Symptoms

  • “This site can’t be reached — ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED.”
  • Some domains resolve, others do not.
  • It affects every browser and app, not just Chrome.

What causes ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED

  • Your configured DNS server is slow, down, or blocking the domain.
  • A stale or malicious entry in the hosts file.
  • Router DNS cache corruption.
  • The domain genuinely has no DNS record (typo or expired domain).

How to fix it

  1. Flush the DNS cache and switch your adapter’s DNS to a public resolver such as 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 (command below flushes; set DNS in adapter settings).
  2. Open the hosts file (Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts; macOS/Linux: /etc/hosts) and remove any unexpected line for the domain.
  3. Restart the router to clear its DNS cache, and test name resolution with nslookup.

Terminal / CLI command

ipconfig /flushdns && nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1

If nslookup against 1.1.1.1 resolves but your normal lookups fail, the problem is your configured DNS server.

How to confirm the fix: nslookup returns an address and the site loads in the browser.

Prevent it from coming back

Use a reliable public DNS resolver, and keep the hosts file empty of ad-hoc entries you no longer need.