DNS Server Not Responding? Fix It on One PC or the Whole Office

“DNS server not responding” means your PC asked its DNS server to turn a name like microsoft.com into an IP address and never got a reply. The connection itself may be fine: Wi-Fi shows full bars, yet no website opens by name. Windows Network Diagnostics usually words it as the device or resource (DNS server) is not responding; newer Windows 11 troubleshooters may simply say the DNS server isn’t responding. The steps below also cover DNS server not responding on Windows 10.

First, answer one question: is it one device or every device? One PC points to its own settings, VPN or security software; every device points to the router, the internet provider or, in offices with a Windows server, that server.

One device or the whole office?

Try the same website on a phone on the same Wi-Fi, then on another computer, and match what you see:

A No internet label doesn’t rule DNS out, because Windows checks the connection by looking up a Microsoft site by name.

Prove it is DNS, and find which server is failing

Open Terminal (or Command Prompt) and run these in order.

1. ipconfig /all: note your active adapter’s DNS Servers. The router’s address (often 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1) is normal, as is a server’s on a domain; anything nobody recognizes may be left over from a VPN or an old setting.
2. ping followed by that address. Per Microsoft, no reply points to a connection problem rather than DNS, though some routers ignore ping, so treat it as a hint.
3. nslookup microsoft.com asks your configured DNS server directly, skipping Windows’ cache.
4. nslookup microsoft.com 1.1.1.1 asks an outside DNS service instead.

Ignore a Server: UnKnown line or one timeout before the answer: if addresses for microsoft.com appear, the lookup worked.

If only certain sites fail, run ipconfig /displaydns: per Microsoft, Name does not exist under a name means a cached failed answer, which ipconfig /flushdns clears.

Fix it on one PC

Clear the cache and renew the address

To flush DNS on Windows 11, open Terminal (Admin) (right-click Start; on Windows 10, Windows PowerShell (Admin)) and run ipconfig /flushdns, then ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew. The PC drops offline briefly, then gets a fresh address and DNS servers from the router. Don’t run the release step over a remote connection; you’ll cut yourself off.

Look for a manual DNS setting someone forgot

Manual DNS entries often outlive the server or filtering service they pointed to. Open Settings > Network & internet, choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and open your network’s properties. If DNS server assignment shows Manual with addresses nobody can explain, select Edit and switch it to Automatic (DHCP). Domain-joined PCs are the exception, covered below.

If it’s already automatic and the PC isn’t domain-joined or IT-managed, test a public server: choose Manual, turn on IPv4, enter 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (Google) as Preferred DNS and Alternate DNS, and select Save. If names now resolve, the usual DNS server is at fault; if other devices fail too, fix it on the router and set this PC back to automatic.

On Windows 10, both settings are in ncpa.cpl: open the adapter’s Properties, then Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) > Properties.

Encrypted DNS with no fallback

If someone set DNS over HTTPS to On (manual template) with Fallback to plaintext off, Microsoft says queries aren’t sent at all when HTTPS fails, so a server that doesn’t support it looks dead. Turn fallback on, or set encryption to Off, and test. If an IT provider or filtering service set it deliberately, ask them first: Off sends lookups unencrypted and can bypass their filtering. Windows 10 doesn’t have this setting.

Only one browser fails

Chrome and Edge have their own secure DNS option that can bypass Windows. If other browsers work, search that browser’s settings for secure DNS and set it back to your current provider, or turn it off briefly to test.

VPNs, filtering software and IPv6

A VPN usually swaps in its own DNS servers while connected. If they’re down, the VPN dropped without cleaning up, or a split-tunnel setup sends lookups somewhere unreachable, every name fails while the internet still works. Disconnect and test; if that fixes it, update the VPN client and ask whoever runs the VPN to check its DNS servers.

Security suites, parental controls and web filters often inspect or redirect DNS lookups. If you manage the product yourself, pause web protection briefly to test, then turn it back on; if it’s the cause, reconfigure or update it rather than leaving protection off. If an IT provider manages it, ask them instead.

