Recently, Windows 10 and 11 users are experiencing the error “The DNS Server isn’t responding”, which appears while they try to run the network connections troubleshooter. DNS stands for Domain Name System. DNS on your computer is responsible for translating human-readable domain names to machine-readable IP addresses. If there are any inconsistencies with the DNS, you’ll face a block while opening websites on the internet. And even when users try to run the network connection troubleshooter, they run into a DNS error stating, “The DNS Server isn’t responding.” Is this error a shortcoming, or is it something about your internet service provider? Well, as it turns out, the problems with DNS could be due to several reasons. Most commonly, the error occurs due to a corrupt DNS cache that builds up over time. At other times, many users unknowingly have unsupported DNS that may eventually need to be changed to automatic or manual to repair. Whatever might be the cause of the issue, there are still present ways that many users have tried to fix the DNS error.
Fix# 1 – Power Cycle Your Router
First and foremost, you must rule out this simple fix to see if that’s what needs to be done. So, you’ll need to power cycle your internet router. Power cycling is very similar to restarting the router. However, there are a few simple differences. Below are the steps:
- Unplug your router’s charger from the outlet.
- Wait for 2 – 3 minutes maximum.
- Plug the charger back into the electric outlet.
- Turn the router back on.
Fix# 2 – Flush The DNS
As mentioned earlier, with time, some DNS caches can build up, leading to DNS Server isn’t responding error. It most likely happens when you have an invalid or outdated DNS address. In such cases, to fix the issue, you need to flush the DNS. Next, you’ll find the steps to do so:
- Head to the Start Menu.
- In the search bar, type “command prompt”
- When it appears, right-click on it and run it as an administrator.
- In the typing box of the terminal, type the following commands and press enter after each of them
- ipconfig /flushdns
- ipconfig /registerdns
Fix# 3 – Reset Winsock
Oftentimes, there are incorrect and/or corrupted entries to the Winsock catalog. So, what you’ll need to do in such cases is simply reset the Winsock, and that will solve the “DNS Server isn’t responding” error. To do so, follow these steps:
- Head to the Start Menu.
- In the search bar, type “command prompt”
- When it appears, right-click on it and run it as an administrator.
- In the typing box of the terminal, type in the following command and press enter.
- NETSH winsock reset catalog
That is all for our fixes for the DNS Server isn’t responding error on Windows. Also, see our hub for commonly occurring PC errors if you are experiencing other errors with your PC and video games.
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