How to Fix ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED in Chrome

By ErrorFix · Updated October 17, 2026 · 7 min read

What ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED means

Every time you open a website, Chrome asks the DNS system a question: what is the IP address behind this domain name? ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED means that question came back unanswered. Chrome never got an IP, so it never even sent a request to the site — the failure happens before the connection stage, which is what separates it from timeout and connection-refused errors.

The answer can be missing for three reasons: the domain does not exist (usually a typo in the address bar), the DNS server you are using is broken or too slow to answer, or the site's own DNS records are missing or still propagating. The fixes below work through those three cases in order, from the quickest check to the rarest cause.

Common causes

• Typo in the web address: one wrong character and the domain stops existing — DNS has nothing to resolve.
• Broken or slow ISP DNS servers: your provider's default DNS sometimes fails or takes so long that Chrome gives up.
• Stale DNS cache in Chrome or Windows: an old failed lookup is remembered and repeated instead of retried fresh.
• VPN or proxy interfering with lookups: the VPN's own DNS servers fail independently of the site being fine.
• Site-side DNS problems: broken DNS records after a host change, or a new domain whose records are still propagating.

How to fix ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Most cases are fixed by step 1, 3, or 4.

1. Double-check the address and reload the site. The simplest cause is a typo: one wrong letter and the domain no longer exists. Look at the address bar character by character and confirm the domain name and ending (.com vs .net vs .org). Then press Ctrl + F5 (Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac) to reload fresh. Also try the site in an Incognito window (Ctrl + Shift + N): if it loads there, an extension or a bad cached page is to blame, and the steps below will sort it out. Try a second browser too — if Firefox or Edge loads the site while Chrome fails, the problem is limited to Chrome.
2. Restart your router and modem. A stale connection between your network and your ISP's DNS servers causes many of these failures. Unplug your router and modem from power for a full 30 seconds, plug them back in, and wait for the lights to settle — usually two to three minutes. Then reload the site. To find out whether your home network is the problem at all, tether your computer to your phone's mobile hotspot and try the site there. If it loads on mobile data but not on your Wi-Fi, the issue is your home network or your ISP's DNS, not the website.
3. Clear Chrome's host cache and flush system DNS. Chrome keeps its own DNS memory, and your computer keeps another. Clear both. In Chrome, type chrome://net-internals/#dns in the address bar and click the Clear host cache button. On Windows, right-click the Start button, choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin), and run ipconfig /flushdns. On a Mac, open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flusheache followed by sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Close Chrome completely and reopen it, then try the site again — the next lookup starts from a clean slate.
4. Switch to a reliable public DNS server. Your ISP's default DNS servers are slow and sometimes broken. Switch to a public one. On Windows 11, go to Settings, then Network & internet, then Advanced network settings, open your adapter's settings, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), choose Properties, tick Use the following DNS server addresses, and enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (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 (step 3) and reload the site.
5. Disable extensions and disconnect your VPN. Privacy and proxy extensions intercept your lookups before they reach any DNS server. Type chrome://extensions in the address bar, toggle off every extension, and reload the site. If it works, re-enable them one at a time to find the culprit — VPN/proxy extensions and ad blockers are the usual suspects. Disconnect your VPN completely as well; a VPN's DNS can fail independently of everything else. If your antivirus has a web shield or secure DNS feature, pause it briefly for the test (re-enable it right after). Only one of these tests should stay off: the one that fixes the page.
6. Check the site on another network and rule out the domain itself. If nothing above helped, widen the net. Try the site on a different device on the same network — if every device fails, the network is at fault; if only one fails, that machine is. Check DownDetector or isitdownrightnow.com to see whether the site is down for everyone, which points to broken DNS records on the site's own side. On Windows, also peek at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts in Notepad: if the site's domain appears there mapped to a wrong address, a line like that (often left by malware or a previous workaround) hijacks the lookup — delete the line and save. If the domain is brand new or just changed servers, its DNS may still be propagating; wait a few hours and try again.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The site loads without ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED
• Other websites still load normally
• It works with extensions disabled and a public DNS set
• The error is gone on a second network too

If only this one site fails and only from your connection, your ISP's DNS may have a stale record for that domain — switching permanently to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 (step 4) is the practical fix. If the site fails for everyone including DownDetector, the domain's DNS records are broken on the site's own side: contact the site owner or wait out the propagation, which can take up to 48 hours for new or changed domains.