Is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN the same as a server being down?

No. A downed server usually shows a connection timeout or refused connection - the DNS lookup itself succeeds. NXDOMAIN means DNS couldn't find a record for the hostname at all, which is a step earlier in the process.

How long should I wait after changing nameservers before troubleshooting further?

Nameserver changes typically propagate within 1-4 hours, though the registry-level TTL can technically allow up to 48 hours in rare cases. If it's been more than a few hours and dig against the new nameservers still returns nothing, don't keep waiting - check the zone for missing records.

Why does the site load on my phone's mobile data but not on my Wi-Fi?

This points to a local or ISP-level DNS cache issue on your Wi-Fi network, not a problem with the domain. Flush your router's DNS cache or switch your network adapter to a public resolver like 1.1.1.1.

I fixed the DNS records but I'm still seeing the error - why?

Your own device or browser is very likely still serving a cached NXDOMAIN response from before the fix. Flush the Chrome DNS cache at chrome://net-internals/#dns and your OS resolver cache, then retest in an incognito window.

Can a firewall or antivirus cause this error?

Yes, occasionally. Security software with DNS filtering or 'safe browsing' features can block or rewrite lookups for domains it doesn't recognize yet, especially newly registered ones. Temporarily disabling it is a quick way to rule this out.

Is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN a hosting problem or a browser problem?

Neither, really - it's a DNS resolution problem. The browser is just the messenger reporting that a DNS lookup failed. The actual cause is usually missing/incorrect DNS records, an unpropagated nameserver change, or an expired domain - not your hosting account itself.

I added an A record but the root domain still fails - only www works. Why?

The root domain (yourdomain.com) and the www subdomain need separate DNS records. A common mistake is adding a CNAME or A record only for www and forgetting the root (@) record. Check both explicitly in your DNS zone.

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN: 4 Causes and Fixes

You open the site, Chrome throws "This site can't be reached - DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN", and now you're stuck guessing whether it's your domain, your DNS, or just your laptop being weird. Here's how to actually narrow it down instead of poking at settings at random.

What NXDOMAIN actually means

NXDOMAIN is a real DNS response code, not a Chrome invention. It means the resolver asked "what's the IP for this hostname?" and got back "this name doesn't exist" - not a timeout, not a server error, an explicit no. Chrome's DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN is just its way of surfacing that response after it double-checked your connection is otherwise fine.

That distinction matters because it rules out a whole category of fixes. If the domain truly doesn't resolve, restarting your router won't help. If it resolves fine everywhere except your machine, changing nameservers won't help either. You need to know which side of that line you're on before you touch anything.

Step 1: Check if it's you or everyone

Open a terminal (or Command Prompt on Windows) and run:

nslookup yourdomain.com

Or, better, use a third-party lookup that isn't affected by your local cache - dig yourdomain.com from a VPS, or an online tool from a different network entirely (your phone on mobile data works too).

Resolves fine elsewhere, fails only on your machine - it's local: browser cache, OS DNS cache, or your ISP's resolver having a bad day. Skip to the local fixes below.
Fails everywhere - it's the domain's DNS setup, not your device. Skip to the domain-side causes.

Common cause #1: Nameservers point somewhere with no records

This is the single most common reason for a domain-wide NXDOMAIN. It usually happens after:

You changed nameservers (e.g. moved from your registrar's default NS to Cloudflare, or to Getwebup's) but never added the A/CNAME records at the new provider.
You migrated hosting and the old DNS zone got deleted before the new one was fully populated.
A typo in one of the nameserver hostnames at the registrar.

Check which nameservers are actually live right now:

dig NS yourdomain.com +short

Then query that same set of nameservers directly for your A record:

dig @ns1.example-dns.com yourdomain.com A

If that comes back empty, the nameservers are correct but the zone at that provider has no A record for the root domain - go create one. If the NS records themselves look wrong (pointing to servers you don't recognize), fix that at your domain registrar first; nothing else will work until the correct nameservers are live.

Common cause #2: www vs. root domain mismatch

NXDOMAIN on www.yourdomain.com while yourdomain.com works fine (or vice versa) usually means one of the two records is simply missing. Root domains need an A record (or ALIAS/ANAME if your DNS provider supports it); www is almost always a CNAME pointing back to the root, or its own A record. Open your DNS zone editor and confirm both exist - it's an easy one to miss when you're moving fast during a migration.

Common cause #3: Newly registered or renewed domain

If you just registered the domain, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours for the registry to propagate the initial NS delegation - NXDOMAIN during that window is normal, not a misconfiguration. Same goes right after a domain expires and gets renewed; give it time before troubleshooting further. You can watch propagation status with a tool like whatsmydns.net, checking multiple regions at once.

Common cause #4: Typo in the domain itself

Obvious, but worth ruling out early - a wrong TLD, a transposed letter, or an old bookmark pointing at a domain you no longer own will all produce a clean NXDOMAIN, because as far as DNS is concerned, that name genuinely doesn't exist. Triple-check the exact string before assuming it's a config issue.

Local-side fixes (when it's just your machine)

If the lookup fails only for you, work through these in order:

Flush Chrome's internal DNS cache - go to chrome://net-internals/#dns and click "Clear host cache".
Flush the OS DNS cache. On Windows: ipconfig /flushdns. On macOS: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. On Linux (systemd-resolved): sudo resolvectl flush-caches.
Switch your DNS resolver. Some ISP resolvers are slow to pick up changes or occasionally misbehave. Try 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google) in your network adapter settings and retest.
Restart the router if it caches DNS locally - many consumer routers do, and a reboot clears it.
Disable a misbehaving VPN or browser extension temporarily - some DNS-over-HTTPS extensions and ad blockers rewrite or intercept lookups in ways that produce exactly this error.

Quick diagnosis table

Symptom	Likely cause	Where to fix it
Fails on every device/network	Missing A record or bad nameservers	DNS zone editor / registrar
Fails only on your machine	Local DNS cache or resolver	Browser/OS/router
www fails, root works (or reverse)	Missing CNAME or A record for one of the two	DNS zone editor
Started right after registering/renewing	Registry propagation delay	Wait, then recheck
Started right after a migration	Old zone removed before new one was live	DNS zone editor at new host

Prevention

Most NXDOMAIN incidents we see at Getwebup trace back to one habit: changing nameservers before the destination zone is fully built out. If you're migrating a domain, add every record at the new DNS provider first, confirm they resolve with dig against that provider's nameservers directly, and only then update the NS records at your registrar. That way there's never a window where the domain points somewhere empty. It's also worth keeping TTLs on critical records (A, MX) around 300-3600 seconds rather than the default 24 hours, so that if something does go wrong, a fix propagates in minutes instead of a full day.

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN: Causes and How to Fix It