DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN: What It Means & How to Fix It

What Is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN?

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN is a Chrome error that appears when the browser's DNS lookup fails because the domain name does not resolve to any IP address. NXDOMAIN stands for "Non-Existent Domain" — it is the DNS protocol's way of saying "this domain does not exist in the DNS system."

When you type a URL like example.com into Chrome, your browser asks a DNS server to translate that domain into an IP address. If the DNS server responds with NXDOMAIN, it means no DNS record was found for that domain. Chrome then shows the "This site can't be reached" error page with the error code DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.

The good news: this error is almost always fixable on your end. In most cases it is caused by a typo in the URL, a stale DNS cache, or misconfigured DNS settings — not an actual missing domain.

What This Error Looks Like in Other Browsers

Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera) all show the same DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN code. Firefox and Safari show a more user-friendly message but the underlying problem is identical.

Common Causes of DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN

Understanding why this error appears helps you pick the right fix. Here are the most common causes, ranked from most to least frequent.

• Typo in the URL — The most common cause. A single wrong character (e.g., gogle.com instead of google.com) triggers NXDOMAIN because the misspelled domain does not exist in DNS.

• Stale DNS cache — Your computer cached an old or corrupted DNS entry. The domain's IP may have changed, but your cache still holds the outdated or broken record.

• Chrome's internal DNS cache — Chrome maintains its own DNS cache separate from your OS. Even after flushing the system cache, Chrome may still use a stale internal entry.

• Domain not registered or expired — The website owner forgot to renew the domain, or the domain was never registered in the first place.

• DNS propagation delay — The domain was recently registered or its DNS records were changed. It takes up to 48 hours for DNS changes to propagate globally.

• Hosts file override — Your system's hosts file manually maps the domain to a wrong IP address or blocks it entirely (127.0.0.1).

• VPN or firewall blocking — A VPN, proxy, or firewall is intercepting DNS queries and blocking or redirecting the domain.

• ISP DNS server issue — Your internet provider's DNS server is returning NXDOMAIN incorrectly, or it has not yet received the domain's DNS records.

Fix 1: Check the Domain Name Spelling

This sounds obvious but it is the #1 cause of NXDOMAIN errors. Check the URL in your address bar carefully:

Look for common typos: missing letters (goole.com), extra letters (googgle.com), wrong TLD (.con instead of .com), or mixed-up characters (goog1e.com with a number 1 instead of letter l).

If someone sent you the link, try searching for the website on Google instead of clicking the link directly. If the domain truly does not exist, no search result will appear.

Fix 2: Flush Your DNS Cache

After flushing, try loading the website again. If the domain's DNS records were recently updated, flushing your cache allows your system to fetch the new records.

# Windows (Command Prompt as Administrator)
ipconfig /flushdns

# macOS
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

# Linux (systemd-resolved)
sudo resolvectl flush-caches

# Chrome OS
chrome://net-internals/#dns → Clear host cache

Fix 3: Clear Chrome's Internal DNS Cache

Chrome maintains its own DNS cache that is completely separate from your OS cache. Flushing the system cache alone is not enough — you must also clear Chrome's internal cache.

• Open Chrome and type chrome://net-internals/#dns in the address bar

• Click "Clear host cache" to flush all cached DNS entries in Chrome

• Then go to chrome://net-internals/#sockets and click "Flush socket pools" to reset open connections

• Try loading the website again — Chrome will now perform a completely fresh DNS lookup

Fix 4: Switch to a Public DNS Server

Your ISP's DNS server may be returning incorrect NXDOMAIN responses, or it may not have the domain's records yet. Switching to a reliable public DNS server often resolves this.

