Few error screens are as vague as Chrome's "This site can't be reached." No explanation, no next step — just a blank page and a cryptic code like ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT or ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED in small grey text. The frustrating part is that it can mean half a dozen completely different things, which is why so many "fixes" online don't work. Below are 9 fixes that actually do — arranged so you try the fastest, most likely ones first.
What "This site can't be reached" actually means
This error appears when your browser sends a request but never gets a usable reply. That failure can happen at three different stages: your device can't translate the domain into an IP address (a DNS problem), it finds the IP but can't open a connection (a network or firewall problem), or the site's own server simply isn't answering (the site is genuinely down). The small code underneath is your biggest clue — ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED and DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN point to DNS, while ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT and ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED point to the connection or the server.
The single most important first step is figuring out whether the site is down for everyone or just you — so let's start there.
9 fixes that actually work
1. Confirm the site isn't down for everyone
Before you touch a single setting, rule out the obvious: the site might just be down. Run it through our live website down checker — it tests the site from our servers, on a totally different network from yours. If our server can't reach it either, the site is down for everyone and no fix on your end will help; you just wait. If our server reaches it fine, the problem is local, and the fixes below will sort it. Our guide on whether a site is down for everyone or just you covers this 60-second test in detail.
2. Reload and check your internet connection
It sounds obvious, but reload the page once (Ctrl/Cmd + R) in case it was a one-off hiccup. Then open any other website. If nothing loads, the problem is your connection, not that specific site — fix your Wi-Fi or mobile data first before going any further.
3. Restart your router and device
A surprising number of "site can't be reached" errors are cleared by the oldest trick there is. Unplug your router for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and let it fully reconnect. Restarting your computer or phone clears temporary network glitches at the same time. If the error only happens on Wi-Fi but not mobile data, your router is the prime suspect.
4. Flush your DNS cache
If the error mentions ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED or a DNS probe, a stale DNS cache is very likely the cause. Your device may be holding an old, broken address for the site. Clearing it forces a fresh lookup. Our step-by-step guide on how to flush your DNS cache covers Windows, macOS, Android and iPhone. This one fix resolves a huge share of these errors.
5. Switch to a public DNS server
If flushing didn't help, your ISP's DNS server itself may be slow or misconfigured. Switching to a reliable public resolver — like Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 or Google's 8.8.8.8 — often fixes name-resolution errors instantly and can even make browsing faster. You change this in your device's network settings under "DNS servers."
6. Clear your browser cache or try incognito
A corrupted cache or a bad cookie can break one specific site while everything else works. The quickest test is to open the site in an incognito/private window, which ignores your cache and extensions. If it loads there, clear your browser's cached images and cookies and try again normally.
7. Disable your VPN, proxy, firewall, or antivirus
Security tools are common culprits. A VPN or proxy can route you through a blocked or broken path, and an over-aggressive firewall or antivirus can silently block a site. Turn them off one at a time and reload. If the site suddenly works, you've found your answer — then re-enable the tool and add the site to its allow-list.
8. Reset your browser's network settings
Chrome and Edge cache network sockets that can get stuck. In Chrome, visit chrome://net-internals/#sockets and click "Flush socket pools." On Windows, you can go further with ipconfig /release, ipconfig /renew, and ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt, or netsh winsock reset for a full network stack reset (restart afterward).
9. Check the domain's DNS and whether it's expired
If a single site refuses to load for everyone and the error is DNS-related, the domain's own configuration may be broken — or the domain may have expired. Run a free DNS records lookup to see whether the domain resolves at all, and a WHOIS lookup to check its expiry date. (Swap example.com for the domain you're checking.) If the specific code you're seeing is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN, our dedicated guide on fixing DNSPROBEFINISHEDNXDOMAIN walks through it in full.
Still seeing "This site can't be reached"?
If you've worked through all nine and one specific site still won't load while everything else does, the problem is almost certainly on the site's end — not yours. Our full checklist on fixing a site that's down for you but not everyone covers the remaining edge cases, but at that point the honest answer is often to wait for the site's own team to fix it.
The takeaway: don't treat "This site can't be reached" as one problem. Read the small code, confirm whether the site is down for everyone first, then work down this list — and you'll fix the vast majority of cases in a few minutes.