to a different DNS server
If your internet provider DNS is unreliable, a public DNS provider can restore lookups.
- On Windows, open Settings > Network & Internet, choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, open the active connection, and edit DNS server assignment.
- Set IPv4 DNS manually with 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, then save.
- On Mac, open System Settings > Wi-Fi, click Details, choose DNS, add 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1, then apply.
- Restart the browser and test the site.
More control
One site may be broken
If every other site works, the destination site may have a DNS outage or misconfiguration. There is nothing to repair on your computer in that case, so check a status service or try later.
Check router DNS
If the error keeps returning across devices, log in to your router and review its DNS settings. A router-level DNS change fixes every device on the network.
Test VPN and security software
VPNs and security suites can route DNS through their own servers. Disable them temporarily for testing, then turn protection back on.
Reset Windows networking last
If nothing else works, run netsh winsock reset and netsh int ip reset from an administrator Command Prompt, then restart. This can clear deeper network corruption but also resets custom network settings.
Sources
- Google Chrome Help – Fix connection errors (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Troubleshoot problems opening Microsoft Edge (2025)
- Cloudflare Learning Center – What is DNS? (2025)