[FIXED] DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN: 13 Possible Methods

Here we explain what is the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error and all potential methods to fix the DNS Probe Finished NXDomain issue:

Whenever a user tries to access a website by searching its name on the web browser, the browser tries to find the IP Address of that website by taking the help of the DNS Server. But sometimes DNS Server cannot provide the required information to the web browser, and such a situation results in DNS failure error messages.

In this article, we will discuss one such error called DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. Also, we will learn various ways to fix this error.

What Is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error

This is one of the most common problems that you could face while accessing websites over the Internet.

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When a user requests access to data packets of any website, the server authenticates the device by using the IP address. If the IP address matches, the connection is established but if in a case the IP does not match, then it is called an NX Domain (Non-Existent Domain) and thus DNS_Probe_finished_NXDomain error occurs.

Causes Of DNS Probe NXDomain Error

There are various reasons due to which you can face such an error on your system.

Some of these reasons are listed below:

1. Mis-Configured DNS: DNS acts like a dictionary that connects the system to the respective domain servers. And there can be a possibility that the configuration in DNS settings might be responsible for this error.
2. Wrong URL: It might appear to you as a minor issue but most of the users make such types of mistakes. There are chances you can type the wrong domain name of the website and you can get this error. Therefore, make sure that before hitting enter you are typing the correct domain.
3. Third-Party Tools: There are chances that some third-party tools or antivirus programs might be responsible for this error. Therefore, in such a situation, you must uninstall the software or disable antivirus to fix this error.

Ways To Fix DNS Probe Finished NXDomain Error

There are numerous ways to fix this error and some of them are mentioned below:

Method 1: Use VPN

VPN (Virtual Private Network) provides you with a secure and masked connection allowing you to access the websites that were denied by the Service Provider. VPN also provides you with special access to the data packets, therefore you must try to use VPN when DNS Probe finished NXDomain error occurs. Doing this can actually fix the error.

Method 2: Reset Browser

You can try resetting the browser and relaunch it again as there is a possibility that some configuration is responsible for this error.

Follow the below steps:

#1) Open your Chrome browser and click on the menu option, as shown in the image below. A drop-down list will be visible, click on the “Settings” option.

#2) The settings dialog box will open. From the list of settings, click on “On startup”, as shown below.

#3) A screen will be visible. Click on “Advanced”.

#4) Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Then click on “Restore settings to their original defaults”.

#5) A dialog box will prompt, click on “Reset settings”, as shown in the image below.

Method 3: Disable Antivirus

Antivirus software sometimes does not allow browsers to access websites as they may sense some threat to the system. Therefore, you must disable antivirus and then try to relaunch the browser in order to access the website and avoid the error.

Method 4: Reset Network Adapter

The network adapter allows the system to generate IP and hence connect to the server to share data packets. Therefore, if the system cannot set up the connection, then you must try resetting the network adapter.

Follow the steps mentioned below to fix this error:

#1) Search for the Command prompt in the search bar and make a right-click on the option. Then click on “Run as administrator” from the list of options available.

#2) Type “netsh winsock reset” as shown in the image below and press Enter.

Now, restart the system and the network adapter will get reset.

Method 5: Manage Chrome Flags

The Chrome flag is a new feature added by Google Chrome that provides users with several additional features. But this feature is still in the experimental phase before making it available to Chrome users.

Follow the steps mentioned below to reset all Chrome flags:

#1) Open Chrome, type “chrome://flags” in the URL bar, and click on “Reset all”.

Method 6: Restart DNS Client Service

Windows offers its users the feature to change the system files and manage the client services on the system. You can restart the DNS client service to fix DNS_Probe_finished_NXDomain on the system.

Follow the steps listed below to fix this error:

#1) Press ‘’Windows + R’’ on the keyboard and a dialog box will appear as shown in the image below. Type “services. msc” and click on “OK”.

#2) A list will appear as shown in the image below. Locate ”DNS client”, make a right-click, and a list of options will appear. Then click on “Stop”.

