How to fix Google Chrome error ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID in Windows?

ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID is Chromium network error -108: Chrome tried to connect to an IP address or port that cannot be used, and on Windows that address is almost always 0.0.0.0. Something told Chrome that the site lives at "no address": a line in the hosts file, a blocking DNS filter, or a link that literally contains 0.0.0.0. Start by checking which address the site name gets (Fix 1).

Facts checked on 14 October 2026. Steps written for Chrome 155 on Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2, with Mac notes for macOS 26.

What ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID means in Chrome

Every Chrome network error has a number in Chromium's list of errors, net/base/net_error_list.h. ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID is -108. Its entry reads: "The IP address or port number is invalid (e.g., cannot connect to the IP address 0 or the port 0)." The "IP address 0" in that sentence is 0.0.0.0, the address that means "no particular address".

Chrome does not invent the code itself. It asks Windows to open a connection, and Windows refuses with the socket error WSAEADDRNOTAVAIL (10049). Microsoft's list of Windows Sockets errors says this happens when "the remote address or port is not valid for a remote computer (for example, address or port 0)". Chromium's file net_errors_win.cc maps that Windows error straight to ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID.

What causes ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID, from most to least common

Every real case we could trace has the same shape: something between you and the site answers the name lookup with 0.0.0.0. Programs that block sites use that answer on purpose, because a computer should not even try to connect to it. On Windows, Chrome reports the failed attempt as ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID.

How to fix ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID in Chrome

Fix 1 takes two minutes and tells you which of the next fixes is yours. Fixes 2 to 4 remove the 0.0.0.0 at its source. Fixes 5 and 6 are for the rare case where every new site fails. Fix 7 is for Mac users and Fix 8 for developers.

Fix 1. Check which address the site name gets

2 minutesNo riskEveryone who sees the error on a normal website, before changing anything.

The error is about the address, so the quickest way to the cause is to look at it. Windows' own resolver reads the hosts file, its cache and the DNS servers, while the -NoHostsFile switch skips the hosts file. Comparing the two shows where a 0.0.0.0 comes from.

1. Right-click Start and select Terminal. On Windows 10 select Windows PowerShell.
2. Run this command, with the name of the site that fails in place of www.facebook.com:

   Resolve-DnsName www.facebook.com

3. Run it again with the hosts file left out:

   Resolve-DnsName www.facebook.com -NoHostsFile

4. Look at the IPAddress column of both results and compare them with the table below.
5. In Chrome, open chrome://net-internals/#dns, type the same name in the Domain box and select Lookup. This shows the address Chrome itself received, including through Use secure DNS.

Fix 2. Delete the 0.0.0.0 line from the Windows hosts file

5 minutesLow riskFix 1 showed 0.0.0.0 only when the hosts file was read, or you once blocked sites there.

Windows reads the hosts file before it asks any DNS server, so a line like 0.0.0.0 www.facebook.com wins over the real address. Microsoft's own sample hosts file contains only comment lines, so any active line was added later.

1. Select Start, type Notepad, right-click Notepad and select Run as administrator. Select Yes. Step by step: How to run a program as administrator or in compatibility mode
2. In Notepad select File, then Open.
3. In the File name box type C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts and select Open. Without the full path, set the type list to **All files (*.*)**, because the file has no extension.
4. Find the lines that start with 0.0.0.0 or 127.0.0.1 followed by the site that fails, for example www.facebook.com and facebook.com.
5. Put a # at the start of each such line. A line that starts with # is a comment and Windows ignores it.
6. Select File, then Save. If Windows says you do not have permission, Notepad was not opened as administrator: start again at step 1.
7. Close Chrome completely and open it again, then load the site.

A hosts line that causes ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID, and the same line switched off

0.0.0.0 www.facebook.com
# 0.0.0.0 www.facebook.com

Lines you do not recognise can also come from unwanted software. If the file changes back after you saved it, or you find lines for banking or security sites, run a full scan with Microsoft Defender: How to scan for malware with Microsoft Defender.

Fix 3. Let the site through your DNS filter or change Chrome's secure DNS provider

5 minutesLow riskFix 1 showed 0.0.0.0 even without the hosts file, or only in Chrome's own lookup.

Filtering DNS services answer blocked names with 0.0.0.0. Pi-hole's documentation says its default NULL mode replies with "the unspecified address". AdGuard does the same for adblock-style rules, and Cloudflare says 1.1.1.1 for Families returns 0.0.0.0 for blocked domains.

1. In Chrome select More (the three dots), then Settings, Privacy and security and Security.
2. Under Advanced find Use secure DNS and look at Select DNS provider.
3. If it names a filtering service, such as Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 for Families or a custom AdGuard or NextDNS address, select OS default (when available).
4. Reload the site. If it opens, the provider blocked it; add the site to that provider's allow list if you want to keep the filter.
5. If Chrome was already on OS default, open Settings in Windows, then Network & internet, your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, and look at DNS server assignment.
6. Addresses 1.1.1.2, 1.0.0.2, 1.1.1.3 or 1.0.0.3 are Cloudflare's filtering resolvers. The address of a Pi-hole or of your router points to a home filter.
7. Allow the site in that filter: in Pi-hole or AdGuard Home add the domain to the allow list, on a router open its parental control page. On a work or school network, ask the administrator.

