DNS server not responding, what to do?

dns server not responding
dns server not responding

Dernière mise à jour: 29 mai 2022

You want to access a website but the following error appears on your browser: “ DNS server is not responding“? Do not panic ! It is often possible to resolve this problem easily.

In this article we will see what a DNS server and how to solve this problem.

What is a DNS Server?

First, before you can fix this DNS server problem which is not working, we need to understand what is a DNS server?

A DNS server is a powerful computer that will allow you to make a link between a domain name and an IP address. For example a DNS server allows you to transform the domain names www.funinformatique.com to the IP address 104.18.59.143.

To put it simply, a DNS server allows to make the relation between the domain name and IP address. It's a bit like your phone book which matches the name Ahmed to his phone number.

How to fix “DNS Server Not Responding” error?

Now that we know this what is a DNS server, we can understand why it is essential to the functioning of the internet.

When you enter a URL into your browser, your computer tries to get an IP address, but your DNS server is not responding.

As such, your PC cannot take you to the website you want to go to and gives you a DNS error.

Then how fix DNS server not responding error ?

Try another browser

To verify that it does not come from a web browser problem, try a different one.

If you use Google Chrome, just switch to Edge or Firefox to see if the problem is not with the browser.

If you are able to connect with another browser, then I recommend uninstalling/reinstalling the one causing the error.

Clear the DNS cache

If the DNS server is not responding, there may be a problem with your DNS cache.
The DNS cache is a file on your PC that stores the websites and IP addresses you visit. This saves you from having to constantly ask your DNS server for information you have received in the past.

Unfortunately, your DNS cache can get corrupted, and this causes DNS issues. Fortunately, flushing the DNS cache can probably fix this problem.

For flush DNS cache under Windows:

  • Click the start button, then type "Command Prompt."
  • Select the search result that appears,
  • Enter "ipconfig / flushdns".

Restart your router

If all devices and computers on your local network can't connect to the DNS server, there may be a problem with your router.

To solve this problem, unplug your router from the mains and leave it for 30 seconds. Plug it back in and try the connection again.

Temporarily disable your Antivirus and Firewall

If none of the above solutions seem to work, try temporarily disable anti-virus programs and firewalls.

These software monitors your Internet connection to make sure nothing nasty enters your system, but sometimes things go wrong.

If disabling your antivirus or firewall does the trick, you may need to reinstall it to get it back on track. It may also be time to try another antivirus program.