How to Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error?

Whether you’re browsing the Internet on your PC or mobile, there are many technical errors that could happen. Like you might be trying to open a website but couldn’t access it due to DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error or something similar. In this guide, we’ll discuss some working solutions to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error on different devices including PC and mobile devices.

What is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN?

To understand what this error code means you need to understand what happens when you make a web search. When you type a URL into your web browser, the DNS, or Domain Name Server translates the Domain Name into the corresponding or matching IP address so that you are able to access the website you wish to visit. This is because IP addresses are not so easy to remember, for instance, the domain name for something maybe microsoft.com, but the corresponding IP address is 74.125.224.72.

What Causes DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error Code?

The DNS does not always successfully translate the Domain Name and as a result, you will see the “dns_probe_finished_nxdomain” error code.

Please note that there are other error codes beginning with “dns_probe_finished….”. But whenever you see “NXDOMAIN” at the end, it simply means Non-Existent Domain).

Now that you know what the error code means and what causes it, it is time to explore some possible solutions.

How to fix “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN” Error?

1# Restart the DNS Client

This method works most of the time. While we restart the DNS Client, any conflict or technical glitch gets wiped off. So, most probably, this should help you fix error on your Windows laptop/desktop. Just follow the below steps:

1. To restart the DNS you will have to:
2. Press Ctrl+R / Win+R to open the Run command
3. Type services.msc and press ok/enter
4. When the service window pops up, click D to jump to the DNS client option
5. Right-click the DNS client and select ‘restart’ from the drop-down menu
6. Wait a few minutes and then try surfing again

2# Alter DNS IP Address

If you find that first method just doesn’t seem to work, you could try altering the DNS IP address. There are a lot chances that such errors are corrected post applying this thing. Here’s how do that on Windows:

1. To alter/change the DNS IP address you will have to first check your DNS:
2. Open ‘Control Panel’
3. Open ‘Network and Sharing Centre’ and click on ‘Ethernet’
4. Click the ‘Details’ option to view IPv4 DNS

(This is just to check what DNS you are currently using, if you are using the default DNS you should switch to Google’s public DNS)

To actually change your DNS IP address, you will have to:

1. Go back into the ‘Control Panel’ and ‘Open the Network and Sharing Centre’
2. Click ‘change adapter settings’
3. Right-click your current network and select ‘properties’ from the drop-down menu
4. From this menu select ‘Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)’ and click ‘Properties’
5. Another window will pop up, search for ‘Use the following DNS server addresses’, where you will see ‘Preferred DNS server as 8.8.8.8 and set Alternate DNS server as 8.8.4.4’.
6. Click ‘Ok’.

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3# Reset Winsock Program

Basically, Windsock is a program that handles input and output requests for Internet apps. This program works in Windows operating system. So, giving it a reset could possibly fix this error. Just follow the below commands to perform this action:

1. Open a run command using Ctrl+R / Win+R
2. Type ‘CMD’ and right-click the ‘Command Prompt’ option that pops up
3. Click ‘Run as administrator’
4. Type ‘netschwinsock reset’ and click enter
5.  Restart your computer and try surfing again

(Alternate commands include: ipconfig /releaseipconfig /allipconfig /flushdnsipconfig /renewnetshintip set dnsnetshwinsock reset)

4# Reset Chrome Flag Settings

If you’re facing this problem specifically on the Google Chrome browser, then you can apply these settings. There might be some settings or configurations that causing this error while you browse websites. Using the following steps, you can easily turn the default settings on the Google Chrome browser.

1. Type “chrome://flags/” into the address bar
2. Click ‘Enter’
3. From the settings page that pops up, click the ‘reset all to default’ option.

This should fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error that occurs on Google Chrome browser. After you reset the settings, make sure to close the Chrome browser and re-open it.

5# For the Android Operating system

While this problem generally happens on Windows OS, still there are chances that you might face it on your Android phone while browsing the internet using a mobile Google Chrome application. If face this problem frequently on your phone/device, use the following steps to rectify it:

1. Go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Wi-Fi’
2. Tap and hold onto the network you are currently connected to and select ‘modify/manage network setting’, then ‘Advanced options’
3. Click the arrow below ‘IP Settings’ and switch from ‘DHCP’ to ‘Static’
4. Scroll down to DNS 1 and DNS 2 options and type in the DNS IP addresses
5. Click ‘Save’

Other possible solutions involve temporarily disabling VPN or Antivirus on your computer, uninstalling and reinstalling internet browsers and disabling browser extensions or plugins.

It concludes this tutorial here. One of these should work and fix fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error on your computer/phone. If you still find it bothering you, leave your comments below. We help you out with further troubleshooting steps.