DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN: Causes and Fixes

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN is Chrome's way of saying "this name doesn't exist". The browser asked a DNS resolver for the site's address and got back NXDOMAIN, the DNS response for a name that doesn't exist. Edge shows the same error, and other browsers word it differently: Firefox says "Hmm. We're having trouble finding that site", Safari says "Safari can't find the server".

Fixing it starts with one question: is the name really missing, or does only your device think so?

Is it your device or the domain?

Look the name up somewhere your device's caches can't affect. The DNS lookup tool asks public resolvers and the domain's own nameservers directly:

• The lookup returns an address: the domain is fine. The problem is on your device or network. See the visitor fixes below.
• The lookup also returns NXDOMAIN: the name really doesn't exist in public DNS, and only the domain's owner can fix it. Skip to the site-owner fixes.

From a terminal, compare your normal resolver with a public one:

nslookup example.com
nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1

If the first fails and the second works, your local resolver is the problem.

How to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN as a visitor

1. Check the address for typos. A misspelling or the wrong ending (.co instead of .com) is the most common cause.
2. Flush your DNS cache. If the site was down or newly created when you last tried, your device may still remember "doesn't exist". On Windows run ipconfig /flushdns; on macOS run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. In Chrome, also clear chrome://net-internals/#dns.
3. Switch resolver. Set your device or router to a public resolver such as 1.1.1.1, 8.8.8.8 or 9.9.9.9. If the site then loads, your ISP's resolver was returning a stale or wrong answer.
4. Turn off your VPN, proxy or filtering software. Many use their own resolver, and some deliberately answer NXDOMAIN for blocked sites.
5. Check the hosts file (/etc/hosts, or C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts) for an old entry for the domain.

How to fix NXDOMAIN as a site owner

If public resolvers also return NXDOMAIN, work down from the registration to the record:

1. The domain has expired or been suspended

When a domain expires, or the registrar or registry places it on hold, its delegation is removed from the parent zone and every name under it returns NXDOMAIN. Check the registration status with your registrar. The nameserver check asks the registry directly and shows statuses such as clientHold or serverHold.

2. The nameservers don't host your zone

If the registrar points to nameservers that don't have your zone, or that host an older copy without the record, they will answer NXDOMAIN, or the lookup will fail. This often happens after moving DNS providers. Compare the registrar's nameservers with the provider you are actually editing. See troubleshooting nameserver mismatches.

3. The record for that hostname doesn't exist

A record for example.com doesn't create one for www.example.com, or the other way round. Each hostname needs its own A, AAAA or CNAME record. Check that the exact name visitors type exists in your zone.

4. A CNAME points at a name that doesn't exist

If www is a CNAME to a hosting or CDN hostname that has been removed, for example after cancelling a service, resolvers follow the alias and get NXDOMAIN for the target. Look up the CNAME's target directly.

5. The name was looked up before it existed

Resolvers cache "doesn't exist" answers too, for the negative-caching time set in your zone's SOA record. A record you just created can stay invisible to some resolvers for that long. See why DNS changes look inconsistent.

NXDOMAIN vs other "can't find" errors