The DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN is an issue related to the Domain Name System (DNS). It occurs when the DNS can not connect the website URL to the server IP address. When we enter the domain in our browser, the DNS fails to resolve the domain name. The NXDOMAIN stands for non-existing domain and the cause of this can be DNS misconfiguration, DNS propagation, Firewall, Internet Connection, etc.
There are several possible things you need to check to fix the dns_probe_finished_nxdomain issue. These Include:
Table of Contents
Renew the Domain
If you are the owner of the website and if you have registered the domain before, you should check if the domain is expired. If the domain is expired you should renew your domain immediately so that no one can hijack it from you.
Check the DNS zone
If you have access to your domain’s nameservers, then you should check the DNS zone. Checking the DNS zone implies the A record of the domain and if it pointed to the server IP address.
Disable the CDN
If you using a content delivery network, disable it temporarily to see if that will solve the issue. Sometimes the CDN can have an outage and make the website inaccessible. If the website is still inaccessible, proceed with the investigation.
Disable VPN
Sometimes the VPN may override the network settings on your computer and make the website inaccessible. Disable the VPN temporarily and see if that will solve the issue. If the website is accessible then you should probably find a new VPN.
Clear the Web Browser cache
Clearing the web browser cache, cookies, and history may help you to access the website again. Please note, clearing the cookies will log you out from everywhere and you will have to log in from scratch.
Check the local Hosts File
The local host’s file on the computer is for overriding and mapping domains to point to specific IP addresses. Maybe the domain is pointed for example to the old server IP address during the migration and the testing. Remove all lines related to that domain and see if that will solve the issue.
Flush the DNS cache
A DNS cache is a list of local translations of domain to IP addresses stored on your computer. All the websites you accessed in your browser are cached and that history may be corrupted or outdated. Resetting or flushing the DNS cache may fix the issues. Flushing the DNS cache in Windows OS can be done through the cmd Command Prompt as an administrator with the command below:
ipconfig /flushdns
In Linux flushing the DNS can be done through the terminal with the command below:
sudo resolvectl flush-caches
As for MacOS, to flush the DNS when you open the Terminal, type the following command:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Restart DNS Client service
The DNS Client service is a local DNS resolver of your computer. Restarting the service may fix the issue and make the website to be accessible again. To restart the DNS client service on Windows execute the following commands in your command prompt as an administrator:
net stop dnscache net start dnscache
In Linux, the DNS client services are usually, bind, named, rndc, etc. To restart the service in Linux you can use the following commands:
/etc/init.d/service_name reload #OR systemctl restart service_name #OR service service_name restart
Congratulations! You’ve fixed the dns_probe_finished_nxdomain error
If you are the server owner and if you host the website most probably the issues to be resolved will be easier since you will have access to your server DNS zone, CDN dashboard, etc. At the same time, you are a client and the server owner and the issue can be replicated from both aspects. If none of these steps work for you then you should contact your hosting provider, since you will go through all steps to perform these steps on your local computer and your server. Otherwise, if you are only a client who wants to access some website you will have to contact the website owner if you completed all suggestions in the previous paragraph.
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