If the name does not resolve at all and Chrome shows a DNS code instead of this one, the steps in our guide to DNS_PROBE_POSSIBLE in Chrome fit better.

Fix 4. Open localhost or 127.0.0.1 instead of a 0.0.0.0 link

1 minuteNo riskThe address bar shows 0.0.0.0, usually after you clicked a link printed by a local server.

A server that listens on 0.0.0.0 accepts connections on all of the computer's addresses, but 0.0.0.0 is not an address you can connect to. Windows refuses it, which Microsoft documents for "address or port 0". The loopback address reaches the same server.

1. Look at the link you opened. Python's built-in server, for example, prints Serving HTTP on 0.0.0.0 port 8000 (http://0.0.0.0:8000/) when started with --bind 0.0.0.0.
2. Replace 0.0.0.0 with localhost and keep the port: http://localhost:8000/.
3. If localhost does not answer, try http://127.0.0.1:8000/.
4. To open the server from a phone or another PC, use this computer's network address, which ipconfig shows as IPv4 Address, for example http://192.168.1.20:8000/.
5. Also replace 0.0.0.0 in any setting that the page uses to reach its API, such as a base URL in a .env file.

Same server, three addresses

http://0.0.0.0:8000/      -> ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID on Windows
http://localhost:8000/    -> works on this PC
http://127.0.0.1:8000/    -> works on this PC

Fix 5. Clear Chrome's host cache and flush the Windows DNS cache

3 minutesNo riskYou changed the hosts file or the DNS filter and Chrome still shows the error, or every new site fails.

Chrome and Windows keep looked-up addresses for a while. After Fix 2 or Fix 3 an old 0.0.0.0 answer can stay in either cache, and Chrome keeps idle connections that a flush closes.

1. In Chrome open chrome://net-internals/#dns and select Clear host cache.
2. Open chrome://net-internals/#sockets and select Flush socket pools.
3. Right-click Start, select Terminal (Admin) and select Yes.
4. Flush the Windows DNS cache:

   ipconfig /flushdns

5. Close every Chrome window, open Chrome again and load the site.

If every new site still fails, run the rest of the network reset: Winsock, TCP/IP, a new IP address and, last, the full network reset. Step by step: Reset the network and flush DNS.

Fix 6. Test without the VPN and the web filter of your security app

5 minutesLow riskA VPN, a parental control app or security software with web protection runs on the PC.

These programs can answer DNS lookups themselves or reroute connections through their own driver. When they block a name with 0.0.0.0, or leave a network adapter in a bad state after disconnecting, Chrome gets an address it cannot use.

1. Disconnect the VPN in its own app, then quit the app from the notification area.
2. Load the site in Chrome. If it opens, look in the VPN's settings for DNS filtering, "block ads" or "threat protection" and allow the site there.
3. If no VPN runs, pause the web or DNS protection of your security app for one test. For Microsoft Defender: Turn off Microsoft Defender protection for a moment.
4. Load the site, then turn the protection back on right away.
5. If the site opened only while protection was paused, add it to that app's allow list instead of leaving protection off.

Fix 7. On a Mac: restart, check the VPN and the hosts file

5 minutesLow riskYou see ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID in Chrome on macOS.

On macOS the code comes from the system error EADDRNOTAVAIL, which Apple's manual describes as "The specified address is not available on this machine". Users report it on every new site at once, and the reports that end well end with a restart.

1. Save your work and choose Apple menu > Restart. Users in Google's Chrome forum report that a restart cleared the error when cache, Incognito and reinstalling did not.
2. If it returns, open System Settings > VPN and turn every VPN off, then test the site.
3. Open Terminal and show the hosts file:

   cat /etc/hosts

4. If a line blocks the site, open the file as administrator, put # before that line and save with Control + O, then Control + X:

   sudo nano /etc/hosts

5. In Chrome open chrome://net-internals/#dns, select Clear host cache, and reload the site.

Fix 8. Find the failing request in DevTools (for developers)

5 minutesNo riskYou build the site, or the Console shows Failed to load resource: net::ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID.

On a page that loads, the code is attached to one request, and DevTools shows its full URL. That URL contains the 0.0.0.0, or a host name that resolves to it, and that is what to change.

1. Open the page and press F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I.
2. Open the Network panel, tick Preserve log and reload the page.
3. Find rows with (failed) net::ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID in the Status column and select one.
4. Read the Request URL on the Headers tab. If it contains 0.0.0.0, change that URL in your code or configuration to localhost, 127.0.0.1 or the real host.
5. If the URL holds a host name, run Resolve-DnsName on it (Fix 1). A tracker or ad host that resolves to 0.0.0.0 is simply blocked on this network.

If ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID is still there: what to check and what to send

Try the same site on another device on the same network, then on mobile data. If it fails everywhere at home but works on mobile data, the home DNS or router filter is the cause (Fix 3). If it fails only on this PC, the cause is on the PC: the hosts file, a VPN, a security app or Chrome's secure DNS.

• Record what Chrome does: open chrome://net-export, start logging, reproduce the error, stop logging. The file shows the address Chrome connected to and the error it got.
• Check the Windows proxy: in Chrome open Settings > System > Open your computer's proxy settings. A leftover proxy usually gives a proxy error, but turn off Use a proxy server if you did not set it.
• Check the Chrome version: More > Help > About Google Chrome and note the number for a support request.
• Note the results of Fix 1: both Resolve-DnsName outputs and Chrome's own lookup.

How to keep ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID from coming back

If you run Pi-hole or AdGuard Home for the whole house, tell the others in it which sites it blocks. Most ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID reports from families are a blocked domain that someone needs, such as a sign-in or video host.

Frequently asked questions

What does ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID mean in Chrome?

It means Chrome tried to connect to an IP address or port that cannot be used. The code is Chromium network error -108, and Chromium's source gives the IP address 0 and the port 0 as examples. On Windows the address is almost always 0.0.0.0, which a hosts file line or a DNS filter returned for the site. The site itself is usually up. Check the address with Resolve-DnsName in PowerShell (Fix 1) to see where the 0.0.0.0 comes from.

Why does only Facebook show ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID?

Because something on your PC or network blocks Facebook by answering its name with 0.0.0.0. The usual sources are a hosts file line such as 0.0.0.0 www.facebook.com, a parental control on the router, or a DNS filter like Pi-hole, AdGuard or Cloudflare 1.1.1.3. Other sites open because they are not on the block list. Run Fix 1 to see which one it is, then remove the line (Fix 2) or ask whoever runs the filter to allow Facebook (Fix 3).

Why do I get ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID in Chrome on a Mac?

On macOS the code comes from the system error EADDRNOTAVAIL, "the specified address is not available on this machine". Users who see it on a Mac typically report it on every new site at once, while open tabs still work. Restarting the Mac is the step that cleared it in the reports we read. Then check the VPN and /etc/hosts (Fix 7). A 0.0.0.0 hosts line on a Mac usually shows ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED instead, as our test with Chrome 155 on macOS 26 showed.

Why does http://0.0.0.0 work on a Mac but not on Windows?

macOS and Linux treat a connection to 0.0.0.0 as a connection to the computer itself, so a local server answers. Windows refuses the connection with the socket error WSAEADDRNOTAVAIL, which Microsoft documents for an address or port of 0, and Chrome reports that as ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID. The portable choice is http://localhost:port/ or http://127.0.0.1:port/, which works on all three systems (Fix 4).

Will clearing cookies or reinstalling Chrome fix ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID?

Rarely. Cookies and cached files do not hold the address Chrome connects to, and a reinstall leaves the hosts file, the Windows DNS server and any VPN untouched. Users in Google's Chrome forum report that clearing data, Incognito and a reinstall changed nothing. Clearing Chrome's host cache on chrome://net-internals/#dns is the one cache step that matters, and only after you removed the cause (Fix 5).

Does ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID appear in Brave and Edge too?

Yes. Brave, Microsoft Edge, Opera and Vivaldi use Chromium's network code, so they show the same code for the same cause. The fixes are the same, with one difference: each browser keeps its own secure DNS setting, separate from Chrome's. If only one browser fails while the others open the site, look for that browser's secure DNS provider in its privacy settings first (Fix 3).

What is the difference between ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID and ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE?

ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID (-108) means the address or port itself cannot be used, such as 0.0.0.0. ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE (-109) means the address is valid but Chromium's source says there is "no route to the specified host or network". That second code points to routing or a disconnected network, not to a blocked name. The fixes on this page are for -108 only.

Can a wrong port number cause ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID?

In principle yes, because Chromium's definition includes port 0. In practice Chrome stops such links earlier. In our test with Chrome 155, http://127.0.0.1:0/ and http://example.com:0/ both ended in ERR_UNSAFE_PORT, and a port that nothing listens on gives ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED. When you see ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID, look at the address part of the link first, not the port.

Why did the error start after I set up Pi-hole or an ad blocking DNS?

Because that is how those filters block. Pi-hole's default NULL mode answers blocked names with 0.0.0.0, and AdGuard does the same for adblock-style rules. Chrome on Windows then shows ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID for any page or part of a page on a blocked domain. When a site you need breaks, find the blocked domain in the filter's query log and add it to the allow list (Fix 3). The filter is working as designed.

Is ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID a sign of a virus?

Usually not. Blocking lists, parental controls and DNS filters cause most cases on purpose. Unwanted software can add hosts file lines, though, so be suspicious if you find lines for security, update or banking sites that you did not add, or if the lines come back after you remove them. In that case run a full Microsoft Defender scan, then clean the hosts file again (Fix 2).