How to Solve DNS Error: Server cannot be found

The DNS server cannot be found error is a common error mostly encountered by Windows users regardless of which version of Windows they’re using. More often than not, this error shows up when accessing some website that the user is trying to enter from their browser. The error message is shown as “server DNS address could not be found”.

 

What Does “server DNS address could not be found” Mean?

 

Every website 0n the internet can be accessed using an IP address which is in turn associated with a domain address that is easily readable by humans. The IP address is specifically used for packet to packet communication.

A DNS (server) is a server on the internet which allows for translation between human readable domain addresses and IP addresses so communication can be routed to the proper website when the user enters the website on their browser.

When a translation fails, an error is shown on the browser of the user. This failure can happen due to many reasons such as the website being down, a particular DNS server being down used by the user is down, or your local cache is returning an older IP address.

IP addresses typically changes every few days, hours or weeks, especially if you’re using a WiFi router or if you don’t have a real IP.

With all that technical information out of the way, let’s take a look at the solutions for this problem.

1. Update your DNS server

You can easily change the DNS server that you’re using from your browser. Whichever browser you use, feel free to look at the Settings option where you can easily choose a DNS server out of some pre-determined options provided by the browser.

You can also change your DNS server through your router settings by logging into your router’s control panel. Take a look at the box that came with your router for more specific instructions on how to do that.

 

2. Reset Network Configurations

You might not have a properly configured network which is why you’re coming across this error.

1. Press “Windows” + “R” to launch the command prompt.
   
2. Type in “cmd” into the input box.
   
3. Press “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “Enter” keys simultaneously to provide admin privileges when starting the command prompt. This will open the command prompt.
4. Type in the following commands in the command prompt and press “Enter” after each to execute them.
   netsh int ip reset
   netsh winsock reset
   ipconfig /release
   ipconfig /renew
   ipconfig /flushdns
5. After doing all of this, check if the error still persists.

 

3. Restart the DNS Service

It’s also commonplace for the DNS service in your computer to glitch when you enter a website through your browser. Restarting the DNS service could help solve this problem. To do that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” on your keyboard to open the Run prompt.
2. Type in “services.msc” and press “Enter” This will launch the service management window.
   
3. In the service manager, scroll through the list to find the “DNS Client service”.

       4.Select the “Restart” option from the list and wait for it to restart.

       5.Check again if the problem persists after restarting is completed.

 

4. Flush your DNS Cache

When visiting a website, if the website requires you to sign in to an account, Windows saves the addresses of all the IP addresses of all the websites you visit automatically. It does this to remember the website next time you log in so it could fill up the details by itself. Sometimes the cache becomes obsolete and can cause malfunctioning. To fix this issue, you need to flush your DNS Cache.

1. Press “Windows” + “R” simultaneously. This will open up a dialog box. Type “cmd” and press “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “Enter” simultaneously and an administrator command window will pop up.
2. Type in the following commands one by one in the specific order and press “Enter” after each to execute them.
   ipconfig /flushdns
   ipconfig /renew
   ipconfig /registerdns
3. Check to see if the problem still persists.

 

5. Change DNS Server Settings

Sometimes the DNS server could be configured the wrong way which can lead to accessibility issues with the internet. To correctly configure your DNS server settings do the following steps:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” simultaneously. This will open up a dialog box. Type in “control” and click on “OK” in the box to open your control panel.
   
2. Click on the “View By” option and select “Small Icons” from the list. Then, click on Network and Sharing Center.
   
3. Select “Change adapter settings”.
4. Then, select your specific connection icon (either Local Area or Wireless or Ethernet connection, right click on it and click on the Properties option.
5. Then click on the “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click on the Properties icon.
   
6. Here, you will see the “Obtain DNS Server Address automatically checked. Check the “Use the following DNS Addresses” option and type in “8.8.8.8” and “8.8.4.4” in the primary and secondary DNS Server Addresses respectively.
7. Then, save the changes and close the window.
   Check to see if the error has been fixed.

 

6. Uninstall and Reinstall your Browser

This is an option a little too extreme, but desperate situations call for desperate measures. The issue you’re facing might not be a network configuration issue at all and might be a browser issue. To uninstall your browser:

1. Close all the tabs and windows of the browser you want to uninstall.
2. Click on the Start menu and select the settings option.
3. Click on apps, and under the “Apps & Features” options, find the browser you want to uninstall and click on it.
4. Click on the Uninstall option and confirm it.
5. Delete all of your browsing data which will remove any information stored on your computer related to bookmarks, history, and user profile data.
6. After the uninstall process is complete use one of your other browsers to download the browser again, and install it.
7. Depending on your browser, you might be prompted to “Run or Save”. Click on “Save” and run the executable as soon as it is downloaded.
8. After the installation is complete, start the browser and make it your default browser as that will help the browser work better.
9. Check to see if the issue still persists.

