You click a link and Chrome stops you cold with "This site can't be reached" and the code ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED underneath. It sounds technical, but the meaning is simple — and so is the fix, once you know what it's pointing at. In plain terms, your browser couldn't translate the website's name into an address, so it never even got as far as connecting. Here's exactly what causes this DNS resolution error and how to clear it, step by step, on any device.

What ERRNAMENOT_RESOLVED actually means

Every website name — like example.com — has to be converted into a numeric IP address before your browser can reach it. That translation is done by DNS (the Domain Name System), the internet's phonebook. ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED means that lookup failed: your device asked for the site's address and got no usable answer back.

That failure can happen for a few reasons — your DNS server was unreachable, your connection dropped mid-lookup, a stale cache pointed nowhere, or the domain genuinely doesn't exist. Because the error happens at the resolution stage, the site's own server never entered the picture, which is why the fixes below focus on your connection and your DNS.

ERRNAMENOTRESOLVED vs DNSPROBEFINISHEDNXDOMAIN

These two errors look almost identical and share most fixes, but there's a useful distinction. DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN specifically means the DNS system replied with "that name does not exist" — often a typo, an expired domain, or a deleted one. ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED is broader: it means the name simply couldn't be resolved for any reason, including your DNS server being unreachable or your network dropping the request. In practice, ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED more often points to a connection or DNS-server problem on your side, while NXDOMAIN more often points to the domain itself. If you're seeing that specific NXDOMAIN code, our dedicated guide on fixing DNSPROBEFINISHEDNXDOMAIN walks through it in full. Both are variants of the broader "This site can't be reached" family of errors.

How to fix ERRNAMENOT_RESOLVED

Work through these in order — the first few clear the vast majority of cases.

1. Check your internet connection

Because this error often means your DNS server couldn't be reached, start here. Open any other website. If nothing loads, fix your connection first — restart your Wi-Fi or switch to mobile data and try again.

2. Restart your router

Router-level DNS can get stuck or lose its connection to your ISP's resolver. Unplug your router for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and let it fully reconnect. This single step resolves a surprising share of name-resolution errors.

3. Flush your DNS cache

A stale cache can hold a broken, empty record for the site. Clearing it forces a fresh lookup — ipconfig /flushdns on Windows, or the Terminal command on macOS. Our step-by-step DNS flush guide covers Windows, macOS, Android and iPhone in detail.

4. Switch to a public DNS server

If your ISP's DNS resolver is down or misconfigured, name resolution fails across the board. Switching to a reliable public resolver fixes this instantly and often speeds up browsing. In your device or router network settings, set your DNS to:

  • Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
  • Google: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

For many people, this one change is what finally clears the error.

5. Disable VPNs, proxies, and "secure DNS" apps

A VPN, proxy, or private-DNS app can route your lookups through a server that's failing. Turn each off one at a time and reload. Re-enable them afterward once you know which was responsible.

6. Clear Chrome's own DNS cache

Chrome keeps a separate internal DNS cache. Visit chrome://net-internals/#dns, click Clear host cache, then flush your sockets under the Sockets tab. Restart the browser and try again.

Fixing ERRNAMENOT_RESOLVED on Android

On Android, this error is often tied to a flaky mobile connection or a custom Private DNS setting:

  • Toggle Airplane mode on for 10 seconds, then off, to reset the network stack.
  • Go to Settings → Network & internet → Private DNS and switch it to Automatic (or to a working resolver like dns.google) to rule out a broken custom entry.
  • Clear Chrome's cache under Settings → Privacy and security → Clear browsing data.
  • Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data to see whether one network resolves the name and the other doesn't.

When the domain itself is the problem

If a single site throws ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED for everyone — not just you — the domain may be misconfigured or expired. Confirm it by running a free DNS records lookup. If the tool returns valid records, the domain is fine and the problem is local — keep working through the steps above. If it returns nothing, the domain genuinely isn't resolving for anyone.

You can also run the site through our live website down checker to see whether our servers can reach it. If we can and you can't, the fault is 100% on your side; if we can't either, the issue is with the domain. Our guide on whether a site is down for everyone or just you explains how to read that result.

The bottom line

ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED means your browser couldn't turn the website's name into an address — a DNS resolution problem, not a dead computer. Check your connection, restart your router, flush your DNS, and switch to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8, and you'll fix the overwhelming majority of cases in a couple of minutes. If a specific site still won't resolve for anyone, the domain itself — not your setup — is where the problem lives.