The following video is best watched in at least 480p quality, full screen. If you have trouble watching the video, you may continue reading down below.
Did your browser just suddenly had this issue?
This webpage is not available
DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET
Worry not, you’re not alone. I’ve had the same problem. I’ve tried googling for the right solution but there’s just not one single post out there that details the whole procedure.
After some trial-and-error testing of all suggested fixes I found, here’s what worked for me that should work for you as well.
Let’s go!
Skip to:
- Preliminary check
- Option 1: Flush the DNS cache
- Option 2: Switch to a different DNS server (if option 1 doesn’t work)
Preliminary check
Before anything else, make sure you actually have internet connection and data is passing back and forth. Here’s a few examples of how you can verify:
- You can access some (but not all) websites using your browser.
- Some apps & games that require internet connectivity works.
- You can access websites and use connected apps on other devices like your phone or tablet, or on another computer.
For all instructions here, here’s what I’ll be using:
- Browser: Chrome
- System: Windows 8.1 Pro182015
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Option 1: Flush the DNS cache
A DNS (Domain Name System) service maps IP addresses to domains. There’s a number of ways you can get a website’s IP address, and it’s a pretty much straightforward process.
Your computer holds a record of DNS entries to save looking them up on the next visit. These records are stored in the DNS cache. Every time you revisit a website, your browser gets info from the cache, quickly serving you the webpage without having to cycle through a chain of DNS servers (including yours) on the Internet again to find out what IP address is associated with the website.
The following quoted paragraph explains how a DNS caching issue may occur (and how it might be your case). It’s a bit technical to understand (you can skip to the next block) but is good know:
If you are in a network that uses an internal DNS server as the first point in this chain of servers, that DNS server’s IP address is going to be a more or less permanent resident of your DNS cache.
So what happens if that server changes or goes down? Even if there is a backup, your system still has the original IP address in its cache, and will check that address first whenever you type in a request for a web page. Obviously, querying a non-existent DNS server is not going to get you far.
Unfortunately, even if you change the address of the DNS server to a valid one in your network connection settings, your system will ignore it in favor of the entry in the cache. This can lead to much frustration. (Foat T, Yahoo Answers)
By flushing (clearing) the DNS resolver cache, your system will default to rechecking its settings again to see where it should be going to get DNS addresses.
Here’s how you do it:
1.) Go to the Start menu, search for the Command Prompt app, right-click on it and select “Run as administrator”. If a notification appears, choose “Yes”.
2.) In the Command Prompt, type in ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
If done correctly, it should display the following message:
Windows IP Configuration
Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.
3.) Reboot your router.
- Turn off the router using its power button.
- Unplug it from the power source.
- Press and hold on to the power button for about 10 seconds.
- Plug it back to the power source.
- Turn it on using the power button (if it doesn’t yet).
4.) Restart your computer.
If flushing the DNS cache didn’t fix your problem, then proceed to the next section.
Switch to a different DNS server
By default, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) has their own DNS server. If clearing the DNS cache didn’t work for you, it’s likely that the issue is with your DNS server, not with your computer.
Fortunately, you can switch to a custom DNS server besides your ISP’s. Two most popular and free ones are Google Public DNS and OpenDNS.
Here’s how you can set a custom DNS server on your connection:
1.) Go to the Start menu, search for Control Panel and open it.
2.) Under Network and Internet click View network status and tasks.
3.) The Network and Sharing Center window should open up. On the left section, click on Change adapter settings.
4.) The Network Connections window should open. Select and right-click on your connection (Ethernet if your computer is connected through a cable; Wi-Fi if wireless) and choose Properties.
5.) In the new window that opens, while in the Networking tab (by default), find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the list and click on it to highlight, then click on the Properties button.
6.) In the new window that opens, IPv4 Properties, select the “Use the following DNS server addresses” radio button and enter DNS server addresses listed below. Both Google Public DNS and OpenDNS will work, but one may improve or decrease your connection speed than the other depending on your location. Switch to the other one later if you want to test.
Google Public DNS
8.8.8.8 (Preferred DNS server)
8.8.4.4 (Alternate DNS server)
OpenDNS
208.67.222.222 (Preferred DNS server)
208.67.220.220 (Alternate DNS server)
When you’re done, click on OK to save your changes.
7. Restart your computer.
Some ISPs have also been known to use crappy DNS servers (some even blocks certain websites/IPs), hence switching to another might also improve your overall internet connectivity and browsing experience.
Last options
If the above solution didn’t work for you, try using Google Chromebook’s connectivity troubleshooter: Fix Internet connection issues
If in the end nothing really fixed your problem, it might be best to contact your ISP about it.
Hope this tutorial fixed your problem as well. If you have questions, encounter other issues or have an alternative solution, let everyone know in the comments section down below. Let’s help each other.
