Let’s take a closer look at the WordPress error “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN” in this article. At Bobcares, with our WordPress Support Services, we can handle your WordPress issues.

WordPress Error “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN”

When Google Chrome is unable to locate the website we are trying to access, the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error message appears. This is because the DNS (Domain Name System) cannot find or connect to the IP address for that website.

Turn off the antivirus software and virtual private network (VPN) for the time being

Disabling and re-enabling apps and other components allows for a fresh start and is one of the standard remedies for any local computer error. The same applies to the VPN and antivirus software. Like applications, proxies, and setups have a direct impact on the network settings, the DNS settings also have.

Reset the experimental “Flags” functionality in Chrome

Open a new Chrome window and go to chrome://flags to get started. A screen with a warning and a list of features will appear as a result. There are hundreds of Flags we can activate to personalize the browser experience if we scroll down. However, we should select the Reset All button located in the top right corner.

Restart the browser after doing this to look for the “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN” WordPress error.

For DNS issues, check the local hosts file

The host file includes a number of DNS entries and corresponding IP addresses. There are some situations where it could change or accept an edit that can bring about the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error.

On Windows, we can access the host file as an administrator. If asked, allow an editor to make changes to the system. Now go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\. We can open the host file if it exists and look inside to see what’s within. Verify that the file doesn’t contain the website. If it is, get rid of it, save the adjustments, and check for the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error once more.

Make sure the nameservers and DNS settings for the domain are accurate when we only experience the problem on one domain.

Launch the DNS server again

The Windows OS has a DNS Client service that caches DNS names. While the service is running, everything should work as we expect. However, when we stop the service there’s a chance the DNS won’t resolve domain names. To fix the WordPress “dns_probe_finished_nxdomain” error, we have to restart the service so it’s up and running again

1. Open the Run app from the Windows search bar, then run the services.msc file.

2. Within the Services window, scroll down to look for DNS Client.

3. Click Restart from the right-click context menu.

Modify the DNS servers

To see if the existing DNS servers are the problem, consider switching them temporarily. We won’t typically need to switch DNS servers. However, we can perform a quick test for the website using public DNS servers. This way we can fix the error “dns_probe_finished_nxdomain” in WordPress.

Release and renew the IP address

Open the command prompt on Windows and run the following commands in order:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew

This will release and renew the IP address. Now, check again for the error “dns_probe_finished_nxdomain” in WordPress.

Alternative Method: Flushing the DNS Cache

Alternatively, we can try flushing the DNS cache in the browser to resolve the error.

• For Chrome:
  1. Open Chrome and enter “chrome://net-internals/#dns” in the address bar.
  2. Then, click the “Clear host cache” button.
  3. Now, restart the Chrome browser for the changes to take effect.
  4. Try accessing the webpage that was causing issues to check if the problem persists.
• For Firefox:
  1. Open Firefox and type “about:networking#dns” in the address bar.
  2. Locate the “Clear DNS Cache” button at the bottom of the page and click on it.
  3. Restart Firefox to apply the changes.
• For Safari:
  1. Open Safari and go to Safari->Settings.
  2. Switch to the “Advanced” tab and enable the option to “Show Develop menu in the menu bar.”
  3. Expand the “Develop” menu from the menu bar and choose “Empty Caches” from the options.

After the above steps, try accessing the webpage that was causing issues to check if the problem persists.

Why should I flush the DNS Cache?

Are you still on the fence about clearing the DNS cache?

Well, DNS caches information to reduce lookup times for individual website names. However, a corrupted cache can result in DNS errors.

Furthermore, DNS caching speeds up the process of translating domain names into IP addresses.

Hence flushing out the DNS cache will help update information the next time a webpage opens. This leads to fewer errors like the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error.

[Need further help? Get in touch with us.]

Conclusion

At first sight, the problem appears unsolvable. However, with the above six simple methods from our Support team, we can easily fix the WordPress error DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.