DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN: What is it and How to Fix it?

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN is an error in a user’s web browser over a computer network when the web browser cannot find the website the user wants to visit. This error is related to your internet connection’s DNS (Domain Name System). DNS acts as a mediator that enables communication between a website’s domain name and the server in a computer network.

When a user encounters this error, the website cannot be browsed in the browser or any other browser. It simply means that a user is unable to surf through a website at all. Thus, to access the website, it is important to resolve this issue that persists in a user’s DNS.

Note: If your website is hosted with Vodien, you are welcome to contact our support team to help you fix the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. Explore our web hosting and dedicated server hosting plans to learn more about the solutions we offer.

What is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error?

Acting as a mediator, the DNS organizes various IP addresses for domains with different domain names. DNS converts a normal, human-friendly domain name to a computer-interface domain name. For example, a domain name like vodien.com will be converted into an IP address (numeric) that a computer server interface can interpret.

This domain name and IP address connection over a computer network is known as DNS resolution. A DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error occurs when the DNS is unable to find the IP address of a particular domain name. NXDOMAIN means non-existent domain, which explicitly means that the domain resolution is unsuccessful in this case.

There are various other annoying errors caused by DNS resolution issues, such as the 502 Bad Gateway Error.

Why does DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN occur?

There are multiple reasons for a DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error on a computer network, starting with:

1. Expired Domain Name

The simple reason could be that the DNS name you input in your browser might be expired, mistyped, or just unregistered on the server network.

2. DNS misconfiguration

The culprit for the resolution error might be DNS itself, as its settings could be altered due to some reason that may interfere with the resolution error.

3. Browser cache issues

Accumulation of excess cache that is outdated in the server’s DNS can also cause the resolution to fail, which may lead to an NXDOMAIN error.

4. VPN or antivirus interference

A user’s VPN or antivirus software used for surfing the internet can also cause a DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error in resolution, as their settings might interfere with the domain’s DNS.

5. CDN problems

A computer-distributed network (CDN) uses various distributed servers to provide users with data specific to their location. Sometimes, alterations in CDN can also lead to errors in DNS resolution due to improper caching or configuration settings.

How to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN?

Several ways can be used to fix the DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN error, such as:

Method 1: Flush the DNS cache

Flushing the outdated cache can solve this error for a user. When you flush the DNS cache, you remove any stored DNS data that may be corrupted or outdated. This allows your system to fetch fresh DNS records. Here’s how to do it:

For Windows:

Step 1: Go to the start button and then input ‘cmd.’ You will see the command prompt. Right-click on it and choose “Run as administrator”.

Step 2: Type in “ipconfig /release” and press Enter

Step 3: Type ‘ipconfig /flushdns’ and then proceed with OK.

Step 4: Now type “ipconfig /renew” and press Enter. Your IP address should be renewed now.

For macOS:

Step 1: Open your Terminal app; you can find it in your application directory.

Step 2: Type dscacheutil-flushcache, and then click on the Return key.

Chrome:

1. Open the Chrome Browser.
2. Open a new tab.
3. Then type ‘chrome://net-internals/#dns’.
4. Click on the clear host cache option.

Method 2: Release and renew the IP address.

A problem with the internet connection or DNS causes DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN. Thus, releasing and renewing the IP address is sensible, as the issue is usually on the user’s end.

Release and renewal of IP addresses can be done on Windows and macOS as follows:

For Windows, the following steps need to be followed:

1. Use the Windows key and type cmd.
2. Open the command prompt.
3. Run it as an administrator.
4. Type ‘ipconfig/release’ and then click enter. This completes the IP address release.
5. Now, type ‘ipconfig/renew’ to get a new IP address for your computer network.

For macOS, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to the system preferences. You can do this by clicking on the Apple icon, which you will find in the upper left corner.

2. Then, go for the network icon.
3. Open the Advanced option.

4. In the tab that shows how TCP/IP can be used to renew an IP address, click on the ‘renew DHCP lease’ option. This will renew your macOS’s IP address.

Method 3: Change DNS Servers:

Generally, by default, your IPS (internet service provider) provides you with a DNS. However, when you face an error like DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN, a user can easily switch to a public DNS server. Steps for fixing DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN for Windows, macOS, and Chrome are as follows:

For Windows,

1. Go to the control panel.
2. Select ‘network and internet.’ Then, ‘network and internet sharing.’
3. Click on the option’ change adapter settings.
4. Open WIFI properties by right-clicking on the mouse pad.
5. Click on the option of ‘Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)’
6. Then click on ‘Select the following DNS server address.
7. Complete this process by inputting Google’s public DNS server IPs (IP addresses 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).

For macOS

1. Go to the system preferences.
2. Click on the network icon.
3. Go to the advanced settings.
4. Under the DNS tab, click on the option that shows ‘+ add IPv4 or IPv6 address’.
5. After the process is complete, restart your Mac once.

For Chrome,

1. Go to Chrome settings.
2. Click on the advanced settings option.
3. Click on the system and then open the computer’s proxy settings.
4. Click on connection, and then go to LAN settings.
5. Uncheck the automatically detected settings.
6. Input the IP address you want to use for your preferred DNS server and alternate DNS server, and then click the OK option.

Method 4: Restart DNS Client Service:

For a Windows-based computer, a user can restart the DNS client service to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN. They have plenty of options at their disposal, which are as follows:

To use Service Manager, open the command prompt and refer to these steps:

Step 1: Open up the Command Prompt Window (Shortcut: Windows Logo + R)

Step 2: Type ‘services.msc’ in the command prompt, or select it from the dropdown menu.

