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The Domain Name System (DNS) lets people use their web browsers to get to websites on the internet. It is a list that turns Internet Protocol (IP) addresses into domain names or hostnames. “DNS Server Unavailable”, Sometimes, the web browser can’t connect to the site and instead. Most of the time, this error happens because the DNS server doesn’t match the right hostnames to the right IP addresses.
There are many things that could cause this error, from network adapters that aren’t set up right to wrong DNS server addresses. This article will talk about some ways to fix the problem “DNS server not responding” on Windows and macOS. We will also talk about some of the most common things that can cause this error message. you can visit Microsoft support center for further help.
Changing DNS Servers in Windows OS
- Right select the connectivity icon present on your taskbar and select “Open Network & Internet Settings”.
- Here, you can check the name and status of your connection. select the “Change adapter options” to change network-related parameters.
- Now, the connection window will appear. Here, select your active connection and open it.
- select the “Properties” for further options. Keep in mind that you will need administrative privileges to access these settings.
- In the properties tab, find the “IPv4” option and double-click on it to change the DNS.
- Now, pay attention to the lower section of this Windows where it says DNS server address. Enable custom DNS server address option and put 8.8.8.8 as preferred DNS server and 8.8.4.4 as an alternate DNS server. This is a DNS service offered by Google and works ideally.
- Click “Ok” and check if your problem is fixed.
Changing DNS Server via Router
To find out if the problem is coming from your router or not, just disconnect the Internet cable from your router and connect it directly to your computer or laptop. If you can connect to the Internet directly, it’s clear that the problem is with your router. Your router’s admin access panel has a number of settings and parameters you can change. The problem is caused by a wrong configuration of any of these parameters.
Most routers also have a separate page for setting DNS settings, which you can get to through the admin panel. To find out your router’s access page and how to change its DNS settings, you’ll need to contact the router’s maker or go to the brand’s official website. There, you can find answers to most problems with routers.
DNS Service in Windows 10
- Open the “Run” window. You can do this by searching “Run” in the Windows 10 search bar or by simply pressing the Windows key and R combination.
- In the window, type “Services.msc” and click “ok”.
- This will open the services window. Here, you can see all of the services available in your system, including both active and inactive services.
- Find the “DNS client” in the services. You can do that easily by tapping the D key until the service is highlighted.
- Once you find the service, check the status section. It should say “Running” on this part. If it does, you can close the window and check other solutions.
- In case the section is empty, choose the “restart” option.
- Now, Windows will attempt to restart the service. If successful, your internet connection error will be resolved.
Configuring antivirus
If none of the above solutions worked for you, it’s time to check your antivirus program for possible errors and misconfigurations. If you use antivirus software from a company other than Microsoft, it could be stopping your computer from connecting to the DNS.
To see if your antivirus is the cause of the problem, just turn it off for a while. Check to see if you can still connect to the internet after turning off your antivirus. Or, you may want to completely replace the program.
Run Network Connections Troubleshooter
- Press the Win + I keys at the same time to open the Settings app.
- Choose Update & Security, and then go to the Troubleshoot tab.
- Click Internet Connections in the right panel and then click Run the troubleshooter.
- Wait for the process to complete and then follow the prompts showing on the screen to fix the error.
Enter the IP Address Manually
- Press the Win + R keys at the same time to open the Run box.
- Type ncpa.cpl in the box and then click OK to open Network Connections.
- Locate your network connection, right-click it to choose Properties.
- In the Properties window, choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and then click Properties.
- A new window pops out, choose Use the following IP address, then enter the IP address, Subnet mask, Default gateway. Then choose Use the following DNS server addresses, enter Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server. (We used settings that work for our configuration, but you can enter different data.) Click OK to save changes.
- Restart your computer to check if the error still persists.
Reset TCP/IP using the Command prompt
- Open the search bar in your taskbar by clicking on the magnifying glass icon. You can also bring it up with the Windows + S keyboard shortcut.
- Type Command Prompt in the search box. When you see it in the results, right-click on it and choose Run as Administrator. When prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to allow the app to launch with administrative permissions.
- Input the commands below in the following order, pressing the Enter key on your keyboard after each line:
netsh int ip set dns
netsh winsock reset - Close the Command Prompt and open any web browser. Check if you’re able to access a website, such as Google.com or another common search engine.