DNS Server Not Responding

The short version: Restart your router first, then flush the DNS cache and point your device at a public resolver such as Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 or Google 8.8.8.8. One quick test settles where the fault lies: if a second device on the same network loads websites fine, the problem is your device, not the website or your ISP.

Key takeaways

• Your device reached the network but never heard back from a DNS resolver. That is what this error means: domain names never get translated into IP addresses.
• Look local first. A stale DNS cache, a flaky resolver, or a VPN or firewall causes most of these, and pointing at a public resolver like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8) clears the majority.
• Three quick moves separate a local glitch from a real outage in seconds: flush the DNS cache, restart the router, and load the same page on a second device.
• When every device on the network fails the same way, stop blaming your computer. The fault sits with the router or your ISP's DNS.
• Set a dependable resolver on the router itself so every device inherits it, and watch resolution from outside your network. That way failures reach you before they reach visitors.

Error type

DNS / network error

Whose side

Usually your side; sometimes the website

Fix difficulty

Easy

Common cause

Device cannot reach a DNS resolver

What does DNS Server Not Responding mean?

You type a name like pulsetic.com, but every website actually lives at a numeric IP address. The Domain Name System (DNS) is the directory that turns one into the other. DNS server not responding means your device fired off that lookup to a DNS resolver and the answer never came back, so the connection stalls before a single byte of the page is even requested.

The wording sends people the wrong way. The resolver is usually fine; what is actually broken is your device's ability to reach it. Here is the tell: ping 1.1.1.1 succeeds, which proves raw connectivity, yet opening a website still fails, which means name resolution is broken. That split points you at DNS settings, the router, or local software, not your internet line.

Port 53

Standard DNS port (UDP and TCP) a resolver must reach

1.1.1.1 / 8.8.8.8

Cloudflare and Google public DNS primary addresses

Up to 48h

Time DNS record changes can take to fully propagate

How the DNS Server Not Responding error appears

The wording changes depending on your browser, device, or server. Here is how this error commonly shows up:

example.com

This site can't be reached

example.com's DNS server isn't responding.

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG

• Windows (older): Your DNS server might be unavailable
• Windows (newer): The DNS server isn't responding
• macOS: Safari can't find the server / You are not connected to the Internet
• Chrome: This site can't be reached (DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET)
• Firefox: We're having trouble finding that site
• Android / iPhone: a page that simply times out with no obvious cause

DNS server not responding vs related errors

These errors all involve name resolution, but they point to different root causes and fixes.

DNS diagnostic commands and what each one checks

Each tool answers a different question. Run them in order to narrow down whether DNS, the network, or the resolver itself is at fault.

Public DNS resolvers compared

If your default DNS is unreliable, switch to a public resolver. They differ in speed, privacy, and filtering:

What causes DNS Server Not Responding?

• The router or modem is stuck in a temporary glitched state and needs a power cycle
• A stale or corrupted local DNS cache is handing back bad entries
• Your ISP's DNS resolver is overloaded, dragging, or temporarily down
• Someone set an invalid or unreachable DNS server by hand in the network settings
• A firewall, antivirus, or VPN is blocking or rerouting DNS traffic on port 53
• Network adapter driver trouble, or an IPv6 versus IPv4 conflict
• For website owners: wrong nameservers, a missing A record, or DNS changes that are still propagating

How to find the cause fast

1. Load the same website on a second device on the same Wi-Fi. If it works there, the fault is on your first device
2. Switch to mobile data or another network entirely. If the website loads, blame your router or ISP
3. Run nslookup pulsetic.com 1.1.1.1. When forcing a public resolver works, your default DNS is the culprit
4. Run ping 1.1.1.1. A reply with websites still failing means the issue is DNS, not your connection

Terminal

nslookup example.comServer: 192.168.1.1;; connection timed out; no servers could be reached# the resolver never answered; try 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8

How DNS Server Not Responding looks from the outside

From outside, a DNS failure looks nothing like a server crash. The host can be perfectly healthy, but if its nameservers stop answering on port 53, no visitor can resolve the domain and the website is effectively dark. An external monitor like Pulsetic resolves your domain on every check from 15+ locations, so a resolution failure registers as a failed check rather than a slow one. Pulsetic also runs a dedicated domain and DNS check, so the moment a record stops resolving or an expiry creeps up, you get an alert by email, SMS, voice call, Slack, or webhook. It reads availability from a visitor's vantage point, which means it cannot see your server's CPU or memory: what it tells you is whether the world can actually reach you.