IPv6 quirks

Windows favors IPv6 by default, and many routers advertise an IPv6 DNS server alongside the IPv4 one. If ipconfig /all lists IPv6 DNS servers and lookups fail on and off, test the IPv6 side.

• Test it: press Windows key + R, run ncpa.cpl, open your adapter’s Properties, untick Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and test lookups. Tick it again afterward: Microsoft doesn’t recommend unbinding IPv6, as some Windows components expect it.
• Fix the source: update the router’s firmware or report it to the provider.
• If Windows must change: Microsoft’s supported alternative to disabling IPv6 is preferring IPv4, though that changes which address Windows connects to, not necessarily which DNS server it asks. Back up the registry first, then in Terminal (Admin) run reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters" /v DisabledComponents /t REG_DWORD /d 32 /f and restart. Set it back to 0, the default, to undo.

Reset the network stack, with care

If one PC still fails while others work, reset its networking components from Terminal (Admin). Write down any manual IP and DNS settings first, and have the Wi-Fi password handy.

1. netsh winsock reset returns the Winsock catalog to a clean state and removes custom layered service providers, per Microsoft, so older VPN, proxy and security tools may need reinstalling.
2. netsh int ip reset returns TCP/IP settings to their defaults, which can wipe static addresses and manual DNS entries.
3. Restart the PC, then repeat the tests above.

Network reset: the last resort

Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset > Reset now (on Windows 10, Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network reset) removes every network adapter and its settings, then reinstalls them. Windows restarts the PC about five minutes after you confirm, so save your work first. Microsoft warns that you may need to reinstall VPN clients and Hyper-V virtual switches, and that known networks may switch to the Public profile; set the office network back to Private for file and printer sharing.

When every device fails: router, provider and DNS for everyone

If phones and PCs fail together, the PCs are fine. In most small offices the router is the DNS server for every device and relays lookups to the provider. When that relay hangs, or the provider’s DNS has an outage, everything reports a DNS error while the connection light stays green.

1. Restart the modem, then the router, and wait until both have fully started.
2. From any PC, run the two nslookup tests. If the outside service answers and the router doesn’t, the router or the provider’s DNS is at fault.
3. Check your provider’s status page or app for an outage.
4. If it keeps recurring, change DNS once at the right level instead of on each PC, and update the router’s firmware.

Domain networks: keep PCs on the domain controller’s DNS

A PC joined to an Active Directory domain must use only your domain controllers for DNS: never the router, your internet provider or a public service such as Google or Cloudflare, not even as the alternate server.

Domain-joined PCs find the domain controller through DNS records that only your internal DNS server holds. A domain computer with public DNS in its settings can’t find the domain: sign-ins fall back to cached credentials, Group Policy and logon scripts don’t apply, and mapped drives and internal servers go missing.

Broken DNS on a domain PC often shows up at sign-in, as your domain isn’t available or There are currently no logon servers available to service the logon request, so check its DNS servers before suspecting the password.

The alternate server is the sneaky version. Microsoft documents that when the preferred DNS server fails to respond, Windows switches to the alternate and stays on it until that one fails or 15 minutes pass, so one slow moment on the server can cause domain problems that come and go with no visible pattern.

On a domain network:

• Point every PC at the domain controllers only. Hand out their addresses through DHCP rather than typing them on each PC. After changing a PC, run ipconfig /flushdns and then ipconfig /registerdns.
• Fix internet lookups on the server. In DNS Manager on the domain controller, open the server’s Properties and set reliable upstream servers on the Forwarders tab.
• Check the server’s own DNS settings. Microsoft says a domain controller shouldn’t point at your provider’s DNS, or it won’t register the records PCs use to find the domain; a lone domain controller should list only its own address. After changing provider, check the forwarders too: the old provider’s DNS may stop answering.
• If every PC fails at once, confirm the server is on and its DNS Server service is running, then run dcdiag /test:dns on it. Lookups fail office-wide while the only domain controller restarts, so update it after hours or add a second one.

