4 Ways to Fix "Server DNS address could not be found" Error on Windows 10
Written by Rimvydas Iliavicius on
How to Fix "Server DNS address could not be found" in Google Chrome
When accessing a website, Google Chrome users often experience the "Server DNS address could not be found". This article will show you how to fix this error.
The "DNS address could not be found" error states that there is a problem with the DNS (Domain Name System) address, and Chrome cannot find it.
DNS servers match domain names to their associated IP addresses. When a domain name is entered into a browser, the computer contacts the current DNS servers and requests an IP address associated with the domain name.
The computer then connects to the IP address and opens the website. This normally happens quickly, without problems, unless there are issues with a DNS address that cannot be found - the DNS is not able to resolve the IP address of the website.
Under these circumstances, the "DNS address could not be found" error would appear and prevent you from accessing the Internet and its websites. Fortunately, this error is easy to fix. In this guide, we describe several methods to solve the problem.
Video Showing How to Fix the "Server DNS address could not be found" Error:
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Use Google DNS
- Clear Chrome Host Cache
- Reset Your IP and Clear DNS Cache
- Restart DNS Client Service
- Video Showing How to Fix the "Server DNS address could not be found" Error
Use Google DNS
If there is a problem with the DNS server, try to change it to Google's Public DNS, a free alternative Domain Name System (DNS) service offered to Internet users worldwide. The public DNS service and servers are maintained and owned by Google. The alternative functions as a recursive name server providing domain name resolution for any host on the Internet. You must change the DNS manually, as described here.
To change the DNS server to Google's DNS server, go to Network Connections settings. Right-click the Start menu and select "Network Connections", or go to Settings and click "Network & Internet".
In the Network & Internet settings window, select the connection type (in our case, it is "Ethernet") on the left pane and then click "Change adapter options" on the right pane.
Right-click on the connection and select "Properties" from the drop-down menu.
Select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and click "Properties".
In the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window, select "Use the following DNS server addresses", enter 8.8.8.8 as the "Preferred DNS server" and 8.8.4.4 as the "Alternate DNS server".
Click "OK" to save changes, open Google Chrome again, and check if this solves the problem with the "Server DNS address could not be found" error.
Clear Chrome Host Cache
If this "Server DNS address could not be found" error is caused by one of Google Chrome's extensions, clearing the host cache might help. To clear the host cache, open Google Chrome and a new Incognito window - click the three dots in the top-right corner and select "New incognito window".
Alternatively, simply press the Ctrl + Shift + N keys on your keyboard.
In the incognito window, click the address bar and type this address: "chrome://net-internals/#dns", and then press Enter. Find and click the "Clear host cache" button. See if this fixes the "Server DNS address could not be found" error.
Reset Your IP And Clear DNS Cache
This method includes entering and executing "netsh" and "ipcofig" commands into Command Prompt. Netsh is a command-line scripting utility that allows you to, either locally or remotely, display or modify the network configuration of a computer that is currently running.
Netsh also provides a scripting feature to run a group of commands in batch mode against a specified computer.
Ipconfig is a command-line tool that displays the current configuration of the installed IP stack on a networked computer. Using this tool, we can flush and reset the contents of the DNS client resolver cache and renew DHCP configuration.
The commands require an elevated Command Prompt opened with administrator privileges. To open an elevated Command Prompt, type "command prompt" in Search and right-click on the "Command Prompt" result. Choose "Run as administrator" to run it with administrative privileges.
When you select "Run as administrator", a User Account Control prompt will appear asking if you allow the Command Prompt to make changes to your computer. Click "Yes".
Elevated Command Prompt will appear. In the Command Prompt window, type these commands:
netsh int ip reset
netsh winsock reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns
Press Enter on your keyboard after entering each command. When all commands are executed, restart the computer and see if this fixes the "Server DNS address could not be found" error.
Restart DNS Client Service
Windows Services (also known as services.msc), are used to modify how Windows services run on your system. You can modify a service's settings for security, troubleshooting, and performance-related reasons. One of those services is the DNS Client service, and restarting it might help you solve the problem with the "Server DNS address could not be found" error.
The DNS Client service caches Domain Name System names and registers a full computer name for your computer. If the service is stopped, DNS names will continue to be resolved. However, the results of DNS name queries will not be cached, and the computer's name will not be registered. If the service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
To restart the DNS Client service, open the Run dialog box by pressing Win + R keys on your keyboard or right-clicking the Start and selecting "Run" from the contextual menu.
Once the Run dialog box is open, type "services.msc" and press Enter or click "OK".
In the Services window, find "DNS Client" and right-click it, select "Restart" from the contextual menu. Close the Services window and see if this fixes the "Server DNS address could not be found" error.
Finally, you could simply reinstall the Google Chrome browser: uninstall it and then download and install it again.
We hope that the above solutions solved the problem with the "DNS address could not be found" error. If you know of another method that solved the problem not mentioned in our guide, please share it with us by leaving a comment below.
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