Not like many issues that have an effect on web sites, the DNS Server Not Responding error appears fairly descriptive. Clearly, some distant server isn’t taking part in ball and it’s blocking you from visiting a specific web site.

However what precisely is a DNS server and why is it misbehaving? In an odd manner, the knowledge supplied by the error message is barely helpful when you already know what it means.

That can assist you resolve this challenge, we determined to take a deeper take a look at the DNS Server Not Responding error, and all of the doable causes. Preserve studying to search out the solutions you’re on the lookout for!

What Does The “DNS Server Not Responding” Error Imply?

To know this error, we first have to take a fast take a look at DNS, or area identify system.

Everytime you ask your browser to connect with an internet site, a DNS server has to transform the area identify (e.g., mysite.com) to the numeric IP tackle (4 numbers separated by three intervals, for instance, 127.0.0.1) of the internet hosting server. That is the place the positioning really lives; the area identify is solely a reasonably title that’s simpler for people to recollect.

DNS Server Not Responding error happens when, for some purpose, your browser can’t make contact with the server that handles the area identify to IP tackle translation.

There are three underlying explanation why this could possibly be taking place:

• The DNS server is down or unreachable: There’s something mistaken with the server itself, or its community connection.
• You might have connectivity points: Typically because of an outage someplace between you and the server, together with community points.
• The DNS document for the area identify is wrong or lacking: This implies the DNS server doesn’t know which IP tackle to level the area identify to.

As a way to repair the error, we have to work by means of a guidelines that covers all three doable causes.

Fixing The DNS Server Not Responding Error

If the DNS Server Not Responding error seems solely in your web site, it may be as a result of your area identify isn’t configured accurately.

• Be certain your area identify hasn’t expired.
• Examine that you’ve got an “A document” and it accommodates no typos.
• When you made adjustments just lately, give them time to propagate.

If none of this helps, otherwise you see the error on different web sites, listed here are all of the methods you possibly can repair a DNS Server Not Responding error:

1. Strive Utilizing A Totally different Browser

Strictly talking, switching to a different browser received’t repair DNS points. However it could reveal what has gone mistaken.

Each browser maintains a cache, the place content material is saved quickly for fast entry. The issue is that your browser cache may need saved the mistaken DNS information. If this occurs, you’ll get the identical error message everytime you attempt to revisit the identical web page.

By transferring away out of your default browser, you’ll be utilizing a distinct cache, and every browser has its personal default DNS servers. As well as, you’ll bypass different points like extensions that block connections.

2. Examine The Website From A Totally different System

When you’re nonetheless seeing an error on a specific web site after altering your browser, strive swapping to a distinct gadget. This can be sure that another sudden challenge in your native system isn’t inflicting the issue.

When you don’t have entry to a different desktop laptop, merely pull out your telephone and attempt to go to the web page in query. If this doesn’t repair the error, it’s additionally price connecting to a distinct community or switching to information.

3. Restart Your Pc

One other strategy to take care of cache-related issues is by restarting your gadget. This can flush all DNS information out of your machine, so your gadget should carry out a reside DNS lookup whenever you go to the problematic web page.

Restarting your gadget additionally renews its IP tackle and clears the DNS request queue, which will be sufficient to repair sure connectivity points. It could possibly be sufficient to clear the error.

4. Restart Your Pc In Protected Mode

Typically, software program and associated drivers in your gadget are the trigger for the blocked DNS connections. To check for this challenge, it’s a good suggestion as well up your gadget in Protected Mode:

Home windows:

1. On the sign-in display screen, click on Restart whereas holding Shift.
2. Choose Troubleshoot > Superior choices > Startup Settings > Restart.
3. After restart, press 5 or F5 to start out up your gadget in protected mode with networking.

Mac: Maintain Shift as you energy up.

iOS / Android: Press and maintain the facility button, after which faucet the down quantity management after the display screen lights up.

On this mode, your machine will revert to default settings and solely probably the most important drivers. If the issue websites load usually whereas in Protected Mode, it implies that both third-party software program or drivers are inflicting incompatibility points.

That is positively dangerous information, as a result of the one strategy to observe down the exact trigger is by testing your apps, one after the other. That mentioned, it’s most certainly to be one thing like a VPN, or safety software program inflicting your complications.

5. Flip Off Antivirus Software program And/Or Your Firewall

Antivirus purposes and firewalls defend your gadget by monitoring site visitors. Sometimes, these instruments generally meddle an excessive amount of together with your web connection and find yourself inflicting DNS server errors.

As such, it’s a good suggestion to modify off your antivirus program and/or firewall safety quickly, to check whether or not they’re inflicting the issues.

If this resolves the issue, ensure to show your safety again on. Then, look by means of the settings to search out something associated to DNS that could be inflicting your troubles. In case your chosen software program package deal consists of help, it could be price reaching out to your supplier for assist.

6. Flip Off Your VPN

VPNs, or digital personal networks, present an additional layer of on-line privateness by routing information to your gadget by means of an encrypted tunnel. Up to now, so helpful. The problem is, the tunnel may be bypassing your default DNS servers.

To check this concept, swap off your VPN and attempt to go to the web page the place you had the DNS server challenge. If this resolves your issues, restart the VPN and take a peek on the settings. You’re on the lookout for controls associated to DNS filtering. When you want a serving to hand, strive contacting your VPN supplier for help.

7. Flush DNS Cache

You don’t essentially have to restart your gadget to flush the DNS cache. You are able to do it manually as a substitute:

1. Press Win + R and sort within the “ipconfig /flushdns”.
2. Then, hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run the command immediate.

1. Open the Terminal, and sort in “sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder”.
2. Press Enter.
3. Enter your admin password when prompted, and press the Enter button once more.

• iOS: Flip Airplane Mode on and again off once more.
• Android

1. In Chrome, kind “chrome://net-internals/#dns” into the search field.
2. Choose DNS on the left, after which faucet Clear host cache

By flushing your DNS cache, you’ll drive your gadget to re-query the DNS server for every web site you go to. This ensures you’ve got up to date mappings of domains to IP addresses — an important first step in community diagnostics.

8. Restart Your Router

Community connection points are a typical reason for DNS server errors. One simple strategy to repair this type of downside is by restarting your web router.

Change it off and unplug the facility cable for round 30 seconds. This could clear any corrupted DNS entries which were saved within the router cache, and renew your connection.

On the similar time, it’s price checking that your router’s firmware is updated. Outdated firmware could cause connectivity points that forestall DNS lookups. Together, these steps would possibly repair your downside.

9. Disable IPv6

Web protocol is the system that creates a singular IP tackle for each gadget on the web. The present model is IPv6 (Web Protocol Model 6), which has progressively changed IPv4 over the previous few years. It’s now the default choice.

Nevertheless, not each community and DNS server has been up to date to IPv6.

When you use this model to request a specific internet web page, you would possibly solely obtain a DNS Server Not Responding error. Equally, techniques which might be in hybrid mode can expertise technical troubles in juggling each techniques.

For that reason, it’s price quickly switching off IPv6 to see whether or not you possibly can entry an internet site through IPv4.

The precise course of depends upon your platform, but it surely normally includes:

1. Visiting the community settings in your gadget.
2. Choosing your energetic connection (normally Ethernet or Wi-Fi).
3. Accessing the superior choices through Superior, Properties, or i.
4. Toggling IPv6 off, and saving your adjustments.

Lastly, you have to to restart your gadget to check whether or not this potential answer has labored. When you see no enchancment, reverse the method to modify IPv6 again on — this will help you to keep up higher efficiency as you progress between completely different networks.

10. Change The Default DNS Server

Usually talking, your gadget connects to a DNS server supplied by your ISP (Web Service Supplier). When you’re having DNS points, it may be as a result of this server is misbehaving. The answer right here is to modify to a distinct server.

Organizations like Google and Cloudflare present public DNS servers that anybody can use. Some individuals favor utilizing these servers as a result of they will pace up web page loading. In different instances, individuals use another DNS server for privateness causes.

Among the hottest alternate DNS suppliers embrace:

• Google: 8.8.8.8 and eight.8.4.4
• Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
• OpenDNS: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220

Right here’s learn how to swap your DNS server tackle.

Home windows:

1. Navigate to Management Panel > Community Connections > Properties. 
2. Below Most popular DNS server, enter the IP tackle of your most popular DNS server.
3. Below Alternate DNS Server, put within the tackle of your backup server, and save your adjustments.

Mac:

1. Navigate to System Preferences > Community and choose your major web connection within the sidebar.
2. Click on Particulars (or Superior on older Macs) then choose DNS.
3. On the backside of the DNS servers listing, click on the + button and enter your new DNS tackle.
4. Be certain to click on Apply earlier than leaving the Community display screen.

iOS Cell

1. Navigate to Wi-Fi settings (they may be beneath Community & Web)
2. Discover the DNS settings…
3. On iOS, faucet the i icon, then Configure DNS.
4. Choose Handbook < Add server to replace DNS.

Android Cell