PCs joined only to Microsoft Entra ID don’t depend on a domain controller, so the router’s DNS is fine for them. Hybrid-joined PCs follow the domain rules. If DNS checks out and a domain PC still refuses domain sign-ins, see our trust relationship failed guide.

When to stop and get help

• The modem’s internet or online light stays off or blinking after a restart: that’s the line or the modem, a job for your provider.
• The router needs restarting every few days to keep DNS working: it’s failing or overloaded and due for a firmware update or replacement.
• The server that provides DNS shows disk, power or update failures, or won’t start. Every domain PC depends on it, so treat it as urgent.
• DNS settings on PCs or the router show addresses nobody set, or keep changing. Treat that as a possible compromise, not a glitch: change the router’s admin password and read how to tell if your business has been hacked.

Remote help needs working name lookups too, so try the one-PC fixes or the router first. Sorting out one PC’s DNS, VPN or adapter settings is a typical $59 fix through remote support, and nothing happens until you approve the session.

Common questions

Is it safe to change my DNS server to 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1?

On a home PC, or an office PC that is not joined to a Windows domain, yes: Google Public DNS and Cloudflare are widely used, reputable services. Set it on the router if you want every device to benefit. Do not do it on domain-joined PCs, which must use the domain controller, or on PCs that use a filtering service or are managed by an IT provider, because it can bypass their security filtering.

Does flushing DNS fix DNS server not responding?

Only when the problem is a stale or failed answer stored on the PC. The ipconfig /flushdns command empties the Windows DNS cache, including failed lookups it remembered, so it helps when particular sites moved or briefly failed. If the DNS server itself is silent, flushing changes nothing, because the next lookup goes to the same server. Compare nslookup against your server and an outside one to tell the two apart.

Why does the internet work on my phone but not on my computer?

If the phone is on the same Wi-Fi, the network and router are working and the difference is on the computer: a manual DNS setting, a VPN that is still connected or left settings behind, security software filtering lookups, or a browser using its own secure DNS. Run ipconfig /all on the computer and on another PC that works, and compare the DNS Servers lines. If the failing computer lists addresses the working one doesn’t, that difference is usually the answer.

Can a router cause DNS server not responding errors?

Yes, and it is the usual suspect when every device fails at once. Most small-office routers relay DNS lookups for everything on the network, and when that relay hangs or runs outdated firmware, lookups fail even though the connection stays up. A restart usually clears it. If it keeps coming back, update the firmware, set a different upstream DNS service on the router, or replace the router.

Should I disable IPv6 to fix DNS problems?

Not permanently. Microsoft does not recommend disabling IPv6 or unbinding it from network adapters, because some Windows components expect it. Turning it off briefly is a fair test: if lookups recover, the IPv6 DNS server your router or provider advertises is the likely fault. Fix it on the router or with the provider. Microsoft’s prefer-IPv4 setting is the supported alternative to disabling IPv6, but it changes which address Windows connects to, not necessarily which DNS server it asks.

What DNS server should a domain-joined computer use?

Only your internal DNS servers, normally the domain controllers: one as preferred and a second domain controller as alternate. With only one domain controller, leave the alternate blank rather than adding a public server. Those servers then forward internet lookups to your provider or a public DNS service. Adding a public server as the alternate causes intermittent sign-in, Group Policy and file-share problems, because Windows switches to the alternate whenever the domain controller is briefly slow to answer and stays on it for a while.

Why does the DNS server not responding error keep coming back?

Something that works most of the time is failing now and then. Common culprits are a router whose DNS relay hangs under load or runs old firmware, brief outages at your provider’s DNS, an IPv6 DNS server that fails while IPv4 works, and, on domain PCs, a public DNS server set as the alternate. Note when it happens and whether other devices fail at the same moment; that tells you which of these to fix.