Change DNS on Windows

• Open Settings → Network & Internet → Advanced network settings

• Click your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) → Hardware properties

• Click Edit next to DNS server assignment → switch to Manual

• Enable IPv4 and set Preferred DNS to 1.1.1.1, Alternate to 1.0.0.1

• Click Save and test the website again

Change DNS on macOS

• Open System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Details

• Click DNS in the sidebar

• Remove existing entries and add 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1

• Click OK then Apply

Fix 5: Check Your Hosts File

Your operating system has a local hosts file that can override DNS for specific domains. If the domain is listed here with a wrong IP (like 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0), it will trigger an NXDOMAIN error even though the domain exists in public DNS.

This is a common issue for developers who added temporary hosts entries and forgot to remove them, or for users whose antivirus or ad-blocker modified the hosts file.

# Windows — open as Administrator:
notepad C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

# macOS / Linux:
sudo nano /etc/hosts

# Look for lines like:
# 127.0.0.1  example.com    ← This blocks the domain!
# 0.0.0.0    example.com    ← This also blocks it!

# If you find the domain listed, delete that line and save.

Fix 6: Reset Chrome Flags to Default

Pay special attention to DNS-related flags like "Async DNS resolver", "DNS over HTTPS", and "DNS prefetching". If any of these were modified, they could cause DNS resolution failures.

• Type chrome://flags in the address bar and press Enter

• Click the "Reset all" button at the top of the page

• Restart Chrome when prompted

• Try loading the website again

Fix 7: Disable VPN or Antivirus Temporarily

VPNs route all your DNS queries through their own servers. If the VPN's DNS server does not have the domain's records, you will get NXDOMAIN. Similarly, some antivirus software and firewalls intercept DNS traffic and can block domains they consider suspicious.

To test: temporarily disable your VPN and antivirus, then try loading the website. If it works, the VPN or security software is the cause.

Fix 8: Check the Domain's Registration Status

If none of the fixes above work, the domain itself may genuinely be unregistered or expired. This is especially common with new websites, recently changed domains, or domains that the owner forgot to renew.

To verify the domain's status:

• Use DNS Robot's WHOIS Lookup at /whois-lookup — enter the domain and check the registration and expiry dates

• Use DNS Robot's DNS Lookup at /dns-lookup — if no A, AAAA, or NS records exist, the domain has no DNS configuration

• Check domain propagation — if the domain was just registered, DNS records may not have propagated to all servers yet. This takes up to 48 hours.

Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN on Android

The NXDOMAIN error appears on Android's Chrome browser with the same error code. Here is how to fix it.

• Clear Chrome cache: Open Chrome → Settings → Privacy and Security → Clear browsing data → select Cached images and files → Clear data

• Change DNS: Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Private DNS → set to one.one.one.one (Cloudflare) or dns.google (Google)

• Toggle airplane mode: Turn airplane mode on for 10 seconds, then off — this forces a fresh network connection and DNS lookup

• Update Chrome: Open Play Store → search Chrome → tap Update if available

• Restart your device if none of the above works

Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN on iPhone / iPad

On iOS, Safari shows "Safari Can't Find the Server" instead of the Chrome error code. If you use Chrome on iOS, you will see the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN message. Here is how to fix it.

• Change DNS: Go to Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the (i) icon next to your network → Configure DNS → Manual → add 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1

• Clear Safari cache: Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data

• Clear Chrome cache: Open Chrome → Settings → Privacy → Clear Browsing Data

• Toggle airplane mode: Turn on for 10 seconds, then off to reset the network connection

• Restart your device to clear all temporary DNS state

How to Verify the Fix Worked

If nslookup returns an IP address, DNS is working and the website should load. If it still returns "Non-existent domain", either the domain is genuinely unregistered, or you need to try a different DNS server.

You can also use DNS Robot's DNS Lookup tool to check if the domain resolves from multiple global servers — this confirms whether the issue is local to your device or a global DNS problem.

# Test DNS resolution directly
nslookup example.com

# Test with a specific DNS server
nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1

# Detailed test (Mac/Linux)
dig example.com

# If dig returns NXDOMAIN in the status, the domain truly doesn't exist:
# ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN