As an experienced webmaster, I know how frustrating the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error can be. You type a website address into your browser and instead of the page loading, you get a cryptic error message.
But don‘t worry, this is a common issue that can be easily fixed in most cases by refreshing your DNS and network settings.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll explain what‘s causing the problem and walk you through the steps to get rid of the error quickly based on my 15 years of experience managing websites.
Contents
What Is DNS and How Does It Work?
To understand the NXDOMAIN error, we first need to cover some background on DNS.
The Domain Name System (DNS) is like the phonebook of the internet. It translates domain names that humans can understand (like example.com) into IP addresses that computers use to find the right website server.
Your computer doesn‘t connect directly to websites. First, it asks a DNS server to find the website‘s IP address. Then your browser can use this IP address to fetch the web pages.
When you type a web address in your browser, here‘s what happens behind the scenes:
- Your browser asks your computer‘s operating system to look up the domain‘s IP address
- Your OS checks its local DNS cache for any saved records
- If not found locally, your computer‘s DNS resolver will query your ISP‘s DNS servers
- These DNS servers search registry databases to find the domain‘s IP address
- The IP address is returned to your OS and passed to the browser
- Your browser can now use the IP to connect to the web server and load the website
This DNS process usually takes milliseconds to complete. But if anything goes wrong along the way, you‘ll get an error indicating the domain could not be found.
What Does the NXDOMAIN Error Mean?
NXDOMAIN stands for "Non-Existent Domain". This error means that the DNS servers checked did not have a record of the domain you tried to access.
Some common examples include:
- Typing the domain incorrectly in your browser
- The website domain has expired
- The domain name was migrated recently
- There‘s a temporary problem with the website‘s DNS configuration
According to Cloudflare statistics, NXDOMAIN makes up about 5% of all DNS error traffic on average. It‘s one of the most common DNS issues.
The specific error message varies across browsers:
| Browser | Error Message |
|---|---|
| Chrome | DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN |
| Firefox | Server not found |
| Safari | This site can’t be reached |
| Edge | Hmmm…can‘t reach this page |
But in all cases, it indicates the browser could not resolve the domain name you entered.
While it may seem like the website is down, the problem is usually with your computer or network connection instead.
Troubleshooting Steps to Fix the NXDOMAIN Error
Here are the steps I recommend to troubleshoot the NXDOMAIN error, starting with the simplest solutions first:
1. Check the domain name
Before going further, verify the domain name you entered is 100% correct. Even a small typo or missing letter will cause an NXDOMAIN error.
Look formixed up letters, misspellings, or incorrect Top Level Domains like .comm instead of .com.
If you clicked on a broken link, there could be a mistake in the URL. Double check that too.
2. Retry loading the page
A quick browser refresh can often fix temporary DNS hiccups:
- Chrome: Click the refresh icon or press F5
- Firefox: Click the refresh icon or press Ctrl + R
- Safari: Click the reload arrow icon or press ⌘ + R
- Edge: Click the refresh icon or press F5
This forces your browser to re-check the domain‘s DNS records. If it was a fluke error, reloading should load the page.
3. Clear your browser‘s DNS cache
Your browser caches DNS records for sites you visit to speed up subsequent loads. But sometimes these cached records become outdated, causing errors.
Flushing your browser cache resets its DNS and forces lookup of new records:
Chrome
- Click the 3-dot menu > Settings > Privacy and security
- Under "Clear browsing data", click Advanced
- Select "Cached images and files"
- Click Clear data
Firefox
- Click the 3-line menu > Options
- Go to Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
- Click "Clear Data"
- Check "Cached Web Content"
- Click "Clear"
Safari
- Click Safari > Clear History and Website Data
- Select "Cached files"
- Click Clear History
Edge
- Click the 3-dot menu > Settings
- Click "Choose what to clear" under Clear Browsing Data
- Check "Cached images and files"
- Click "Clear Now"
4. Flush your DNS cache
Your device also caches DNS records locally for faster lookups. But stale records can cause issues.
To flush your computer‘s DNS cache:
On Windows:
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator
- Type
ipconfig /flushdns - Press Enter
This clears out your local DNS cache.
On Mac:
- Open Terminal
- Type
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder - Press Enter
Try the website again after flushing cached DNS records on your system.
5. Reset your network connection
Resetting your network connection forces a refresh of any network-related settings that could be causing DNS lookup problems.
On Windows:
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator
- Type
ipconfig /releaseand press Enter - Type
ipconfig /renewand press Enter
This will release and renew your IP address.
On Mac:
- Open Terminal
- Type
sudo dhclient -rand press Enter - Then type
sudo dhclientand press Enter
Your IP will first be released then renewed.
6. Change your DNS servers
By default, your system uses your ISP‘s DNS servers. Switching to third-party public servers like Google or Cloudflare can resolve DNS issues:
Google DNS
- 8.8.8.8
- 8.8.4.4
Cloudflare DNS
- 1.1.1.1
- 1.0.0.1
To configure alternate DNS servers:
On Windows
- Go to Control Panel > Network & Internet > Network Connections
- Right click your active network > Properties
- Select Internet Protocol Version 4 > Properties
- Select "Use the following DNS server addresses"
- Enter the public DNS server addresses
On Mac
- Go to System Preferences > Network
- Select your connection and click Advanced
- Go to the DNS tab
- Enter the public DNS server addresses
7. Check the hosts file
The hosts file maps domain names to IP addresses locally. If it has incorrect entries, you may get DNS errors.
Verify the website you‘re trying to reach isn‘t incorrectly listed in this file:
On Windows:
- Open File Explorer
- Go to
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc - Open the
hostsfile in Notepad - Look for incorrect domain mappings and remove them
On Mac
- Open Terminal
- Type
sudo nano /etc/hosts - Remove any incorrect entries for the domain
- Press Ctrl + X to close and save
This will exclude the domain from incorrect static IP mappings.
8. Contact your ISP
If you‘ve tried all these steps and the NXDOMAIN error persists, there may be bigger network issues beyond your control. Contact your Internet Service Provider for help troubleshooting further.
Problems with their DNS servers, cached records, or infrastructure could be preventing successful DNS resolution. Your ISP can look into any server-side causes and fix them.
Avoiding the Error in the Future
While occasional DNS hiccups are normal, you can take some steps to prevent frequent NXDOMAIN errors:
-
Use a reputable DNS provider: Your ISP‘s DNS servers can sometimes have performance issues or outages. Switch to more reliable providers like Google, Cloudflare, or your domain registrar.
-
Monitor your DNS health: Use a site like DNSPerf to monitor your DNS servers‘ uptime and performance. Switch if you notice frequent failures.
-
Validate DNS changes: Before migrating websites or making big DNS changes, use a DNS propagation checker to validate records have fully updated.
-
Flush caches regularly: Periodically clear your browser and system DNS caches to prevent stale records.
Following the troubleshooting guide above and being proactive about your DNS reliability will help minimize annoying NXDOMAIN errors while browsing.
As a long-time webmaster, I hope you found this page helpful for resolving those frustrating DNS lookup failures. Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips for avoiding NXDOMAIN errors!
