QUICK FIX GUIDE
How to Fix "DNS Server Not Responding" on Windows 11 and Mac
Wi-Fi shows connected but websites won't load. Your computer can't translate domain names into IP addresses because the DNS lookup is timing out. Here's how to diagnose and fix it in under 5 minutes.
A client called last week their team couldn't access any external website. Wi-Fi showed full bars. Pinging IP addresses worked fine. But every browser returned "DNS Server Not Responding." They'd already spent two hours rebooting computers, reinstalling network drivers, and calling their ISP, who said everything looked fine on their end. The real problem: their ISP's DNS servers had been failing intermittently for three days before the ISP finally acknowledged the outage.
This error doesn't mean your hardware is broken. It means your computer asked a DNS server for a website's address and got silence back. Here's how to fix it, starting with the simplest solution and escalating only when needed.
Every website has a numeric IP address like 142.250.80.45 but you type names like melextech.dev. DNS translates names into those addresses. When you enter a URL, your computer queries a DNS server, gets the IP back, and connects directly to that IP.
"Not responding" means your computer sent the query and got no reply within the timeout window (usually 2 - 4 seconds). Three things cause this: the DNS server itself is down, your network can't reach the DNS server, or your computer's cached DNS data is corrupt and returning wrong addresses that lead to dead ends.
The most common cause is the simplest one: your ISP's DNS server is unreliable or temporarily down. Switching to a public DNS server resolves it immediately in most cases.
- Step 1: Restart your modem and router fixes roughly 40% of DNS issues on the spot.
- Step 2: Change your DNS server to Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) fixes another 40%.
- Step 3: Flush your DNS cache and reset the network stack catches the remaining cases.
Spend 30 seconds figuring out where the problem lives before trying fixes. This tells you which step to start with.
Restart Your Modem and Router
Routers run nonstop and build up memory errors over days or weeks. A full power cycle clears the RAM, re-establishes the WAN connection, and forces your ISP to assign a fresh IP. In our experience, this single step resolves roughly 40% of DNS complaints.
Unplug both devices from power
Remove the power cable from the modem and the router. Don't use the power button many routers don't fully cut power when you press it, which means the memory never actually clears.
Wait at least 30 seconds
Count to thirty slowly. The capacitors inside both devices need time to fully discharge. This is the step most people skip, and it's the main reason their "restart" doesn't work.
Reconnect in the right order
Plug the modem in first. Wait for the status light to show a solid connection usually 1–2 minutes. Then plug in the router and wait another minute for it to fully initialize. Try loading a webpage.
Why not just restart the computer? Rebooting your PC only clears the local DNS cache it doesn't touch the network layer where the actual problem lives. We'll clear that cache separately in Step 3 if needed. Restart the router first because it addresses the root cause in most cases.
Change Your DNS Server to Google or Cloudflare
Your ISP assigns a default DNS server through DHCP. These servers are often overloaded, under-maintained, or geographically distant from you. Public DNS servers like Google's and Cloudflare's have more capacity, more server locations worldwide, and better anycast routing than most ISP infrastructure. Switching resolves the majority of persistent DNS problems.
Google vs Cloudflare: Google DNS (8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4) is the most battle-tested public DNS compatible with every network setup we've encountered. Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1) is marginally faster in some regions and doesn't log your queries. Either one works. If one doesn't resolve your issue, try the other.
Windows 11
Open your network adapter properties
Press Win + I to open Settings. Go to Network & internet → Wi-Fi. Click the i icon next to your connected network name.
Navigate to DNS settings
Click Edit next to "DNS server assignment." This opens the DNS configuration panel for that adapter.
Switch to manual DNS
Change the dropdown from "Automatic" to Manual. Toggle IPv4 on. Enter 8.8.8.8 as the preferred DNS and 8.8.4.4 as the alternate. Save.
Verify it worked
Close your browser completely not just the tab, the entire browser then reopen it. If websites load, you're done. If the error persists, open Command Prompt as admin and run ipconfig /flushdns to clear cached entries that still point to the old server.
macOS
Open network settings
Go to System Settings → Network. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and click Details.
Add your DNS servers
Click the DNS tab. Hit the + button and add 8.8.8.8. Click + again and add 8.8.4.4. Drag Google's servers to the top of the list so they're queried first. Click OK.
Flush the macOS DNS cache
Open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. It will ask for your admin password. Unlike Windows, macOS holds onto DNS records aggressively skipping this step is a common reason the fix appears not to work.