Now reopen the dialog box and click on start. Now, the DNS client services will get restarted and this might fix this error.

Method 7: Change DNS Server

There are various DNS (Domain Name Systems) that allow users to establish a connection and hence access the websites. By changing the DNS servers to Google servers, you can fix this error.

There are multiple steps available to fix the DNS server not responding error on Windows.

Follow the steps listed below in the link to change the DNS server on Mac:

#1) Open “System Preferences” and click on “Network” as shown in the image below.

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#2) A dialog box will open, now click on “Advanced” as shown below.

#3) Click on “DNS” as shown in the image below. Then click on the “+” sign titled “IPv4 or IPv6 addresses”.

#4) Enter the DNS address and click on “OK” as shown in the image below.

The DNS server will be added.

Method 8: Renew IP

On Windows, this error arises due to the mismatch of the IP address, so by renewing the IP you can fix this error.

Follow the steps mentioned below to fix this error:

#1) Open Command Prompt and type “ipconfig/renew” and hit enter as shown below.

On Mac, open Terminal and enter the code mentioned below and press Enter.

“sudo killall –HUP mDNSResponder”

Method 9: Clear Cache

Whenever a user visits a website, a temporary copy of the data packets is stored in the system. These temporary data packets are referred to as cache memory as they make it easier to re-establish a connection with a website when it is reloaded on a browser. Therefore, you must clear cache memory and then reload the website to avoid the error.

#1) Open the Chrome browser, click on the menu and then click on “Settings”.

#2) Click on “Clear browsing data” as shown below.

#3) A dialog box will appear, click on “Clear data”.

The Google Chrome cache will be cleared.

Method 10: Clear DNS Cache

By clearing the DNS cache from the system, you can clear all the entries of various websites that were created on the system. Doing this will allow you to reset the connection and fix various bugs and errors in the system.

Follow the steps mentioned below to clear the DNS cache on the system:

Open the Command prompt and type “ipconfig/flushdns” and press Enter as shown in the image below.

On Mac, open Terminal and enter the code mentioned below, and press Enter.

“dscacheutil –flushcache”

Method 11: Restart Computer

By simply restarting the system, you can fix many errors and bugs present in the system. Therefore, whenever your system faces DNS Probe finished NXDomain error, relaunch the browser and then try to restart the system.

Method 12: Make Changes In The Host File

Windows provides its users with the feature to change the host files which allows easy connection and storage of domain names. By making changes in the host files, you can easily fix this error.

Follow the steps below:

#1) Click on the Start button and search for “Notepad”. Right-click on Notepad and click on “Run as administrator” as shown below.

#2) Click on “File” and then click on “Open”.

#3) A dialog box will open following the address mentioned in the image. Select the “hosts” file and click on the “Open” button.

#4) At the end of the file type ”127.0.0.1” and add the link of the website to be blocked.

Now restart the system and make sure that the website you want to access isn’t listed in the host file.

On Mac, follow these steps:

#1) Open Terminal and type the code mentioned below and press Enter.

“sudo nano /private/etc/hosts”

#2) The host file will open, locate the domain of the respective website and remove it from the file and save the file.

#3) Restart the system and try to connect to the website.

Method 13: Check DNS Of User Domain

DNS plays a major role in allowing the users to set up a connection. Therefore, you must make sure that the Domain name is cached correctly in the memory. You must check the DNS of the user domain to make sure that the correct domain name is getting accessed, and no error is displayed.

Follow these steps:

#1) Press Windows + R from the keyboard, and type cmd in the search bar as shown in the image below. Click on “OK”.

#2) A window will open, as shown in the image below. Type”nslookup” and press Enter.

#3) Enter the address of the DNS server and check, for example as shown in the image below.

#4) If a user will enter an invalid domain then a Non-existent domain message will pop up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Whenever a user receives a DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN error code on the system, it means that the DNS Lookup failed when the Chrome browser tried to access the website that the user wanted to access.

In this article, we have successfully discussed what is the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN, and its causes, and have learned various ways to fix this error.