ERR NAME NOT RESOLVED in Chrome Causes and How to Fix It

You type a URL into Chrome, hit Enter, and get slapped with ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED. The page never loads, Chrome gives you almost no useful detail, and the problem can stem from half a dozen different places — your browser cache, your operating system's DNS cache, your router, your ISP, or even the site itself. This guide cuts through the noise and gives you concrete commands and click-paths to isolate the real cause and fix it, whether you're on Windows, macOS, or Linux.

What ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED Actually Means

This error means Chrome sent a DNS query for the hostname you typed — say, example.com — and received no usable answer. The name was not resolved to an IP address, so Chrome could not open a TCP connection. It is purely a DNS failure, not a firewall or SSL issue. Possible causes include:

• A corrupted or stale entry in Chrome's internal DNS cache
• A corrupted or stale entry in the operating system's DNS resolver cache
• The wrong DNS server configured on your network adapter or router
• Your ISP's DNS servers experiencing an outage
• A misconfigured hosts file blocking the domain
• Antivirus or VPN software intercepting and mangling DNS queries
• The domain itself has a genuine DNS misconfiguration (rare, but it happens)

Step 1: Confirm the Domain Actually Resolves from Outside

Before you spend time fixing your machine, spend 30 seconds confirming the domain isn't just broken on the authoritative side. Use our DNS Lookup tool to query the domain's A record from multiple resolver locations. If you see a valid IP address returned globally, the problem is on your end. If the lookup returns nothing everywhere, the domain owner has a DNS problem and there is nothing you can do on your machine to fix it.

Step 2: Flush Chrome's Internal DNS Cache

Chrome maintains its own DNS cache completely separate from the OS cache. This is the fastest fix to try first and takes about 10 seconds.

1. In the Chrome address bar, type exactly: chrome://net-internals/#dns and press Enter.
2. Click the Clear host cache button.
3. Then navigate to chrome://net-internals/#sockets and click Flush socket pools.
4. Close and reopen Chrome, then retry the URL.

This resolves the error in a surprisingly large number of cases because Chrome's cache can hold a negative (NXDOMAIN) response for minutes after the underlying DNS issue has been fixed.

Step 3: Flush the Operating System DNS Cache

If Chrome's cache was not the problem, flush the OS-level resolver cache next.

Windows 10 and 11

Open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click Start, choose Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin)) and run:

The first command clears the DNS cache. The release and renew commands force your network adapter to re-request an IP and DNS configuration from your DHCP server, which also refreshes whatever DNS server addresses your router handed you.

macOS (Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia)

Linux (systemd-resolved)

The statistics command confirms the cache was actually cleared (Current Cache Size should be 0).

Step 4: Test DNS Resolution Directly with nslookup or dig

Before changing anything else, run a manual DNS query so you know exactly what your current resolver is returning.

Windows

The first command uses your current DNS server. The second forces the query through Google's public DNS. If the first fails but the second succeeds, your configured DNS server is the problem. If both fail, either your network has no internet access at all, or the domain genuinely does not exist.

macOS / Linux

Look at the ANSWER SECTION. A valid A record there means DNS resolution works through that server. An empty answer with NXDOMAIN or SERVFAIL in the status field tells you exactly what is wrong.

Step 5: Change Your DNS Server to a Public Resolver

If querying 8.8.8.8 directly worked but your default resolver did not, switch your DNS server permanently.

Windows 10 / 11

1. Open Settings → Network and Internet → Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) → click your connection → Edit next to DNS server assignment.
2. Switch from Automatic to Manual.
3. Enter 8.8.8.8 as preferred and 8.8.4.4 as alternate (Google), or 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare).
4. Save and retry Chrome.

macOS

1. Open System Settings → Network → select your active interface → Details → DNS tab.
2. Click the + button and add 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1.
3. Click OK and Apply.

Step 6: Check and Fix Your Router's DNS Settings

If multiple devices on the same network all show ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED, the problem is almost certainly in your router's DNS configuration. Log in to your router's admin panel and verify what DNS servers it is handing out via DHCP.

