How to Easily Fix the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error (Ultimate 2023 Guide)

Hey there! If you‘re reading this, I‘m guessing you‘re feeling pretty frustrated right about now. You were just trying to browse the web like any normal day, but instead of your favorite website loading, you got slapped with the dreaded "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN" error. Ugh.

First of all, I want you to know that you‘re not alone. DNS errors are actually incredibly common. In fact, a study by GoogleCloudPlatform found that 12% of all website errors are DNS-related (Source). So while it may seem like the universe is conspiring against you, I promise there‘s light at the end of this annoying error message tunnel.

As a WordPress and Linux expert who has wrestled with my fair share of DNS demons, I‘ve put together this ultimate guide to help you vanquish the NXDOMAIN beast once and for all. I‘ll help you understand what‘s actually going on behind the scenes, walk you through a bunch of solutions that have worked for myself and others, and get you back to browsing in no time.

Sound good? Grab yourself a beverage and let‘s slay this thing together!

What Does DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Actually Mean?

Before we start troubleshooting, it‘s important to understand what the heck is actually happening when you see this error. Let‘s break it down:

DNS = Domain Name System. This is basically the phone book of the internet. When you type in a human-friendly web address like "wpbeginner.com", DNS is what translates that into the IP address of the server the website lives on, like "104.18.44.5".

NXDOMAIN = Nonexistent Domain. This is DNS‘s way of saying "I couldn‘t find an IP address associated with the domain name you entered".

So in a nutshell, when your browser spits out "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN", it‘s telling you that the domain name you‘re trying to access doesn‘t seem to exist from the perspective of your current DNS server.

There are a few different reasons this can happen:

The domain really doesn‘t exist (because you mistyped it or the website is defunct)
Your DNS cache is storing an outdated or incorrect entry for the domain
Your router, operating system or browser is misconfigured
Your ISP or DNS server is having issues or blocking the domain
The domain has moved servers and DNS just hasn‘t caught up yet

Now that you understand why you‘re seeing this obnoxious error, let‘s look at how to fix it.

Basic Troubleshooting Steps

Here are some quick and easy things you can try first before we dive into the more advanced fixes:

Double check the URL for typos. This may seem obvious, but you‘d be surprised how often people mistakenly type "goggle.com" or "facebok.com".
Refresh the page. On Windows, hit F5. On Mac, use CMD+R. This will make sure you‘re not looking at a cached error page.
Test the site on another device. Grab your phone and turn off WiFi so you‘re using mobile data. If the site loads normally, that means the problem is isolated to your primary computer or network and not the website itself.
Restart your web browser. Fully close out Chrome, Firefox, etc. and then re-open. This will clear out any funky temporary data that could be causing problems.
Try a different browser. If you normally use Chrome, try loading the page in Firefox or Safari. If it works there, you know the issue is Chrome-specific.
Reboot your device. The classic "turn it off and back on again". This will clear out your DNS cache and any corrupted temporary files.

If none of those worked, don‘t worry! It‘s time to bring out the big guns.

Advanced DNS Troubleshooting

For these next steps, I‘ll provide instructions for Windows, Mac and Linux. Feel free to skip to the section for your operating system.

Flush DNS Cache

One of the most common causes of NXDOMAIN errors is an outdated local DNS cache. Every time you visit a website, your operating system stores the domain-to-IP lookup in a temporary database to speed things up on repeat visits. But if the actual DNS information has changed for a site, your cache is now out of sync and can prevent you from accessing it. Flushing your DNS cache will clear out all those stale entries and force your computer to look up fresh information.

Windows

Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog
Type "cmd" and hit Enter to launch Command Prompt
Enter the following command and press Enter:
ipconfig /flushdns
You should see a message confirming the cache was flushed successfully.

Mac

Launch Terminal (you can search for it with Spotlight)
Type the following command and press Enter:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
You‘ll be asked to enter your admin password to confirm.

Linux

The exact command varies depending on your Linux distribution and version. Try one of the following:

sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches (Ubuntu 18.04+, Debian 10+, Fedora, etc.)
sudo service network-manager restart (older distros using network manager)
sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart (older distros using networking)
sudo /etc/init.d/nscd restart (distros using nscd)

Change DNS Servers

If flushing your cache doesn‘t work, the problem may be with the actual DNS servers you‘re using. By default, most people use the DNS servers provided by their ISP. But these servers can sometimes be slow, unreliable, or in worst cases, block certain websites.

Switching to a third-party DNS provider can not only resolve NXDOMAIN errors, but also speed up your browsing and improve security. Two of the most popular (and free) options are:

Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
Google: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

Here‘s how to switch:

Windows

Open Control Panel
Click "Network and Internet" then "Network and Sharing Center"
Click "Change adapter settings"
Right click on your main network adapter and choose "Properties"
Highlight "Internet Protocol Version 4" and click "Properties"
Select "Use the following DNS server addresses"
Enter 1.1.1.1 as the Preferred DNS Server and 1.0.0.1 as the Alternate
Click OK to save changes

Mac

Click the Apple menu and go to System Preferences
Click Network
Select your active network interface (usually Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
Click "Advanced" then go to the "DNS" tab
Click the + button to add a new DNS server
Enter 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
Click OK then Apply to save changes

Linux

Edit the /etc/resolv.conf file using your preferred text editor and root permissions, e.g.:
sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf
Comment out any existing nameserver lines with a #
Add new lines for Cloudflare‘s DNS:
```
nameserver 1.1.1.1
nameserver 1.0.0.1
```
Save changes and exit the editor

Tip: After changing DNS servers, make sure to flush your cache again using the steps from the previous section. This will ensure you have a clean slate going forward.

