If you see something like \u201cDNS server not responding,\u201d it means that your device cannot connect to the Domain Name System server that is responsible for translating human-readable domain names (e.g., google.com) into IP addresses your browser needs to open a webpage. It can reflect on all devices if the DNS resolution fails; the reason can be any, such as a blocked connection, a DNS server failure, misconfiguration, etc.<\/p>\n
But do not worry much, as most of the causes are easy to fix within minutes; we will discuss further in the blog below.<\/p>\n
Example to understand: Imagine DNS is the internet’s phone book. You have a name (google.com), but to make a call, you need a number (an IP address, such as 142.250.80.46). If the phone book is not reachable, nothing loads. even if your internet connection is perfectly fine.<\/p>\n
| What DNS Does<\/th>\n | What Breaks Without It<\/th>\n | What You See<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| \ud83d\udd0d Translates domain names to IP addresses<\/td>\n | The browser can’t locate the server<\/td>\n | \u274c “DNS server not responding.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| \u26a1 Caches recent lookups to speed up browsing<\/td>\n | Every request fails or times out<\/td>\n | \ud83d\udeab Pages won’t load at all<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| \ud83d\udd04 Routes your query through a resolver chain<\/td>\n | Resolution chain breaks at any point<\/td>\n | \u26a0\ufe0f Specific sites or all sites fail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nThese are the 3 Root Failure Types.<\/h2>\nAll DNS problems have one of three causes:<\/strong><\/p>\n You can enter 8.8.8.8 into your browser. If a page loads (Google’s homepage) but google.com does not, the internet connection is on, but the DNS resolution is not working. One test will quickly distinguish if the issue is a DNS problem or an internet issue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What Does It Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n Your DNS servers are set by your ISP. In the event of failure or if the DNS server is overloaded, all devices on the network lose their ability to resolve DNS names.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How to Confirm?<\/strong><\/p>\n If the error occurs on any device (phone, laptop, tablet), with the same Wi-Fi connection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n Use a different DNS server (public). Open your network adapter settings or router panel and enter 8.8.8.8 \/ 8.8.4.4 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 \/ 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare). No need to go through the ISP server.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n What Does It Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n You cache DNS lookups locally to enhance web browsing performance. It can fail even if the DNS server is healthy due to a crash or conflicting records.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How to Confirm?<\/strong><\/p>\n Use ipconfig \/flushdns to clear the error.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fix: Flush the DNS Cache<\/strong><\/p>\n Windows<\/strong><\/p>\n Run ipconfig \/flushdns in an elevated Command Prompt<\/p>\n<\/div>\n macOS<\/strong><\/p>\n Open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Google Chrome<\/strong><\/p>\n chrome:\/\/net-internals\/#dns \u2192 Clear host cache<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n What Does It Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n If the wrong IP or a typing error is entered while manually setting the DNS, then all lookups fail. It is a common error that occurs after changing to a Public DNS Provider or VPN setting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How to Confirm?<\/strong><\/p>\n The error started right after you changed a DNS setting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fix: Verify or Reset DNS Settings<\/strong><\/p>\n Open your network adapter’s IPv4 properties and check the DNS addresses are correct or go back to “Obtain DNS server address automatically” to reset default settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n What Does It Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n Your Router is the first place you should look for DNS queries. This happens when DNS fails on the entire network due to a Buggy Firmware Update, corrupted Router Cache, or overheating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0How to Confirm?<\/strong><\/p>\n All devices using the same Wi-Fi reflect the same error.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fix: Restart Your Router and Modem<\/strong><\/p>\n What Does It Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n Security software monitoring the DNS traffic on port 53 blocks legitimate DNS queries if the rule is too aggressive, it is often triggered by a software update or fresh install.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How to Confirm?<\/strong><\/p>\n Disabling the firewall or antivirus temporarily resolved the issue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fix: <\/strong><\/p>\n Re-enable your security software immediately after confirming. Next, look for a \u201cDNS protection\u201d or \u201cDNS filtering\u201d set for an exception for your DNS server address or update its software to its latest version.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0What Does It Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n A corrupted or outdated network driver causes intermittent DNS failures that can’t be fixed with standard fixes, most of them shows after major Windows Updates that alter driver compatibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How to Confirm?<\/strong><\/p>\n Press Windows + X to open the Device Manager, click Network adapters, right-click the adapter, select Update driver, and then Search automatically. You can also try downloading the latest driver from your manufacturer’s website manually and restarting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fix<\/strong><\/p>\n Press Windows + X to open the Device Manager, click Network adapters, right-click the adapter, select Update driver, and then Search automatically. You can also try downloading the latest driver from your manufacturer’s website manually and restarting.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n What Does It Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n If your internet connection is configured properly, you still may experience DNS issues if your VPN is misconfigured, and it routes DNS queries through a VPN tunnel that does not support DNS requests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How to Confirm?<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you disconnect from the VPN, there’s no more error!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fix<\/strong><\/p>\n Unplug VPN and test. If it works, then go to the settings of your VPN client, look for DNS leak protection or for custom DNS, and ensure it is set to a correct DNS server. If it continues, reinstall the VPN client or call the VPN provider’s support<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n |