Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error

What is DNS?

One of the most common but misunderstood elements of the web landscape is DNS, short for Domain Name System. To put it plainly, by linking domain names with actual web servers, DNS helps guide internet traffic.

Since DNS is all about looking up addresses and linking devices, DNS is considered the “Internet phonebook” by many people. 

What is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN?

Firstly, do you know what dns_probe_finished_nxdomain is? What causes the dns_probe_finished_nxdomain error and when does it happen?

Well, typically, the reason for dns_probe_finished_nxdomain is due to a DNS misconfiguration or issue. DNS is short for Domain Name System, which helps by linking domain names to the actual web servers, helping guide traffic on the internet.

When a user enters a web browser URL, the DNS works to connect the URL to the actual server’s IP address. This is called DNS name resolution and includes a DNS resource querying different nameservers to decide a server’s actual IP address.

If the domain name or address cannot be resolved by DNS, the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error can occur.

The section of NXDOMAIN stands for Non-Existent Domain. Depending on the browser you’re using, there are a few different versions of this mistake.

• In Google Chrome, it shows, the site can’t be reached and below you can also find ‘‘DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN’’ error.

• In Mozilla Firefox, it shows ”Hmm. We’re having trouble finding that site”

• In Microsoft Edge, it shows ”Hmmm… can’t reach this page”.

• In Safari, it shows ‘‘Safari Can’t Find the Server’’.

Now that you know what is causing this DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error and why it is being shown on multiple browsers, there are many methods to fix this problem.

This is not a big issue. Even though it might sound really critical and confusing but the procedures are really short and might take you just a few minutes.

Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN in Windows 10/8/7:

1. Press the Start button.
2. Type “Control Panel” and press enter.

3. Now go to the Network and Sharing Center.

4. Click on the Change adapter settings provided in the left panel.

5. Choose the network adapter you are using to connect to the internet.

6. Right-click on the network that you are using to connect to the internet and choose Properties.

7. In the properties window, scroll down till you see the option “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)”.

8. Double click on this option.

9. Now click on “Use the following DNS server addresses.“

10. Now enter the following DNS addresses: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

11. Save all the settings by clicking OK.
12. Close all the windows.

If you are a Windows user, you have some perks that no other OS has. Since many people all over the world are using Windows, they are constantly looking for solutions to this error and running bug testing to find solutions for different problems on Windows.

For problems like this, there are certain solutions that you won’t get on other platforms. These can be considered as additional methods that you can try to fix your DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN problem. The methods are:

1. Disable VPN and Antivirus Temporarily

VPNs and antivirus applications may often interfere with your network settings, like your DNS servers, or +bypass them, etc. Try temporarily disabling them to see if it resolves the nxdomain error terminated by the DNS probe in Chrome.

2. Check Your Local Hosts File

Each machine has what they call a file for the local hosts. This is a file containing manual DNS entries that are mapped to particular IP addresses.

This is usually edited only when you want to preview your DNS before switching domains to a new host. There are, however, a variety of different ways in which this file may have been altered or modified.

Therefore, if none of the above options have worked for you, it is worth double-checking your local hosts’ files to make sure that there is no website you are trying to access.

That should do the trick, and you should be ready for problem-free browsing from now on. If you have followed each of the steps properly, then your problem should be fixed by now, and if you haven’t restarted your computer yet, do it now and see if it shows up again or not.

If you’re using Mac OS, the procedure is a bit different. That is shown below:

Fix dns_probe_finished_nxdomain in Mac OS X and older:

1. Click on “System Preferences” given in the top left corner.

2. Now click on Network,

3. Make sure that you are connected to the network that you are using,

4. Click on “Advanced.”

5. Now click on the DNS tab.

6. Click on the plus button given at the bottom. Now enter the following addresses: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

7. Now click on ok.
8. Click on the Apply button.

We are hopeful that your DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN problem is resolved. It’s a pretty easy patch that doesn’t take long to do.

Please restart your computer and check again if your DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN still persists. This is for all the Mac users out there.

Like on Windows, you can also try checking the Local Host files on your Mac device. We recommend getting the Gas Mask Mac OS program to check your hosts’ files.