Check Your Hosts File

The hosts file is a local text file that lets you manually map domain names to IP addresses. In most cases you‘ll never need to edit this file, but it‘s possible a rogue entry could be hijacking your ability to access a site.

To check your hosts file:

Windows

Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog
Type C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts and click OK
Open the hosts file with Notepad or another text editor
If you see any suspicious looking entries, delete them or comment them out with a #
Save changes

Mac and Linux

Open Terminal
Enter the following command:
sudo nano /etc/hosts
Enter your admin password if prompted
Make any necessary changes (deleting or commenting out bad entries)
Press CTRL+X then Y to save changes

Disable IPv6

IPv6 is the latest version of the Internet Protocol, but it can sometimes cause issues with DNS lookups if not implemented properly by your ISP, router, or the websites you visit. While disabling it entirely isn‘t ideal, it can serve as a good troubleshooting step.

Windows

Open Control Panel
Go to Network & Internet > Network & Sharing Center
Click your active network adapter
Click Properties
Uncheck the box for "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)"
Click OK

Mac

Open System Preferences
Click Network
Select your active network interface
Click Advanced
Go to the TCP/IP tab
Change "Configure IPv6" to "Off"
Click OK and Apply

Linux

Open /etc/sysctl.conf in a text editor as root:
sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

Add the following lines at the end of the file:

net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6 = 1
net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6 = 1
net.ipv6.conf.lo.disable_ipv6 = 1

Save the file and run sudo sysctl -p to apply changes

Restart your browser after disabling IPv6 and try accessing the website again. If it works, you‘ve identified the culprit! I‘d still recommend re-enabling IPv6 and talking to your ISP or IT administrator about properly configuring it to avoid future issues.

The Nuclear Option: Editing Your Hosts File

If you‘ve tried all the steps above and still can‘t seem to shake the NXDOMAIN error, there‘s one last trick up my sleeve. It‘s a bit of a hacky workaround, but you can use your hosts file (which we looked at earlier) to manually hard-code the IP address for the domain you‘re trying to access.

Warning: This should only be used as a temporary troubleshooting measure, as it can cause other issues down the line. Don‘t forget to undo your changes once you‘re done!

To do this, you‘ll need to look up the IP address of the website:

Go to https://www.nslookup.io/
Enter your domain name and hit Lookup
Note the IP address in the "A" record section

Then edit your hosts file using the steps from earlier and add a new line at the bottom with the IP and domain:

23.22.109.17 mythicalbeastslayer.com

Replace those values with the IP you looked up and whatever domain you‘re having issues with. Save the file and flush your DNS cache one last time for good measure.

If you can access the site now, you‘ve proved there‘s some sort of DNS resolution issue happening between your device and the website. I‘d recommend reporting this to your ISP or the website owner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before we wrap up, let me address some common questions I see about NXDOMAIN errors:

Q: Is it possible my ISP is blocking the website?
A: Yes, some ISPs block certain domains for various reasons (legal issues, censorship, filtering harmful content, etc.). If you suspect this is the case, try contacting their support team. Using a VPN or third-party DNS can sometimes bypass these blocks.

Q: Could my antivirus or firewall be causing this?
A: Occasionally overzealous security software can block legitimate domains. Try temporarily disabling these programs and see if the NXDOMAIN error goes away.

Q: Does switching to a different DNS provider affect my privacy?
A: All DNS queries are unencrypted by default, meaning your ISP can snoop on the domains you‘re looking up. Cloudflare and Google both offer DNS-over-HTTPS which adds encryption. Cloudflare also has a privacy-focused policy of never selling or logging your data.

Q: The NXDOMAIN error went away but now the site is super slow!
A: This could indicate a problem with the website itself. It‘s a good idea to run the domain through a service like isitdownrightnow.com to check the site status. If it‘s down or sluggish for others, definitely reach out to the site owner to let them know.

You Made It!

Phew, you still with me? I know this has been a lot, but I hope you feel armed and dangerous in the battle against NXDOMAIN now. DNS can definitely be finicky at times, but with this guide in your pocket, I‘m confident you‘ll be able to tackle any NXDOMAIN curveballs thrown your way.

Before I bid you happy browsing, remember that technology is always evolving. While the info here is accurate as of 2023, it‘s a good idea to stay on top of DNS developments and best practices. Some solid resources for that are:

I really hope you found this guide helpful and educational. If you did, I‘d love it if you could share it with your friends or colleagues who might also be struggling with NXDOMAIN errors. Because in this crazy world of technology, we could all use a little help from our fellow humans.

Until next time!