Step 4: Scroll down to the DNS client, right-click on it, and proceed using the Restart option.

For System Configuration, refer to the steps given below:

1. Go to the Windows logo and type ‘cmd’ in search.
2. Click on Run it as Administrator.
3. Type ‘msconfig’ and then click on enter.
4. Scroll to the DNS client, right click, and then use the restart option.

Using the Command Prompt, you can refer to the following steps:

1. Open the command prompt by clicking on the Windows key and then typing “cmd”. Once again, run it as an administrator.
2. Then type the following commands:

1. ‘net stop dnscache’,
2. ‘net start ‘dnscache’

3. If Windows supports this option, it should change your IP address. Otherwise, it may show an error by tagging it as an ‘invalid service.’

If the above steps have not worked, try the following methods.

Method 5: Check Local Hosts File:

A user can check their host files on both Windows and macOS by referring to the steps given below. We will use Visual Studio Code for this demonstration, but you can do it in any text editor (Notepad, Notepad++ will also do):

For Windows:

Step 1: Open VS Code on Windows. Right-click on it, and then run it as an administrator.

Step 2: Click on the Files menu and select Open File (Shortcut: Control + O).

From the menu, go to the following location:

C:>Windows>System32>drivers>etc

Step 3: Make sure to select all files. Otherwise, local host files will not open as they are hidden. Select “hosts” and click on “Open”.

Now you will see a list of websites in the following format:

IP Address                www.examplewebsite.com                # source server

You need to make sure that the website you are trying to view is not a part of this list. If it is, you will need to remove it (in the same format as shown above).

For macOS:

Step 1: Open the terminal application in the OS.

Step 2: Click on host files in the terminal.

Step 3: Type ‘cd/’ command and press the enter button.

Step 4: Then type this command to open the editor option: ‘sudo nano /private/etc/hosts,’ press enter, and type your password.

Method 6: Reset Chrome Flags:

Changing Chrome settings or Chrome flags can also cause this DNS resolution error, which you can reset by following these steps:

1. Open Chrome and then open a new tab.
2. In that tab, type ‘chrome://flags.’
3. Click on the option ‘reset all to default.’
4. Restart your Chrome after this, and the flag reset will be complete.

Method 7: Disable antivirus or VPN:

Antivirus or VPN can sometimes interfere with a user’s DNS settings or configuration. Thus, to solve this, one can also disable their antivirus or VPN on Windows or macOS as follows:

For Windows:

(VPN):

1. Open the control panel by going to the settings and searching for them.
2. Click on network and connections.
3. Select VPN, then click on Disconnect to disconnect your currently connected VPN.

(Antivirus):

1. Go to settings and click on privacy and security.
2. Click on Windows security and then on virus and threat protection.
3. Click on Manage Settings, and then click on the toggle to turn it off.
4. Allow the administrator panel to show up and click yes.

For macOS:

(VPN):

1. Go to system preferences, then click on network.
2. Select the VPN currently in use and disable it.

(Antivirus):

1. Again, go to system preferences.
2. Toggle to the firewall option.
3. Disable the firewall or disable the external VPN service that is currently in use.

Method 8: Temporarily Turn Off Your CDN:

The DNS resolution failure can also be resolved by temporarily turning off your CDN. A user can do this by following these steps:

Taking the example of Cloudflare CDN, we can do this in two ways:

1. Log in to your Cloudflare account and select a domain.
2. Once the domain is selected, click on the overview tab.
3. Scroll down to the advanced settings panel.
4. Click on Remove site from Cloudflare.

The second way we can do this is by using the cPanel:

1. Log in to cPanel and then press the Cloudflare software option.
2. Select the website’s domain you want to remove.
3. Scroll down and click on the option ‘remove the domain from Cloudflare.’

Method 9: Reboot the Internet Connection

A simple reboot of the internet connection can also fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. One can follow these steps to reboot their modem and router:

For modem:

1. You can unplug the power cord from the modem.
2. Give it a buffer of 30 seconds to allow any residual power to be drained.
3. Plugin the modem and allow it to boot again; this will reboot your modem.

For router:

1. Again, unplug the router cord from it.
2. Wait for 2 minutes to drain any residual power.
3. Plugin and let it boot up.

Method 10: Restart Your Computer:

Lastly, we are only left with the option of restarting your computer.

For Windows:

1. Click on the start button.
2. Click on the power button.
3. Click on the restart button.

For macOS:

1. Click on the top-left apply icon.
2. Click on restart.

The user can quickly recover their tabs by using the ‘history’ option in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge to restore their tabs. A user can also use the Session Buddy Chrome extension to save the opened tabs and quickly recover them at restart.

The extension is designed to provide users with quick recovery upon restarting the browsers. Several features, like session restoration, bookmarking, and tab management, enhance the browsing experience.

Conclusion

A DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN causes a user’s website to become inaccessible on the computer network they are using or on all the computer network servers. This guide discusses various methods to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error so users can ensure they have easy access to websites without interruption.

If you are facing a similar issue, follow the steps we have discussed, such as flushing the DNS cache, changing DNS servers, rebooting the internet connection, and more. This will resolve any problem and enable you to browse the internet smoothly and complete desired tasks by accessing the content you need!