Fix ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED: A Step-By-Step Guide

What Is ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED?

Type a URL, hit Enter, and instead of a page you get net::err_name_not_resolved. The browser couldn’t translate the domain name into an IP address. That translation is DNS — Domain Name System — and something broke in that chain.

The process works like this: your browser asks a DNS resolver for the IP address behind a domain. If the resolver has it cached, the answer comes back immediately. If not, it queries authoritative nameservers up the chain until it finds the record. When that chain produces no valid answer, you get this error.

Common causes include:

• Outdated DNS cache — the stored IP address is stale because the site changed servers.
• Browser-level DNS cache in Chrome holding an old record independently of the OS.
• Firewall or security software blocking DNS queries.
• Broken or slow ISP DNS servers.
• Incorrect IP entry in the local hosts file overriding DNS.
• DNSSEC misconfiguration preventing the domain from resolving correctly.

The error also shows up as ‘The webpage is not available’ or ‘The site can’t be reached’ depending on the browser.

Fix 1: Flush DNS Cache on Windows, Mac and Linux

The OS keeps its own DNS cache to speed up lookups. If a site has changed its IP and the old address is still cached, every DNS query returns the wrong answer before it even reaches the internet. Flushing it forces a fresh lookup.

Windows

Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

ipconfig /flushdns

You’ll see: “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.” That clears the windows flush dns cache in one shot. On Windows 11, clear dns cache windows 11 works the same way.

macOS

Open Terminal and run the appropriate command for your macOS version:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

This covers modern macOS versions. The flush dns cache mac command may differ on very old releases — check your specific version if you get an error.

Linux

On Ubuntu or Debian with systemd-resolved:

sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

On other distributions, restart the DNS service:

sudo service nscd restart

Linux flush dns cache commands vary by distro and DNS daemon. If unsure, check which resolver is running with:

systemctl status systemd-resolved

Fix 2: Clear Chrome DNS Cache and Disable Page Preloading

Chrome doesn’t rely on the OS DNS cache alone. It keeps its own internal cache at chrome://net-internals/#dns. Flushing the OS cache won’t touch this one.

Clear Chrome’s DNS cache

• Open Chrome and paste chrome://net-internals/#dns into the address bar.
• Click Clear host cache.

While you’re there, also clear cookies and site data under Privacy and security > Delete browsing data. Stale cookies can cause DNS-related access failures independently of any caching issue.

Disable Chrome page preloading

Chrome’s ‘Preload pages for faster browsing and searching’ feature prefetches DNS entries for sites you might visit next. Useful in theory, but it can lock in stale DNS lookups and trigger the error.

• Go to Settings > Performance > Speed.
• Scroll down to ‘Preload pages’.
• Toggle it off.

This stops Chrome from pre-resolving domains in the background and eliminates a non-obvious source of the err_name_not_resolved chrome error.

Fix 3: Reset Firewall and Switch to a Public DNS Server

Firewall software intercepts network traffic. A misconfigured rule can block DNS queries entirely, making every domain unreachable. Resetting it to defaults is the quickest diagnostic.

Reset Windows Firewall

• Open Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall.
• Click Restore defaults in the left sidebar.
• Confirm by clicking the Restore defaults button.

If you’re running third-party antivirus or firewall software, check its settings or temporarily disable it to confirm whether it’s the cause.

Switch to a public DNS server

If the firewall isn’t the issue, the problem may be your ISP’s DNS server. Switch to one of these:

To change dns server on Windows 11:

• Open Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
• Click Change Adapter Settings.
• Right-click your active network adapter and select Properties.
• Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
• Select ‘Use the following DNS server addresses’ and enter the values above.
• Click OK.

On macOS: System Preferences > Network > Advanced > DNS tab > click + to add a DNS server.

On Linux, edit /etc/resolv.conf with sudo and add:

nameserver 8.8.8.8 nameserver 8.8.4.4

Fix 4: Add the Domain to Your Hosts File

Before making any DNS query, your OS checks the local hosts file for a matching domain-to-IP entry. If it finds one, DNS is bypassed entirely. This makes the hosts file both a diagnostic tool and a workaround.

If you add the correct IP for a domain and the site loads, you’ve confirmed the problem is DNS on the client side, not a server issue.

Hosts file locations

• Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (open with Notepad as Administrator)
• macOS / Linux: /etc/hosts (edit with: sudo nano /etc/hosts)

Add a line in this format:

93.184.216.34   example.com

Replace the IP with the actual IP address of the site (check via ping or an online IP lookup tool). The hosts file windows 11 location is the same as in Windows 10.

Remove the entry once DNS is working correctly — leaving manual entries in the hosts file long-term causes its own access problems when IPs change.

Fix 5: Test with a Different Internet Connection

Not every ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED problem lives on the device. Your router’s DNS settings or your ISP’s resolver could be the problem.

Two quick tests:

• Connect your computer to a mobile hotspot from your phone and try the site. If it loads, your router or ISP is the cause.
• Connect multiple devices to the same network and try the same site. If all of them fail, the network is definitely the issue.

If the network is at fault: power off the router completely, wait 30 seconds, then power it back on. Wait for the internet light to stabilize before reconnecting.

If the problem persists even after the router reboot, contact your ISP. They may have DNS server issues on their end — a known cause of widespread err_name_not_resolved errors that no client-side fix can solve.

Fix 6: Disable DNSSEC for Your Domain

DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to DNS records to prevent spoofing. When it’s configured correctly, it’s invisible. When it’s misconfigured, it can prevent the domain from resolving at all.

Check whether DNSSEC is the problem: look up the domain on WHOIS. If DNSSEC is listed as signed, and none of the previous fixes worked, the cryptographic records may not match what’s on your authoritative nameservers.

If this is someone else’s domain: there’s nothing you can do from the client side. Report it to the domain owner.

If this is your domain:

• Log in to your domain registrar’s control panel.
• Navigate to DNS or Nameservers settings.
• Find the DNSSEC tab and remove any DNSSEC records listed there.

Disabling DNSSEC removes the cryptographic layer but lets the domain resolve again. You can re-enable it later once the signing chain is set up correctly. The disable dnssec godaddy process follows the same pattern — find the DNSSEC section in domain settings and delete the DS record.

ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED FAQs