It’s a free program that can be used as a file manager and editor for hosts, and a switch between them. It makes everything easy and quick.  Alternatively, you can follow the steps below to edit your Mac host file manually. The following steps are:

1. Go to Utilities and click on “Terminal.”
2. Enter the “sudo nano/private/etc/hosts” command and press Enter. You might be prompted for your administrator password).
3. Double-check and make sure the website you’re trying to visit isn’t listed in your host file. If it is, remove it.

This might help you. That’s why we added this to the list if nothing works.

Fix dns_probe_finished_nxdomain Ubuntu:

If you are using Ubuntu and you’re facing the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN, please follow the given instructions to fix it.

The following steps are here:

1. Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T.
2. Use the following command.
3. Try to find the file with the name “Resolv.config.”
4. Now enter the following command to open the file in the Nano text editor.
5. When the terminal prompts, enter the password.
6. Add a hashtag (#) in front of the name server to comment on the line.
7. Enter the new name server as shown in the figure.
8. The value of the new name server
9. Press CTRL + X to exit the text editor.
10. Choose “yes” to save the changes.
11. Type “sudo service manager-network restart” to restart the network manager.
    
    

If you follow each of the steps carefully, your DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Ubuntu problem should be fixed. But even after following these steps, if you are still facing this issue, there is another method you can try.

The following steps are:

1. Open the terminal using Ctrl+Alt+T,
2. Enter “dhclient.config” and the following command to edit in Nano.
3. Enter the “supersede domain name servers” (8.8.8.8) line into the file.
4. Now restart the network with the following command.

This is another solution to this problem. Your problem should be fixed by the first method. If that doesn’t work, you still have one last trick up your sleeve, and this might actually help you fix your DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Ubuntu problem.

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN issue in Android:

1. Install Chrome beta and set it as your default browser.
2. Restart your device as that will reset the domain name settings.

This is a really short and simple trick to fix your DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN issue for Android devices.

Alternatives and Assumptions

1. There are many methods that can be discussed at this moment, and you might be ripping out your hair as you just can’t get the right solution to this problem.

Well, here we go.

Sometimes, restarting your computer or router can actually help you fix problems like this. Restarting helps by deleting or removing temporary cache files from your devices.

After trying too many tricks, this one is the easiest, so at least give it a try. It doesn’t matter how mediocre it sounds, sometimes you just might get lucky.

2. If SonicWall is unable to resolve the IP addresses of DNS names, it is unable to contact DNS servers. This makes it impossible for SonicWall to reach the content filtering service, set the appliance time using the NTP servers, or synchronize licenses.

Make sure the IP addresses on the DNS server are configured and they are correct. If you are not running DNS servers of your own, verify that you have entered the correct DNS IP addresses with your ISP.

3. In addition to all the options mentioned, there are other fruitful ways to ensure that there is no error. Updating the network driver is one of the more prevalent methods.

Every computer motherboard usually has its own network driver, which is available on the CD that came with your motherboard or you can download the latest version online.

Because the LAN port and network drivers vary between motherboards, they are unique. Installing the driver barely takes minutes and promises to eliminate many problems.

4. Cloudflare is a free content delivery network (CDN) program that protects users against threats such as injections of SQL and theft of identity.

By using its multiple data centers located around the world, Cloudflare also improves site performance and speeds up loading times.

This is unique to others because you can change the DNS settings for the Cloudflare servers once you have your website up and running, thereby caching your website.

5. The Chrome browser errors “DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN” and “DNS PROBE FINISHED BAD CONFIG” are triggered because your DNS settings on your computer are incorrect.

The error that occurs when you attempt to open a website using your Chrome browser and it causes invalid DNS settings or because your Internet router does not provide your computer with the correct DNS address settings to successfully resolve the domain names of its IP addresses.

If the DNS settings are incorrect, you are unable to access websites from any web browser on your computer, and you get one of the following errors, particularly in Chrome: “This website is not available, DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN” or “DNS PROBE FINISHED BAD CONFIG”.

You can fix this by removing viruses and malware, resetting IP addresses, and assigning DNS settings manually as well.

Conclusion

Even though it is a frustrating error, the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error is usually quite easy to resolve. Between clearing your DNS cache, renewing your IP, and testing multiple DNS servers, you should be able to fix it and start surfing the web in no time.

These steps are not complicated, because they are very clearly described above so you can follow them yourself. Let us hope this helps you, regardless of which platform you are running on.