How to Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET

By ErrorFix · Updated October 20, 2026 · 7 min read

What DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET means

Every time you open a website, Chrome runs a quick probe: is there a working connection I can use to ask DNS for this site's address? DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET is Chrome's verdict that the answer is no. The probe finished, and the conclusion was that no usable internet connection exists — so the DNS lookup never even started, and the page cannot load.

This is different from a plain DNS failure. With errors like ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED, Chrome has a healthy connection and only one domain fails to resolve — usually a typo or a bad record. Here, Chrome believes the whole path is down. The usual suspects are a router that stopped passing traffic while still broadcasting Wi-Fi, a VPN tunnel that collapsed, a proxy that went nowhere, or DNS servers your ISP gave you that have stopped answering. The confusing part is that your Wi-Fi icon can show full bars through all of this: connected to Wi-Fi only means your device can reach the router, not that the router can reach the internet.

Common causes

• Router or modem hung: the box still broadcasts Wi-Fi but no longer passes traffic to your ISP — the single most common cause.
• Failed or disconnected VPN: the tunnel collapsed, leaving Chrome with no route for any traffic, DNS included.
• Stale DNS cache: an old failed probe result is remembered in Chrome or Windows and repeated instead of retried fresh.
• Broken ISP DNS servers: your provider's default DNS intermittently fails, and Chrome reads a total DNS failure as no internet.
• Proxy, extension, or security software interference: a dead proxy setting, a VPN browser extension, or an antivirus web shield blocks the connection silently.

How to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Most cases are resolved by step 1, 2, or 5.

1. Confirm the connection is genuinely online. Chrome shows DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET when it believes there is no usable internet connection at all, so rule that out before touching any DNS setting. Look at the Wi-Fi or network icon in the taskbar or menu bar: connected to Wi-Fi does not mean connected to the internet. Try loading two or three other well-known sites and open an app that needs the internet, like email or a messaging app. If nothing loads anywhere, the problem is the connection itself, not DNS. On Windows, go to Settings, then Network & internet, and check the status line at the top; on a Mac, open System Settings, then Wi-Fi, and check the network details. If the icon says connected but nothing loads, move to step 2.
2. Restart your router and modem and rejoin the network. A router that has been running for weeks can stop passing traffic while still broadcasting Wi-Fi, which produces exactly this error. Unplug both your router and your modem from power for a full 30 seconds, plug the modem in first, wait for its lights to go solid, then plug in the router and wait two to three minutes for it to settle. On Windows, click the network icon in the taskbar, disconnect from your Wi-Fi network, wait ten seconds, and reconnect; for a wired connection, unplug the Ethernet cable for ten seconds and plug it back in. Then reload the site in Chrome. If you have mobile data, tether your computer to your phone's hotspot and try the site there: if it loads on the hotspot, your home connection or its DNS path is the problem, not your computer.
3. Clear Chrome's host cache and flush system DNS. Even with the connection back, a stale failed probe can be cached and repeated. Chrome keeps its own DNS memory, and your computer keeps another, so clear both. In Chrome, type chrome://net-internals/#dns in the address bar and click the Clear host cache button. Then, on Windows, right-click the Start button, choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin), and run ipconfig /flushdns, followed by ipconfig /registerdns. On a Mac, open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache followed by sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Close Chrome completely and reopen it, then try the site again.
4. Switch to a reliable public DNS server. Some ISPs ship DNS servers that intermittently fail, and Chrome reads a total DNS failure as no internet. Bypass them with a public server. On Windows 11, go to Settings, then Network & internet, then Advanced network settings, open your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter's settings, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), click Properties, tick Use the following DNS server addresses, and enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for Google or 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 for Cloudflare, then click OK. On a Mac, open System Settings, then Wi-Fi, click Details next to your network, open the DNS tab, and add the same addresses with the plus button. Flush the DNS once more as in step 3, and reload the site.
5. Disable VPNs, proxies, extensions, and interfering security software. A VPN or proxy that fails to connect leaves Chrome with no working route, which triggers this exact error even though Wi-Fi looks connected. Disconnect your VPN completely and turn off any proxy: on Windows, go to Settings, then Network & internet, then Proxy, and make sure Use a proxy server is off. In Chrome, type chrome://extensions in the address bar and toggle off every extension, especially VPN, proxy, and ad-blocking extensions, then reload the site. If your antivirus has a web shield, secure DNS, or traffic-scanning feature, pause it briefly for the test and re-enable it right after. Re-enable extensions one at a time afterward to find the culprit.
6. Reset the TCP/IP stack and check for deeper network faults. If the error survives everything above, the network stack itself may be damaged. On Windows, right-click the Start button, choose Terminal (Admin), and run netsh winsock reset and netsh int ip reset, then restart your computer and test the site. Also check the Windows firewall: type Windows Security in Start, open Firewall & network protection, and confirm Chrome is allowed through on private and public networks. Look at the hosts file at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts in Notepad: stray entries there can block entire domains. If other devices on the same network work fine but this computer does not, the fault is in this machine and the resets above usually fix it. If every device fails even on the hotspot test from step 2, call your ISP, because the outage is on their side.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The site loads without DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET
• Other websites and apps reach the internet normally
• The error stays gone with the VPN reconnected and extensions re-enabled
• The error is gone on a second network too, if one is available

If the site loads on your phone's hotspot but not on home Wi-Fi, your router or your ISP's DNS is the fault — keep the public DNS from step 4 permanently and consider replacing an old router. If nothing loads anywhere including the hotspot, the outage is on your ISP's side or a wider network issue: check their status page or DownDetector and wait it out. If only Chrome shows the error while other browsers and apps work, the fault is inside Chrome — the host-cache clear and extension purge in steps 3 and 5 are the fixes that matter.