How to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error in Google Chrome

What is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN is a browser error preventing users from visiting some desired pages in Google Chrome. It has quite similar symptomatic traits to other connection issues such as ERR_NETWORK_ACCESS_DENIED, ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED, and ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED as well. Users are oftentimes greeted with a message like “This site can’t be reached” offering no working solution to get over the problem. All errors of this type do not have one single cause of appearance – there can be a number of different reasons striking each user. This list of potential reasons usually comes from issues with DNS and IP-Address performance which become evident when trying to establish a website connection. This can be therefore caused by software conflicts, wrong configuration settings, and other hiccups leading to problems with the connection. If you are sure that the URL address of the website you are trying to visit is typed correctly and no basic solutions result in success, feel free to follow our tutorial below for an advanced list of resolution methods. There are 8 of them in total to try and succeed in opening problematic websites eventually.

1. Restart your router

The very first and fast-to-try method one should try when resolving the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error is to reboot the router (modem). Hold the power button at the back of the router for a couple of seconds until it turns off. Then, push the same button to power it back. Some users reported being unable to open a single website in their Google Chrome browser after getting late with internet payment. The issue got resolved immediately after the router was rebooted. Thus, make sure you try it yourself before moving on to further alternatives below.

2. Disable third-party antivirus

If you have a third-party antivirus installed on your PC, try to disable it and check whether you can visit the problematic pages again. Even legitimate and safe websites may get restricted by antimalware firewalls due to false security positives. If after disabling your antivirus, everything began working fine without connection problems, then your antivirus was the reason for that. If you plan to visit the website on a regular basis and do not want to be annoyed by the error, you should find a way to add the website to the antivirus whitelist. Otherwise, you may consider trying another less conflicting antivirus. Our advice is MalwareBytes – a trusted and talented team of experts constantly maintaining their software to combat both minor and global threats. It is now available for Windows 11 as well. You can download it now using the link below and try a 14-day trial of the ultimate antimalware experience for free.

Malwarebytes main window

Malwarebytes settings

Malwarebytes scan results

3. Disable Chrome Extensions

Some installed extensions that work in your browser may be the reason for being unable to access certain browser pages. If this is an unpopular and badly-developed browser add-on, it may conflict with opening some browser pages. We, therefore, advise you to disable third-party and check if it helps. In case nothing changes, feel free to turn them back on.

1. Open Chrome and click on three-dot icon in the top right corner.
2. Hover your mouse over More tools and select Extensions.
3. Disable all the third-party extensions by clicking on the blue toggle.

After performing these steps, open the same domain you experienced problems with and confirm if something has changed.

4. Clear browser data

Another quick solution that could effectively deal with some errors is to declutter your browser from overloaded files like cache. Some browser elements memorized by Chrome after browsing various pages may create incompatibility problems while opening certain pages. Clearing up your browser data may not only resolve the issue but also increase browser performance and free up some space. Note that clearing browser data may log you off from websites you visited before. Thus, make sure you remember your log-in credentials afterwards.

1. Click on three-dot icon in the top right corner as we did above.
2. Got to More tools and choose Clear browsing data….
3. At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select All time.
4. Check the boxes next to Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
5. Then click on Clear data.

Restart your browser and try to open the website again.

5. Reset Chrome Flags

If you experimented with enabling various so-to-say “beta-test” features. They are experimental and may not be fully optimized to work well with other default settings in the Google Chrome browser. We therefore recommend you to reset them all by going to Chrome Flags. To do this, follow the short list of steps below:

1. Open your browser and type chrome://flags into the search line.
2. Click on Reset all in the top right corner and Relaunch Chrome.
3. After restarting your browser, try to open the same problematic page again.

Although this is less likely to help, we still recommend you try such easy methods before moving on to more advanced ones.

6. Reset TCP/IP

TCP/IP is a set of fundamental protocols used to set up proper communication for the Internet and similar computer networks. Resetting these protocols may help you get back to normal internet configuration and circumvent the error. Here is how:

1. Find Command Prompt by typing cmd into the searching box. Then right-click on it and choose Run as administrator.
2. In the opened window, you should paste these commands one by one by clicking Enter after each.

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

3. Close the console and the problem should disappear itself. If not, try to paste the following commands in the same manner.

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew

Hopefully, these steps will solve the problem and help you acquire access to the website you need.

7. Change address in DNS settings

As mentioned in the beginning, issues like DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN tend to originate from improper DNS settings. This configuration can sometimes be accidentally changed after some manipulations. It may also be set to finding the server automatically, but not find the right one eventually. Whatever the reason for that, follow our instructions below in order to set up DNS settings the right way:

To change DNS and IP:

1. Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections.
2. Double click on your connection name.
3. Click on Properties.
4. Double click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
5. Mark Use the following IP address and Use the following DNS server addresses.
6. Change IP address, Subnet mask, Default gateway, and DNS according to the underneath image



As an alternative, you may also change your DNS address to 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 is the former two on the screenshot above do not resolve the issue.

8. Check contents of “hosts” file

If this is specific but not many websites you are struggling with, then this method could be a potential resolution for you. In essence, the “hosts” file is a native Windows file used to map a connection between the web address and its IP Address. However, the same file can also be used for restricting to visit a certain website. Check whether the website name is listed out there along with this localhost address 127.0.0.1 and modify entries using the following steps:

1. Go to Local Disk (usually C:\) -> Windows -> System32 -> Drivers -> etc.
2. Open the hosts file with notepad.
3. If you see the web address that you cannot visit, delete that entire line from the hosts file and save it.
4. Now open Chrome and see if your problem has been solved.

9. Reset Google Chrome

If you are facing connection difficulties only in Chrome, but no other browsers, then there might be a problem with the browser itself. The best way to ensure no third-party extension or data is causing the conflict is to reset your Google Chrome to factory settings. This means everything gathered and kept by your browser like cookies, passwords, accounts, configuration, and other aspects will be deleted and rolled back to their starting point. Please note what accounts and passwords have been used in Chrome to log in to them after performing a reset. Here is what you need to do to reset Google Chrome:

1. Open Chrome browser.
2. At the top right corner, click More (three vertical dots) and then Settings.
3. Look at the left panel and expand Advanced.
4. Click Reset and clean up, and choose Restore settings to their original defaults. Confirm the action by clicking Reset Settings.
5. Wait until Chrome ends up restored and try to open the same web-page again.

Summary

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN should no longer be a problem hindering your web page visits. If there is anything else deteriorating your PC, Mac, or Android experience, explore our website for other available guides that may be able to help you.