How to Fix 'DNS Server Not Responding'
“DNS server not responding” is one of the most common connectivity errors, and it almost always means the problem is with DNS resolution specifically — your internet connection may otherwise be working fine. Here’s how to fix it, in order of how likely each step is to work.
What’s actually happening
When you visit a website, your device asks a DNS server to translate the domain name (example.com) into an IP address it can connect to. If that DNS server doesn’t reply — because it’s down, unreachable, misconfigured, or your device can’t reach it — you get this error. The website itself is usually fine; the translation step is failing.
Fix 1: Restart your router and device
The oldest fix, and still often the right one. Power-cycle your router (unplug for 30 seconds), then restart the device having trouble. This clears transient network state that can interfere with DNS resolution.
Fix 2: Flush your local DNS cache
Your device caches DNS lookups locally to avoid repeating them. If a cached entry is stale or corrupted, it can cause this exact error even when the actual DNS server is fine.
Windows:
ipconfig /flushdns
macOS:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Linux (systemd-resolved):
sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches
Fix 3: Change your DNS server
If your ISP’s DNS server is slow, overloaded, or down, switching to a public resolver often fixes the issue immediately. Two reliable, free options:
| Provider | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | 1.1.1.1 | 1.0.0.1 |
| 8.8.8.8 | 8.8.4.4 |
On Windows: Network Settings → Change adapter options → right-click your connection → Properties → Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Properties → set DNS servers manually.
On macOS: System Settings → Network → select your connection → Details → DNS → add the servers above.
On a router: most admin panels have a WAN or DHCP settings page with a DNS server field — check your router manufacturer’s documentation for the exact path.
Fix 4: Temporarily disable your firewall or antivirus
Some security software intercepts DNS traffic and can misfire, blocking legitimate DNS responses. Temporarily disabling it (briefly, for testing only) can confirm whether it’s the cause. If disabling it fixes the issue, check the software’s DNS or network protection settings rather than leaving it off.
Fix 5: Update your network adapter driver
An outdated or corrupted network adapter driver can cause intermittent DNS failures that look identical to a server-side problem. On Windows, check Device Manager → Network adapters → right-click → Update driver. On macOS, this is handled through system updates.
Fix 6: Try a different network
If the error only happens on one network (e.g. home Wi-Fi but not mobile data), the problem is specific to that network’s DNS configuration — likely the router or ISP — rather than your device. This is a useful diagnostic step even if it’s not a permanent fix.
Confirming DNS is working again
Once you’ve applied a fix, confirm resolution is working by querying a known-good domain with the free DNS Lookup tool, or from the command line with nslookup:
nslookup google.com
If that returns an IP address cleanly, DNS resolution is working again.