How to Fix “Server DNS address could not be found” Error on Google Chrome?

Question

Issue: How to Fix “Server DNS address could not be found” Error on Google Chrome?

Since the installation of Windows 10, I keep getting “Server DNS address could not be found” error on Google Chrome. It shows up approximately five minutes after I open the browser and persist for almost half an hour. How do I resolve this issue?

Solved Answer

“Server DNS address could not be found” is an error which is related to DNS misconfiguration and usually appears on Google Chrome. People report that this issue might be encountered by people using Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 versions. However, MacOS users should also be aware of this problem.

The cause of “Server DNS address could not be found” error on Google Chrome might be one of the following:

• Unresponsive domain;
• Inaccessible DNS server;
• IP address change at a server-level.

In other terms, IP address of the website you are trying to access is used in packet to packet communication to direct the information to its destination. Although, if the DNS server is unable to retrieve the IP address of the website, Google Chrome displays “Server DNS address could not be found” error.

Usually, the “Server DNS address could not be found” error does not block access to all websites. It pop-ups on random pages, meaning that you may be allowed to search with Google search, but Facebook or YouTube may fail to load.

Some users reported that the occurrence of the “Server DNS address could not be found” pop-up is accompanied by the corruption of web browser’s add-ons and extensions^[1]. When trying to launch any add-on, the user is informed that Wi-Fi connection^[2] hasn’t been established successfully.

Fixing “Server DNS address could not be found” Error on Google Chrome

People who encountered Google Chrome error “Server DNS address could not be found” claim that neither system’s reboot, disabling add-ons, restarting Wi-Fi router^[3] nor updating Chrome resolved the problem. That’s because the bug occurs due to faulty DNS configuration^[4]. Therefore, you should try the following methods.

However, in some rare cases, this Google Chrome error might appear due to potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) which are interfering with the browser. Likewise, you should try to fix “Server DNS address could not be found” error by running a full system scan with a professional system optimization tool, like FortectMac Washing Machine X9.

Use the video guide below to get more details about the “Server DNS address could not be found” and its elimination. You can also follow our step-by-step tutorial.

Technique 1. Clear Host Cache

As it was mentioned before, “Server DNS address could not be found” error might be related to add-ons, extensions, or plug-ins. Thus, try clearing host and DNS cache as shown below.

1. Open Google Chrome and click on Menu icon (three vertical dots at the top-right corner).
2. Select New Incognito Window.
3. Copy and paste the chrome://net-internals/#dns into the URL bar and press Enter.
4. Find the Clear Host Cache button and click it.
   You should clear host cache to fix "Server DNS address could not be found" error.
5. Once done, right-click on Windows key and select Command Prompt (Admin).
6. Copy and paste the following commands in the cmd environment and press Enter:
   netsh int ip reset
   netsh winsock reset
   ipconfig /release
   ipconfig /renew
   ipconfig /flushdns
   
7. Close Command Prompt and restart Google Chrome.

Technique 2. Configure DNS servers

Experts say that there is a substantial risk that misconfigured DNS settings are causing “Server DNS address could not be found” Google Chrome error to appear. These steps are designed to eliminate this problem:

1. Press Windows key and type Control Panel.
2. Select Control Panel option and the click on Network and Sharing Center.
3. Select Change adapter settings and right-click on the connection icon (Local Area Connection or Wireless Network Connection).
4. Select Properties and mark the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP /IPv4).
   Try configuring DNS servers to eliminate "Server DNS address could not be found" error.
5. Select Properties again and open General tab.
6. Select Obtain DNS server address automatically and click OK.
7. In case the Obtain DNS server address automatically has already been marked, select the Use the following DNS server address instead option.
8. Now enter the following server addresses and click OK afterward:
   Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
   Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
   OR
   Preferred DNS server: 208.67.222.222
   Alternate DNS server: 208.67.220.220
   Change preferred and alternate DNS servers to fix "Server DNS address could not be found" error on Google Chrome.
9. Finally, re-open Google Chrome and check if the issue has been resolved.

Technique 3. Renew and flush the DNS

1. Right-click on Windows key and select Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Copy and paste the following commands in the cmd environment each followed by Enter click:
   ipconfig /flushdns
   ipconfig /registerdns
   ipconfig /release
   ipconfig /renew
   netsh winsock reset catalog
   netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log
   netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log
   Exit
   Renewing and flushing DNS can help you avoid "Server DNS address could not be found" error in the future.
3. Finally, reboot your PC and open Chrome to check if this method helped to fix “Server DNS address could not be found” error.

Technique 4. Restart DNS client service

1. Right-click Windows Start button and select Run;
2. Type services.msc and press OK;
3. Find DNS Client;
4. Right-click on it and select Restart.

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