ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED: What It Means and How to Fix It

What ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED Actually Means Technically

When you type a URL, your browser sends a DNS query to resolve the hostname into an IP address. ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED means that query came back as a failure. There are three distinct failure types: NXDOMAIN means the name genuinely does not exist in DNS; SERVFAIL means the DNS server encountered an error processing the query; and a timeout means no response arrived at all. Chrome collapses all three into the same error message, but they have different diagnostic implications.

NXDOMAIN is a definitive "this domain has no DNS records." SERVFAIL usually points to a broken DNS server or misconfigured zone. A timeout often means your DNS server itself is unreachable — either the server is down or your internet connection is not working at all.

Most Likely Causes (Ranked)

1. Typo in the URL
2. The site's DNS records are misconfigured or the domain has expired
3. Your configured DNS server is unreachable
4. Family-safe or security filters are blocking the domain
5. Local hosts file has a bad entry overriding DNS
6. Router DNS misconfiguration pushing a broken resolver to all devices
7. Linux /etc/resolv.conf pointing to an invalid nameserver

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Step 1: Can you ping 8.8.8.8?

Open a terminal or command prompt and run ping 8.8.8.8. If this succeeds, your internet connection is working and the problem is DNS, not connectivity. If this fails, your connection itself is down — fix the network first.

Step 2: Is your DNS server reachable?

Run nslookup example.com to see which DNS server your system is using and whether it responds. If nslookup times out or returns a server failure, your configured DNS server is the problem. Note the "Server" IP shown at the top of the nslookup output — that is the resolver your OS is querying.

Step 3: Test with 8.8.8.8 directly

Run nslookup example.com 8.8.8.8 to bypass your current resolver and query Google's DNS directly. If this succeeds but your normal resolver fails, the issue is your DNS server, not the domain. If it also fails, either the domain genuinely doesn't exist or your connection is blocking DNS entirely.

Step 4: Double-check the URL

Simple typos account for a large share of these errors. Verify the exact spelling, check for missing or extra characters, and confirm the domain extension is correct.

Step 5: Flush DNS cache

Stale cached entries can cause this error even after a DNS problem is resolved on the server side.

• Windows: ipconfig /flushdns in an elevated command prompt
• macOS: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
• Linux: sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches or restart the DNS service
• Chrome browser cache: navigate to chrome://net-internals/#dns and click Clear host cache

Step 6: Switch DNS to 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1

Change your DNS resolver in your OS network settings or router. Use Google (8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1). Most ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED errors caused by a broken ISP DNS server disappear immediately after this change.

Step 7: Check the hosts file

The hosts file overrides DNS for specific entries. If an entry exists for the failing domain, your OS will use that IP instead of querying DNS — and if the IP is wrong or the entry is 0.0.0.0, the site will not load. On Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts. On macOS/Linux: /etc/hosts. Remove any custom entry for the failing domain.

Step 8: Check your router's DNS setting

Log into your router's admin panel (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) and look at the WAN or DNS settings. Some ISP-provided routers have a hardcoded DNS that can become unreachable. Setting your router to use 8.8.8.8 as a primary DNS fixes all devices on the network at once.

Domain Genuinely Doesn't Exist vs Resolver Problem

To distinguish between a genuinely nonexistent domain and a local resolver problem: query multiple resolvers. Run nslookup site.com 8.8.8.8 and nslookup site.com 1.1.1.1. If both return NXDOMAIN, the domain itself does not have valid DNS records — the site may be down, the domain expired, or it never existed. If one resolver succeeds and another fails, the issue is the specific resolver, not the domain.

Still Not Fixed? Rule Out Your Connection

If the steps above did not clear the error, verify the underlying internet connection is healthy. Run a speed test — if download, upload, and ping come back normal, the error is specific to DNS or one site's configuration. If the speed test also fails, the problem is at the network or ISP layer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED the same as DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN?

Very close — both are DNS lookup failures. NXDOMAIN specifically means the name does not exist in DNS; ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED is a broader Chrome error covering NXDOMAIN, SERVFAIL, and DNS timeouts. If Chrome says NXDOMAIN, the domain is definitively absent from DNS. If it just says NAME_NOT_RESOLVED, also check whether your DNS server itself is reachable.

How do I test if DNS is broken?

Open a command prompt and run nslookup google.com. If that fails, run nslookup google.com 8.8.8.8. If the second command succeeds but the first fails, your default DNS server is the problem — not the domain or your internet connection.

Can my router cause this error for all devices?

Yes. If the router's DHCP server hands out a broken or unreachable DNS server address to every device, all devices on the network will get ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED simultaneously. Check and correct the DNS settings in the router's admin panel.