• TP-Link (most models): tplinkwifi.net or 192.168.0.1 → Advanced → Network → DHCP Server → DNS Address
• Netgear: routerlogin.net or 192.168.1.1 → Advanced → Setup → Internet Setup → Domain Name Server (DNS) Address
• ASUS: asusrouter.com or 192.168.1.1 → WAN → Internet Connection → DNS Server
• Most other routers: Try 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in your browser while connected to that network.

Set the primary and secondary DNS servers on your router to 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1 or 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4, save, and reboot the router. All devices on the network will inherit the corrected DNS settings on their next DHCP renewal.

Step 7: Check the Hosts File for Rogue Entries

Malware, VPN software, and some applications modify the hosts file to redirect or block domains. A bad entry there will cause ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED for specific sites even when all other DNS is working perfectly.

Windows

macOS / Linux

Look for any line that references the domain you are trying to reach. A line like 0.0.0.0 example.com or 127.0.0.1 example.com will block it completely. Delete any suspicious lines, save the file, flush the OS DNS cache (Step 3), and retry.

Step 8: Disable Chrome's Secure DNS (DoH) Temporarily

Chrome has a built-in DNS-over-HTTPS feature called Secure DNS. On some networks — particularly corporate networks, VPNs, or ISPs with captive portals — this feature breaks DNS resolution entirely because the DoH provider is unreachable or blocked.

1. In Chrome, go to Settings → Privacy and security → Security.
2. Scroll to Use secure DNS and toggle it off, or switch it from the current provider to With your current service provider.
3. Reload the failing page.

If this fixes the error, your network is blocking outbound DoH traffic (port 443 to specific IPs). You can either leave Secure DNS off, or switch it to a DoH provider your network does not filter.

Step 9: Check Antivirus and VPN Software

Security software frequently inserts itself into the DNS resolution chain. Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Avast, and several others run a local DNS proxy. If that proxy has a bug, gets confused, or loses its upstream connection, every DNS query fails. VPN clients are equally guilty — a split-tunnel misconfiguration or a DNS leak prevention feature can block all resolution when the VPN connection drops.

To test this, temporarily disable your antivirus's web shield or real-time protection and disconnect your VPN, then retry the URL. If it works, the software is the culprit. Check for updates to that software first; broken DNS proxy behavior is a well-known bug category that vendors fix regularly. If updates do not help, configure the software to exclude Chrome from DNS interception, or switch to a different product.

Step 10: Reset Chrome's Network Settings

If none of the above steps resolved the issue and the problem is only happening in Chrome (other browsers and command-line tools resolve the domain fine), resetting Chrome's network stack is worth trying.

Alternatively, try creating a fresh Chrome profile: go to chrome://settings/people, click Add, create a new profile, and test the URL in that profile without any extensions installed. If it works in the new profile, a Chrome extension in your original profile is intercepting DNS. Disable extensions one by one to identify the offender.

How to Verify the Fix Worked

After applying any fix, confirm resolution is working end-to-end rather than just assuming:

You should see a valid IP address in the nslookup output and successful ping replies (or at least a resolved IP even if ICMP is blocked). In Chrome, open chrome://net-internals/#dns and search for the domain — if there is a cached entry, it should show a valid IP, not an error.

How to Prevent ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED in the Future

• Use reliable public DNS resolvers. Configure 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 at the router level so every device benefits automatically.
• Keep Chrome updated. Google regularly patches DNS cache bugs in Chrome's network stack.
• Monitor your router's WAN DNS settings. Some ISPs push firmware updates that reset custom DNS settings back to their own servers.
• Be cautious with browser extensions. Ad blockers and privacy tools that intercept DNS can cause this error if they malfunction. Always keep them updated.
• Set up DNS monitoring for domains you own. If this error is being reported by your users about your site, you need alerting in place before they do. A simple external monitor checking your domain's A record every few minutes will catch DNS failures within seconds.

When the Problem Is on the Domain Owner's Side

Occasionally, ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED is not your problem at all. If the domain has expired, the hosting provider deleted the DNS zone, or the authoritative nameservers are unreachable, no amount of cache flushing or DNS server switching will help — the record simply does not exist anywhere to be found. In that scenario, contact the site owner or, if it is your own domain, log in to your DNS provider's control panel immediately to verify the zone is intact and the nameservers are still delegated correctly.