So, you’re a seasoned website owner. You’ve acquired your web hosting domain from hosting.co.uk. Your website works fine, but every now and then, when you try to connect to your website you run into a few errors. You get by on most days because some of these errors are pretty easy to fix. But there’s one pesky error you get that isn’t as easy to fix – the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. If you find yourself with the error that says DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN, there are many ways to troubleshoot this error.
Unlike most errors you may face when you’re hosting your own website, the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error is not specific to your Content Management System, but is most likely related to your internet connection. This error appears in this way in the Google Chrome browser.
Other browsers may simply say that they are unable to find the server, or that they can’t find or reach the site, but they may not explicitly state the problem in the way that Google Chrome does.
Rest assured, regardless of the browser you are using, the error is the same, and can be fixed in the same way.
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WHAT CAUSES THIS ERROR?
In order to understand the cause of this error, we will first discuss what the error means by breaking it up into parts. The first part, DNS_PROBE_FINISHED means that the browser has used your internet connection to attempt to connect the URL you enter into the address bar to the IP address of the domain server you are trying to reach. _NXDOMAIN means that the attempt failed because the domain was not found, and is therefore deemed Non-Existent. The attempt to connect fails because of a misconfiguration in your system’s Domain Name System (DNS). Learn more about DNS.
Method 1: Renew IP Address
The first option when attempting to fix the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error is to renew your computer device’s IP address. The quickest way to do this is by rebooting your network device. If you don’t want to do that, or it did not work, you can renew your IP address on Windows by opening a Command Prompt window and entering the ipconfig/release command to release the current IP address. Next, enter the ipconfig/flushdns command to remove your DNS cache. Finally, enter ipconfig/renew to renew your IP Address. On a Mac device, you can open up your network preferences, click “Advanced”, navigate to the TCP/IP tab, and click “Renew DHCP lease.”
Method 2: Disable any VPN and/or Antivirus Software you may be using
VPNs and Antivirus Software take control of and sometimes cause conflicts within your internet connection. You can find out if this is the cause of the error by disabling them temporarily. If, after doing so, you are able to connect to your website, then you will need to make a few changes to the software settings, or disable them whenever you want to access your website.
Method 3: Restart DNS Client Service (Windows)
Windows provides access to many of the services used on the system. These services can be reconfigured at will, if you know where to look. DNS on your Windows system is controlled by one such service, called the DNS Client Service. You can find this service by pressing the Windows key + R, then typing “services.msc” and clicking “OK.” In the window that opens up, scroll until you find “DNS Client,” right click, and click “Restart.”
Method 4: Reset Chrome Flags
Chrome provides experimental features, which can sometimes cause errors when enabled or changed accidentally. It may be worth a shot to reset these just in case that is the cause of your problem. Enter “chrome://flags” in the address bar, and click “Reset all to default” on the resultant page.
Method 5: Check your Local Hosts file
Say you are trying to reach the hosting.co.uk domain when you stumble upon the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error, but when you try another site with another domain you don’t get the error. That tells you that the error may be because your system is unable to connect to that domain. One reason for this could be that the domain is listed in your Local Hosts file. You can check the hosts file to see if the domain you are trying to reach is listed and remove it as follows:
On Windows, run your preferred text editor application as an administrator by write clicking the app icon in the start menu and clicking “Run as Administrator.” When the text editor opens up, navigate to your open file dialogue box (clicking “File” and then “Open”) and browse to the location: c:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\. Click on the hosts file and click “Open.” Identify and remove the domain you are trying to connect to.
On Mac, open a Terminal window and enter the following command:
Sudo nano /private/etc/hosts. Enter your system’s password to open the file to be edited. Navigate to the domain you are trying to reach and delete it.
Method 6: If all else fails
If none of the above options worked when you attempted to connect to the domain, your last resort would be to restart your device. There is a reason why this option is one of the most common when troubleshooting system errors. It is because restarting frees up a lot of the data being stored temporarily. This can cause minor problems on your computer. If all else fails, try a simple reboot.
Conclusion
Understanding the cause and meaning of the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error, or any error, for that matter, is the first step to troubleshooting and correcting the error so that it does not bother you again. The DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error can be frustrating, but attempting these troubleshooting options can solve your problem in no time. It is important to take note of any changes you make to the network settings on your domain, such as domain name changes, and on your computer system, such as IP address configuration changes.
These alterations may need to be reversed or corrected during the troubleshooting process.
Resetting your computer device’s IP address is the first option when attempting to correct the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. If this doesn’t work, you’ve ruled out the network as the cause of the error. Disabling VPNs and antivirus software is your second best bet, as these can take control of your computer’s network connection and cause conflicts in domain name resolution.
Try accessing another website to see if the error only occurs when you try to access one domain. If this is the case, then you’ve identified the problem being with your computer’s connection to that domain. You therefore need to check that the DNS configuration on the domain is correct.
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