DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN

Chromium-based browsers show DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN when the Domain Name System lookup for the host you typed returns NXDOMAIN — the formal DNS reply that says “this name does not exist.” The browser reached a DNS server, asked it where the address lives, and the server answered that no such record is published. This is different from a timeout or an unreachable server: the lookup completed, and it completed with a negative answer.

What it means

A browser does not talk to a website by name; it needs an IP address first. It hands the hostname to a resolver, which walks the DNS hierarchy and returns either a record (an A or AAAA address, or a CNAME alias) or a status code. NXDOMAIN is the authoritative answer for “no such name,” and it is cached for the length of the negative-TTL so repeat lookups fail just as fast.

Because the verdict comes from DNS, the website itself never gets a chance to respond. Whether the site is up or down is irrelevant while the name cannot be resolved. The useful next step is therefore to ask who gave the negative answer: your own machine, a stale cache, your configured resolver, or the domain's authoritative nameservers. Each points to a different fix.

In practice the error is almost always one of a few things: a typo in the address, a domain that has expired or been parked, a corrupted local DNS cache, a hosts-file entry that overrides the name, or a resolver that cannot see the record because of a split-horizon or filtering setup. Confirm the cause with a lookup before changing anything.

It is worth separating NXDOMAIN from its neighbours. A timeout means the resolver never heard back; a refused connection means the name resolved to an address but nothing was listening; NXDOMAIN specifically means the name itself is absent from DNS. Because that answer is authoritative and cached, simply reloading the page rarely helps — you have to correct the name, the cache, or the resolver behind it. Treating the message as “the site is down” sends you chasing a server that was never contacted in the first place.

Common causes

• A typo in the address, such as gogle.com or a missing/misplaced character in the hostname.
• The domain has expired, was deleted, or its DNS records were removed by the owner.
• A corrupt or stale local DNS cache, or a router caching a bad answer.
• A hosts file entry that maps the name to a wrong or removed address.
• The configured DNS server is filtering, broken, or serving a split-horizon zone that lacks the record.

How to fix it

1. Check for a typo. Re-read the hostname character by character; NXDOMAIN is the normal answer to a misspelling.
2. Confirm the record exists. Query a public resolver directly. NXDOMAIN here, with everything else working, means the owner has not published the name.

   nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1
   dig +short example.com @8.8.8.8

3. Flush your local cache. On Windows run an elevated Command Prompt; on macOS run the matching command for your version.

   ipconfig /flushdns
   # macOS
   sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

4. Inspect the hosts file. Open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (or /etc/hosts) as administrator and remove any line that maps the hostname to an address. Then flush again.
5. Change the resolver. Set your adapter's DNS to a known public resolver such as 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8, or reboot the router so it stops serving a cached failure. Retest in a fresh browser profile.

How to prevent it

Keep a working resolver in mind and switch to it when your default one misbehaves; a quick lookup against a public server tells you within seconds whether a failure is yours or the domain's. A single command against a public resolver answers the question that matters most: is this my problem or theirs? Use bookmarks or search for sites you visit often instead of retyping hostnames, which removes the typo class of failure entirely.

If you manage the domain, watch expiry dates and enable registrar auto-renew, and only point records at hosts that actually exist. When you run a local DNS filter or an ad-blocking resolver, remember that a blocked name can be returned as NXDOMAIN — check that list before hunting for a deeper fault. Finally, leave DNS alone unless you have a reason to change it; unexplained “optimisations” are a frequent source of split-resolution problems.