Corporate or school networks: Some organizations require you to use their internal DNS servers to access local resources like intranet sites or file shares. If you switch to Google DNS and lose access to internal tools, add your organization's DNS server as a third entry in the list your computer will try the public servers first for external sites and fall back to the internal one for local addresses.
Flush DNS Cache and Reset the Network Stack
Your operating system caches DNS responses to speed up future visits. Sometimes that cache gets corrupted — a stale record points to the wrong IP, or a partial response gets stuck. Flushing clears it. If the cache isn't the problem, the network stack (the low-level software that handles all network communication) might be corrupted usually by a buggy driver update, a VPN that didn't uninstall cleanly, or malware.
Flush the DNS cache
Windows: Open Command Prompt as administrator
Click the Start button, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator. Run ipconfig /flushdns. You should see "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache." Restart your browser.
macOS: Flush via Terminal
Open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Enter your password when prompted. No success message appears if there's no error, it worked.
Reset the network stack (Windows only)
Run the reset commands
Still in an admin Command Prompt, run these three commands one at a time, waiting for each to finish:
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew
The first command resets the Winsock catalog the interface between your applications and the network. The second resets the TCP/IP stack to its default state. The release/renew pair gets a fresh IP from your router.
Restart your computer
The winsock reset doesn't take effect until you reboot. After restarting, reconnect to Wi-Fi and test. You may need to re-enter your Wi-Fi password.
The winsock reset will temporarily break: VPN clients, custom firewall rules, and any software that installed its own network protocol (some antivirus suites do this). You'll need to reconnect VPNs and possibly reinstall software that depends on custom network adapters. Don't run this on a work machine without checking with your IT team first.
macOS equivalent: macOS doesn't have a direct winsock reset command. If flushing the cache didn't work on a Mac, the closest approach is deleting the network configuration files in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/ and restarting. This resets all network settings to defaults — Wi-Fi passwords, VPN configs, and custom DNS will need to be re-entered. Only do this if you've exhausted other options.
When Nothing Works: Escalate to Your ISP
If you've restarted hardware, switched DNS servers, flushed the cache, and reset the network stack and the problem persists across every device on your network the issue is almost certainly on your ISP's side. This could be a DNS server outage, a routing problem in their network, or a misconfigured connection at their end.
Confirm it's not just you
Check a site like downforeveryoneorjustme.com or ask someone on a different network (a friend's phone on mobile data) to test the same websites. If they load fine elsewhere, the problem is isolated to your connection.
Call your ISP with specific information
Don't say "the internet isn't working." That gets you a scripted reboot response. Instead, tell them: "I've already restarted my modem and router, switched to Google DNS at 8.8.8.8, and flushed my DNS cache. The problem affects all devices on my network. Pinging IP addresses works but domain name resolution fails. I believe your DNS servers or upstream routing is the issue." This skips tier-1 troubleshooting and usually gets you to someone who can actually check their infrastructure.
Use a temporary workaround while waiting
If your ISP can't fix it immediately, enable a VPN on your device. A VPN routes your DNS queries through the VPN provider's servers instead of your ISP's, which bypasses the problem entirely. It's not a permanent solution — it adds latency and may slow your connection but it lets you keep working while the ISP investigates.
Before calling, rule out malware: Some malware changes your DNS settings to redirect you to phishing pages. If you set manual DNS to 8.8.8.8 and it keeps reverting to an unfamiliar address, run a full scan with reputable antivirus software before contacting your ISP. No ISP can fix a malware problem from their end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check another device on the same network your phone, for instance. If it loads websites fine, the problem is isolated to your computer. If nothing on the network can resolve DNS, the issue is your router or ISP.
Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) is the most widely used and consistently fast option. Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) is slightly better for privacy. Both are free, reliable, and significantly faster than most ISP default DNS servers.
Recurring DNS errors usually point to one of three causes: your ISP's DNS servers are unreliable, your network adapter settings keep reverting to automatic, or there's a malware infection actively modifying your DNS settings. If you change DNS manually and it keeps reverting, check for malware and consider disabling automatic DNS in your adapter settings.
No. DNS lookups take milliseconds regardless of which server you use. Google and Cloudflare DNS are actually faster than most ISP defaults because they have more server locations and better caching infrastructure. You might notice webpages loading fractionally faster, not slower.
DNS_PROBE_FINISHED means your computer sent a DNS query but received no response at all the server didn't reply, not even with an error. This usually means the DNS server address is wrong, unreachable, or your firewall is blocking DNS traffic on port 53.
Still stuck?
If none of these steps resolved your issue, the problem may be something less common a firewall misconfiguration, a hijacked hosts file, or a router firmware bug.
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