Fix: Site Can’t Be Reached, Server IP Address Could Not Be Found in Chrome

Chrome can't turn the site's domain name into an IP address, so it stops with "This site can't be reached". The fault can sit in your own proxy, resolver, or Windows network settings, or on the website's DNS record.

Start by checking whether one site or every site fails. Then work down the list: Windows diagnostics, Chrome and Windows proxy settings, automatic IP and DNS, both DNS caches, and the network driver.

In this guide, I have covered:

Method 1: Find out whether the site or your PC is at fault

The page stays blank and Chrome reports that the server IP address could not be found. That means Chrome could not turn the domain name into an IP address, so it had nowhere to send the request. Most of the time you will also see ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED under the message.

Two things cause it: a Domain Name System (DNS) or proxy setting on your PC, or a DNS record missing on the website’s own server. The checks below tell you which one you are dealing with.

Run this comparison to see where the fault sits:

1. Open a different known website in Chrome.
2. Open the failing address in another browser on the same computer.
3. Open the failing address on a phone using the same Wi-Fi network.

If only one site fails on every device while other pages load, the website’s own DNS or server is the likely cause. If every site fails on one computer, keep reading, because the Windows and Chrome checks below cover that case.

A certificate warning is a different problem with a different fix. If Chrome shows one instead of a name-resolution error, use Fix: Your Connection is Not Private error in Chrome browser for that one.

Method 2: Test DNS resolution from Windows

Before you change any DNS setting, find out whether Windows can resolve a domain name at all. A ping test answers that in seconds.

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type cmd and press Enter.
3. Type ping google.com and press Enter. For a different failing site, replace google.com with its domain name.

Replies with packet statistics mean DNS resolution worked for that domain, so the name is not your problem. A “could not find host” or “unknown host” line points straight at name resolution. A timeout on its own proves nothing, since some networks block ping even when pages load fine.

RELATED: basic browser troubleshooting steps

Method 3: Run Windows network diagnostics

When every website fails, let Windows examine the adapter, the network stack, and the connection before you touch Chrome settings. The built-in troubleshooter flags common configuration and driver problems for you.

1. Right-click the network icon in the taskbar, the one that shows Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
2. Choose Troubleshoot problems.
3. Wait for the diagnostics to finish.
4. Apply any suggested fixes.

Reopen Chrome and test the same page once the troubleshooter closes. If it names your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter, move to the driver update.

Method 4: Check Chrome’s proxy setting and Windows proxy configuration

A stale proxy sends Chrome’s requests through a server that cannot answer, and the result looks exactly like a DNS failure. In current Chrome the proxy control sits under System, not on the old Advanced page.

1. Click the menu in the top-right corner of Chrome and choose Settings.
2. Select System in the left sidebar.
3. Click Open your computer’s proxy settings.
4. Select Automatically detect settings.
5. If Use a proxy server is on and you do not use one, turn it off.
6. Click OK to apply the setting.

If the site loads now, the proxy was the culprit. If Chrome is the only browser that fails while other devices on the same Wi-Fi work, this is also a sensible first check.

TIP: On a work or school network, keep the proxy your administrator supplied and confirm its address before you change anything.

Method 5: Restore automatic IP and DNS settings

Manual IP or DNS values go stale. They collide with the router’s DHCP settings or with a VPN client, and then names stop resolving. If no administrator manages the machine, let Windows pick the values again.

1. Open Control Panel from Windows Search.
2. Select Network and Sharing Center.
3. Select Change adapter settings.
4. Right-click the active Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter.
5. Select Properties.
   

   

6. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
7. Select Properties.
8. Select Obtain an IP address automatically.
9. Select Obtain DNS server address automatically.
   

   

10. Click OK in the IPv4 dialog.
11. Click OK in the adapter properties window.

Reopen Chrome and test the affected page. If this computer gets its configuration from work, school, or a VPN, ask the administrator for the correct values instead of switching to automatic.

Method 6: Try a different DNS server in Windows

Still stuck? The resolver your PC uses may be handing back a stale or misdirected answer. Swapping it proves that in a few minutes. The steps below point the active adapter at Google Public DNS, 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

1. Search and open the Control Panel using the Windows Start menu.
   It will open the Control Panel window.
2. Switch the View by to Large icons option, and select the Network and Sharing Center menu.
   
3. Click on Change adapter settings from the left menu bar.
4. Right-click on your active Network Adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) for the context menu, and select the Properties command.
   It will open the Adapters Properties pop-up window.
5. Double-click on the Internet Protocol Version 4 option.
6. Select Use the following DNS server addresses option, and input the following Google DNS Addresses.

   Preferred DNS Address: 8.8.8.8
   Alternate DNS Address: 8.8.4.4

   

7. Hit the OK button to save the changes.
   It will change the DNS addresses of your network adapter on your Windows PC.

If your PC belongs to a private DNS service or uses proxy-based connections, you can contact your network admins to get those configuration settings.

You’ll know it worked when the failing site opens in Chrome. If it does, your old resolver was the problem. If it does not, move on to the caches below.

Method 7: Clear Chrome’s DNS cache

Chrome keeps its own host cache, and it will hold on to a failed lookup long after you have fixed the resolver. Clear it before you test again.

1. Launch Google Chrome on your Computer.
2. Type in chrome://net-internals/#dns in the address bar, and hit Enter key.
   It will open the Chrome DNS network page.
3. Hit the Clear host cache command button.
   
4. Relaunch the Chrome browser.
   It will clear the Chrome DNS host cache.

You’ll know it worked when the page loads after Chrome restarts. If the same error is still there, flush the Windows resolver cache next.

Method 8: Flush the Windows DNS resolver cache

Windows caches DNS responses too, so an old address can survive a resolver change. A flush forces a fresh lookup from the DNS server you configured.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
   

   

Look for “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.” Reopen Chrome and test the affected site again.

Method 9: Update the Windows network driver

If the troubleshooter pointed at your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter, the driver is worth updating. A missing or incompatible driver stops Windows from using the network properly, and Chrome reports the failure as a name error.

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
3. Expand Network adapters.
4. Right-click the active network adapter.
5. Choose Update driver.
   

   

6. Select Search automatically for drivers.
7. Wait for Windows to check for a driver update.
8. Restart Windows if prompted.

If Windows finds nothing, download the driver for your exact model from the PC or adapter maker and install it through Device Manager. Restart Windows and test the page again.

Method 10: Reset the Windows network stack as a last resort

Proxy, DNS, cache, and driver repairs have not helped, so the remaining suspect is the Windows network stack itself. A Winsock and IPv4 reset rebuilds it from scratch. Keep this last, because it changes deeper Windows network settings.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Type netsh winsock reset and press Enter.
   

   

3. Restart Windows.
4. Open Command Prompt as administrator again.
5. Type netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log and press Enter.
   

   

6. Restart Windows again.
7. Reopen Chrome and test the affected site.

The reset clears stale network-stack configuration without deleting your files, Chrome history, or saved passwords. Reconnect to the network, open Chrome, and test the affected site.