 

7. Configuring Google Chrome to Open New Page

 

Sometimes, browser extensions or other page might configure your browser to open a specific set of pages during startup which might cause this issue. To fix it, follow the steps below.

1. Click on the three dots at the top right corner of the browser and click on “Settings”.
2. In the Chrome settings, click on “Appearance” option from the left pane.
3. Then, click on the “Open New Tab Page” option under the heading “On Startup”.
4. Close the browser and restart it.
5. Check to see if the problem has been fixed.

 

8. Delete files from ETC folder

Some users might face this problem due to extra files present in one of the most important folder of the Windows Operating System. If the “etc.” folder inside the System 32 folder contains a lot of extra file, this error message is shown.

So, naturally, in this step we will be deleting these files on your computer, but before you do that make sure you have a full backup of all your files as this is an advanced step and sometimes can go wrong.

1. Press the “Windows” + “E” buttons on your keyboard. This will launce the File Explorer.
2. In the File Explorer, navigate to the following location: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
3. Press “Ctrl” + “A” to select all the files inside the folder.
4. Press “Shift” + “Delete” to remove them from the computer.
5. Check if the problem is solved.

 

9. Use Chrome Commands

Just as your PC has a DNS cache so does Chrome. It is used to speed up browsing on the internet but sometimes can get corrupt. We will be looking into how to clear Chrome’s DNS cache in this step.

1. Launch Chrome and open a new tab.
2. In the new tab, type in “Chrome://net-internals/#dns” and press “Enter”.
3. Click on the “Clear Host Cache” button to clear the cache.
4. Check if the problem still persists.

 

10. Remove the Prediction Service

Chrome has a prediction service which helps out the user while typing something in the search bar. These recommendations are really helpful but can sometimes interfere with the browser’s functionality and cause the error in question. To fix this:

1. Click on the three dots on the top right corner and select “Settings”.
2. When in “Settings”, click on the “Sync and Google Services” option.
3. Then, click on the toggle for the “Autocomplete searches and URLs” option to turn it off.
4. After turning off the predictive search feature, check to see if the problem still persists.

How to Clear DNS Cache on Android Phones: Four Solutions Provided

 

11. Run the Network Troubleshooter

Some important Windows features might run into errors which might cause these issues with DNS server. Resetting and flushing the DNS server might not solve the error at all. In which case, you could troubleshoot with the network troubleshooter to find out what exactly isn’t working.

To do that, follow the steps below:

• Press “Windows” + “I” simultaneously. This will launch the settings.
• Click on “Update and Security” option. Then, click on the “Troubleshoot” button on the left side of the window.

• Click on “Internet Connections. Then, click on “Run the troubleshooter” option.

• Follow the instructions shown on the troubleshooter until the end to see if the troubleshooter was able to pinpoint the problem and fix it. If not, keep trying out the next few solutions.

 

 

12. Reinstalling Network Drivers

The network drivers being used by your computer might just be out of date. Usually Windows upload these drivers on its own or during it’s frequent updates, but sometimes the updates don’t take place. To fix this, you might want to uninstall the driver and install them again automatically using Windows Update.

Warning: If Windows Update doesn’t install the drivers automatically, you’ll have to look up the name of the driver being used, download the current version of the drivers from their respective websites and keep them in hand to install them manually, which is just like installing any software. So proceed with caution, and take the steps outlined above.

1. Press the “Windows” + “R” key simultaneously on your keyboard to open a run window.
2. Type “devmgmt.msc” in the input box and hit enter.
3. The device manager window will open up. Look for the “Network Adapter” option and expand it.
4. Right click on the internet adapter that your computer is currently using.
5. Click on the “Uninstall”  button. This will remove the driver.
6. Then, restart your computer and check if the driver was installed automatically after the restart.
7. If not, install the drivers by clicking on their executables already stored in your computer.

 

13. Disable Proxy Settings

It is sometimes possible that your computer might be running a proxy connection. This might be causing the DNS server as well. To fix it:

• Press Windows + R key on your keyboard at the same time.
• This will make a dialog box appear like before. Type “MSConfig” in the input box and press OK.
• Select the boot option from the system configuration window. Then, check the “Safe Boot” option.

• Click on the apply option and Press OK.
• Then, restart your PC. This is when you boot the PC in safe mode.
• Once again, press the Windows + R key simultaneously and type “inetcpl.cpl” in the input box and press “Enter”.
• You will see an internet properties dialog box appear on your screen.

• Select the Connections tab. Uncheck the “Use proxy server for your LAN” box and click OK.
• Then, open MSConfig like before and uncheck the safe boot option.
• Then, save the changes and restart your computer again.
• Now check if the problem is resolved.

 

Conclusion

Now, after all these steps the DNS server error should be fixed. If not, check if you missed any steps or not. We would suggest trying out the first options and move to the next one when one of the solutions don’t work.

The solutions are organized in a way that the later solutions are more of a last resort situation. More often than not, just flushing out your DNS usually fixes this error.

 

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