How to fix DNS Server Not Responding

If you are a visitor

1. Power-cycle the router and modem. Unplug both, wait 30 seconds, plug them back in, and let them fully restart
2. Flush your DNS cache with the command for your operating system (the code blocks above have each one)
3. Point your device at a public resolver: Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 or Google 8.8.8.8
4. Turn off any VPN, proxy, firewall, or antivirus for a moment and reload. If the page comes back, one of them was blocking DNS
5. Open the website in a different browser or an incognito window to rule out a browser cache or a rogue extension
6. On Windows, run netsh winsock reset and restart, or use Settings > Network and internet > Advanced > Network reset
7. Update your network adapter driver and your router firmware. Outdated versions are a common source of recurring DNS errors
8. Still failing on certain websites only? Disable IPv6 on the adapter as a test

If you run the website

1. Run a WHOIS lookup and confirm the nameservers listed at your registrar match the DNS provider you actually use
2. Check that the A record points to your server's correct IP, and that CNAME and other records are intact
3. Just changed DNS records or nameservers? Give propagation time. It can run 24 to 48 hours
4. Make sure the domain registration has not lapsed. An expired domain stops resolving completely
5. Query your authoritative nameservers head-on with dig @ns1.yourdns.com pulsetic.com to confirm they answer on port 53
6. Put external DNS and uptime monitoring in place so you hear about a resolution failure the instant it happens, not when a customer emails you

On Windows

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run ipconfig /flushdns, then ipconfig /release followed by ipconfig /renew
2. Head to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings, right-click your connection, and open Properties
3. Pick Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), choose Use the following DNS server addresses, and type 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
4. Run the Network and Internet troubleshooter under Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters

On macOS

1. Open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
2. Open System Settings > Network, pick your active connection, and click Details
3. In the DNS tab, click + under DNS Servers and add 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8
4. Click OK, then Apply. Quit your browser and reopen it before you test again

On Linux

1. On systemd-resolved systems, run sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches (or sudo resolvectl flush-caches)
2. See which resolver is in use with resolvectl status, or by reading /etc/resolv.conf
3. Add a public resolver in your connection settings, or edit the DNS field in NetworkManager
4. Confirm the change with dig pulsetic.com and nslookup pulsetic.com 1.1.1.1

On iPhone or iPad

1. Flip Airplane mode on for a few seconds and back off to reset the radios
2. Open Settings > Wi-Fi and tap the i icon beside your network
3. Tap Configure DNS, switch to Manual, clear the existing servers, and add 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
4. Save and reload. If it still fails, forget the network and rejoin it

On Android

1. Toggle Airplane mode on and off, or restart the phone, to clear a temporary network glitch
2. Open Settings > Network and internet > Internet, then tap the gear beside your Wi-Fi network
3. Switch IP settings to Static and enter DNS 1 and DNS 2, for example 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
4. Want it system-wide? Set Private DNS to one.one.one.one under Network and internet

Still not fixed? Next steps

• Rule out your provider first. Open your ISP's status page, and the status page for the resolver you use (Cloudflare, Google), and look for a reported DNS outage.
• Test on an entirely separate network. Put your phone on mobile data with Wi-Fi off and try the page. If it loads there, the fault is your router or ISP, not your device.
• Start swapping the hardware in the path: a different cable, a different router, a direct modem connection. That rules out a failing device.
• If only your own website fails, your connection is fine. The trouble is your domain's authoritative DNS or its registration. Reach out to your DNS host or registrar and check the records and the expiry date.

Code & configuration

Copy-paste starting points. Replace example.com and the paths with your own, and test changes on staging before production.

Flush the DNS cache (per operating system)

Windows (Command Prompt, run as Administrator):
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
netsh winsock reset

macOS (Terminal):
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Linux (systemd-resolved):
sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches
resolvectl statistics

Test name resolution with nslookup, dig, and ping

# Ask your default resolver to look up a domain
nslookup pulsetic.com

# Force the query through Cloudflare to bypass your ISP resolver
nslookup pulsetic.com 1.1.1.1

# Detailed lookup (macOS / Linux)
dig pulsetic.com

# Confirm raw connectivity works even when DNS does not
ping 1.1.1.1

Switch to a public DNS resolver

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

Windows:  Network Connections > adapter Properties > Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) > Use the following DNS server addresses
macOS:    System Settings > Network > Details > DNS > add servers with the + button

How to prevent DNS Server Not Responding

Most DNS failures are local, but when the fault is your domain's own nameservers or a lapsed registration, every visitor hits this error at the same moment and you are often the last to find out. Pulsetic checks your website from multiple locations every 30 seconds, and its domain monitoring watches DNS and expiry, so a resolution failure or an expiring domain reaches you by email, SMS, voice call, Slack, Discord, Telegram, or webhook before the traffic vanishes. Bear in mind it measures availability from the outside, so it will not read your server's CPU or memory.

Learn how Pulsetic's domain monitoring detects this from the outside, across 15+ locations.