What does DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN mean

  • The DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error indicates that the browser cannot find the server's IP address.
  • The main causes include incorrect DNS settings and Internet connection issues.
  • Clearing the DNS cache can help resolve the error in many cases.
  • Switching to public DNS servers like Google DNS or OpenDNS is an effective solution.

dns_probe_finished_nxdomain error

Almost all Windows users have had to deal more than once with the error DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN. This is a message that appears on the screen to indicate that the web browser has not been able to find the IP address of the server. As a result of this, it is impossible to access the website we want to go to.

In today's article we will explain how this problem can arise, what its main causes are and, above all, how we can do to solve it:

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error

If you are wondering what exactly DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN means, the answer is quite simple: this error appears when the domain name system is unable to resolve a website URL to an IP address. That "NXDOMAIN" displayed in the error code means that the domain is non-existent.

err cache miss
Related article:
How to fix ERR_CACHE_MISS error

Depending on the browser we use, the error is accompanied by a different text, although in reality they all communicate the same thing:

  • In Google Chrome: This site can't be reached.
  • In Mozilla Firefox: hmm. We're having trouble finding that site. 
  • In Microsoft Edge: Hmm… can't reach this page.
  • In Safari: Safari Can't Find the Server.

As for the possible causes that generate this error, they can be very varied: from a bad DNS configuration to a server response failure, going through the usual Internet connection errors and even a firewall block.

Solutions for DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error

Since there is no single reason for this error to occur, there is also no single way to fix it. Next, we list the most effective methods that we are going to be able to resort to:

Clear the DNS cache

It often happens that the source of the error is an outdated IP address. In these cases, clear the DNS cache that keeps the IP address of the sites we visit It may be a simple way to resolve the issue. We can clear the cache in Windows by following these steps:

  1. First we click on the button Start.
  2. Then we look for the command prompt and right click selecting the option "Execute as an administrator".
  3. In the new window that appears we write: Ipconfig / flushdns
  4. Finally, we close the process by pressing Enter.

Change DNS servers

If the above has not worked, you can try changing the DNS servers. Keep in mind that, by default, any computer always uses the DNS provided by the Internet service provider. The solution could be change it to Google DNS or OpenDNS As follows:

  1. To start with, we open the Control panel and we are going to "Center network and sharing".
  2. In the window that opens, click on "Change adapter settings".
  3. Then, with the right mouse button, we click on the connection that we are currently using and we go to "Properties".
  4. Next we look for the option Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP / IPv4) in the list and again click on “Properties”.
  5. There are two spaces at the bottom of the tab General admission, which correspond to the preferred and alternate DNS server. Here we must select the option "Use the following DNS server addresses" by typing the public DNS IP addresses of Google or OpenDNS:
    • Google: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
    • OpenDNS: 208.67.220.222 and 208.67.222.220
  6. After making the changes, we click "OKAY".

Restart the DNS client service

Turning to DNS, this is another method we can try to get rid of the annoying DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. It can restart the DNS client service in various ways. One of them (the simplest) is this:

  1. We use the key combination Win + R to bring up the search bar. There we write: msconfig.
  2. Now we are going to "Services" and, within it, we look for the DNS Client option.
  3. Uncheck the box to disable the option and press «OK»
  4. Finally, we reboot the computer.

The second part of the process is to repeat the first two steps in the list above. Next, in the third step, we must re-check the box to enable the DNS Client and we restart again.

Check Local Hosts file

Another thing that can be tried is to verify that the website that we are going to visit is registered in the Local Hosts file. This is the file from our computer responsible for assigning domain names to different IP addresses. If a website is not registered there, the computer will load the site using information from the DNS system. Here are the steps for verification:

  1. In the search bar we write Memo pad, application that we open with the option "Execute as an administrator" with the right button.
  2. Then we will "Archive" and select open.
  3. In the text, we change the file filter of Text Documents (*.txt) to all files
  4. Next, we type the following in the address bar: %SystemRoot%:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc
  5. We double click on the hosts file.
  6. Finally we save the changes.

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