What does ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED mean?

This error means your web browser cannot find the IP address associated with the domain name you typed. It usually indicates a breakdown in communication between your device, your local DNS cache, and the DNS servers responsible for translating the web address.

Can a poor internet connection cause this error?

Yes, intermittent internet connectivity or a failing Wi-Fi router can prevent your computer from reaching DNS servers. If your device cannot send queries to a resolver, name resolution fails across all websites.

How often should I flush my DNS cache?

You only need to flush your DNS cache when troubleshooting specific connectivity issues or after making recent changes to a website's hosting records. Regular flushing is unnecessary for daily browsing performance.

Why does a website work on my phone but not my computer?

This discrepancy usually means the issue is isolated to your computer's local network settings, browser configuration, or local DNS cache. Your phone is likely using a different network path or resolver that has a clean, uncorrupted cache.

How long does DNS propagation take after updating records?

DNS propagation typically takes anywhere from 5 minutes to 24 hours globally. The exact duration depends heavily on the Time-To-Live (TTL) values set on your previous DNS records and how aggressively recursive resolvers cache them.

How to Fix ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED DNS Error

The ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED error is a common browser message indicating that your computer cannot translate a website address into an IP address. This typically happens due to local DNS cache corruption, network configuration issues, or problems with the domain name servers you are using. Resolving this error requires systematically testing your local network stack, clearing stale cached data, and verifying that your domain records are pointing to the correct destinations.

Understanding How Name Resolution Works

When you type a web address into your browser, your computer initiates a complex lookup process to find the corresponding numerical IP address. Before asking external servers, your operating system checks its own local DNS cache. If the record is missing or outdated, the query goes to your configured recursive resolver—usually provided by your Internet Service Provider or a public service like Cloudflare or Google.

If any link in this chain breaks, your browser cannot locate the server, resulting in the dreaded name resolution failure. The breakdown could be on your local machine, within your local network router, or at the authoritative nameserver level if you own the domain in question.

Step 1: Perform a Comprehensive DNS Lookup

Before changing system configurations, you need to determine whether the issue is isolated to your device or if the domain itself is globally unreachable. You can check the current DNS propagation and record status using online diagnostic utilities. For instance, running a free DNS lookup tool allows you to query public nameservers instantly to see if A, AAAA, or CNAME records are returning valid IP addresses for domains like example.com.

If the online tool successfully returns an IP address but your browser still fails, the problem is local to your machine or network. If the tool fails to find any records, the domain's DNS configuration is likely broken at the registrar level.

Step 2: Flush Your Local DNS Cache

Operating systems store recently queried domain records in a local cache to speed up future browsing. Over time, these cache entries can become outdated or corrupted, especially if a website recently migrated to a new host or changed its IP address.

Clearing DNS Cache on Windows

Press the Windows key, type cmd, and open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
Type the following command and press Enter:

ipconfig /flushdns

You should see a confirmation message stating that the DNS Resolver Cache was successfully flushed.

Clearing DNS Cache on macOS

Open the Terminal application via Spotlight or your Utilities folder.
Depending on your macOS version, run the appropriate cache reset command. For modern macOS versions, run:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Enter your administrator password when prompted. The command executes silently, clearing all cached network entries.

Step 3: Change Your DNS Resolver Addresses

Sometimes the recursive resolvers provided by your internet service provider experience outages, throttling, or slow response times, leading to resolution failures. Switching to a reliable public DNS provider can instantly bypass these bottlenecks.

Popular Public DNS Providers to Use

Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
Google Public DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
Quad9: 9.9.9.9 and 149.112.112.112

To change your DNS servers on Windows, open Network Connections, right-click your active adapter, select Properties, open Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and manually enter your preferred server addresses. On macOS, navigate to System Settings, select your network connection, click Details next to your active connection, and edit the DNS tab.

Step 4: Reset Your Network Stack

If flushing the cache and changing resolvers does not work, your entire network stack—including TCP/IP configurations and socket connections—might need a complete reset.

Resetting Winsock and IP on Windows

Open an elevated Command Prompt and execute the following commands sequentially:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

After running these commands, restart your computer to ensure all network adapter settings are cleanly reinitialized.

Resetting Network Interfaces on macOS

If you suspect corrupted interface configurations on a Mac, you can renew your DHCP lease by going to System Settings, selecting your network connection, clicking Details, and choosing the option to renew the DHCP lease. Alternatively, you can restart your Mac while holding down Shift to boot into safe mode, which clears temporary system caches.

Step 5: Check Browser-Specific DNS Settings

Modern web browsers often implement their own internal DNS caching and secure DNS protocols (such as DNS-over-HTTPS or DoH) that bypass operating system settings entirely.

Google Chrome: Go to Settings, navigate to Privacy and security, click Security, and look for the "Use secure DNS" setting. Try toggling this option off or switching your secure DNS provider.
Mozilla Firefox: Go to Settings, search for "DNS" in the settings search bar, scroll down to Enable secure DNS over HTTPS, and test disabling it to see if resolution resumes normally.

Step 6: Verify Domain Records If You Are the Website Owner

If you are managing example.com and users are reporting resolution errors when trying to visit your site, you must inspect your authoritative nameserver configuration. Ensure that your domain registrar points to the correct nameservers and that your DNS zone file contains valid entries.

A standard set of apex records for a basic website looks like this:

example.com.    3600    IN    A     192.0.2.1
www.example.com.  3600    IN    CNAME example.com.

If you recently updated these records, remember that global DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes up to 24 hours depending on the Time-To-Live (TTL) values configured on your previous records.

Quick Troubleshooting Checklist

Check if the domain resolves using an online diagnostic lookup utility.
Flush the local operating system DNS cache.
Switch to a public resolver like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8).
Reset the local network stack and renew your IP lease.
Disable browser-level Secure DNS or internal browser caching features.
Verify that your local router and firewall are not blocking DNS traffic on port 53.

By following this structured diagnostic process, you can pinpoint whether the ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED error stems from a simple local cache glitch or a deeper network configuration issue, allowing you to restore stable internet connectivity quickly.

How to Fix 'ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED' DNS Error