How to fix the “DNS server not responding” error in 5 minutes!

While surfing through the internet, you might have experienced a “DNS server not responding” at some point or another. Don’t worry, this article will explain how did this error happen and how to manually solve it step-by-step on every device you own including Windows computers, Mac, IOS, and Android phones. Let’s get started!

What’s a DNS and what’s its role?

The DNS (Domain Name System) is a system that is responsible for hosts’ domain names translation into IP addresses. A domain is always found in the following form; www.domainname.com (for example) that you probably saw a billion times in your search bar.

For the IP address, the latter is a numeric interpretation of the domain address so that the system can read the address and bring you to the site you wish to visit.

How do DNS errors occur?

Anytime your browser cannot connect properly to the destination server, you will see the following messages displayed on the screen:

1. “DNS Server is not being found”
   The message demonstrates that the website’s link might be expired or the host’s database was already deleted.
2. “DNS Server is not available”
   The message means the host might no longer be in business.
3. “DNS Server Not Responding”
   This one will be shown when the browser cannot connect to the internet. This problem is typically caused by the out-of-date version of the browser, or the disabled network, or most commonly, misconfigured DNS settings.

How to fix a DNS error on Windows computers/laptops?

There are 2 recommended solutions to solve “DNS Server Not Responding” in Windows that you may try out:

1. Replace the DNS server

• Access “Network connections” on Windows.
• Select your current connection and right-click on the “change adapter options”
• Then, go to properties and search “Internet Version Protocol 4/IvP4/TCP”
• Click on “properties” again.
• After that, the IPv4 window will pop. Now, click on “Use the following DNS server addresses”
• For the preferred DNS, type the code 8.8.8.8.
• For the alternate DNS server, enter 8.8.4.4.
• Click OK to finish and the problem should be solved!

2. Disable IPv6 on Windows

Another effective way to fix a DNS issue is by disabling IPv6. The latter is the latest version of Internet Protocol that can dispatch the traffic between the internet and networks. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to disable IPv6:

• Open the “Network Connections” on the control panel.
• Choose the network connection or LAN (local area network).
• Thereafter, click on “properties” in the connection status.
• Next, scroll down until you find “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)”
• And then unselect the box to disabled it.
• Click OK and go back to the browser. Refresh it and check whether the DNS error message is gone.

For Mac users, how to deal with the DNS server not responding?

Similarly to Windows computers, you should go manually reset the DNS server by following the steps below:

1. Open system preference and click on the network icon.
2. Click on the network connection displayed on the left bar.
3. Then, choose Advanced and go to the “DNS” option.
4. Thereafter, you will see a list of IP addresses. If you see them in black, it means that they are enabled. On the other hand, the grey ones are disabled.
5. You just have to disable the enabled IP addresses by selecting them and clicking the minus (-) button, one by one.
6. After that, click on the plus (+) button and enter 208.67.222.220.
7. Next, click the plus (+) button again but this time enter 208.67.222.222. This code is a free DNS that generally more reliable than the original one.
8. The last step is to click OK and apply.

How to fix a DNS error on iOS devices

1. Go to Setting and turn on Wi-Fi.
2. Choose the Wi-Fi network that you want to connect with.
3. Then, click on the blue “i” icon.
4. After that, tap on the text field next to the DNS label and remove the old addresses.
5. Key the DNS server to switch to Google DNS servers.
6. Make sure that you separate the primary server and the alternate one with a comma, such as 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4.

For Android users

For Android users, we suggest that you install a special DNS application to fix the DNS issue because the DNS settings in default on Android phones are not often the best. It not only leads to network errors but also causes your device to work slower.

Therefore, to solve this problem, you can follow the instructions below:

• We highly recommend downloading DNS applications like DNS Changer or DNSet from Play Store.
• Once finishing the download, the only way to change the DNS setting is to root your phone.
• Some applications allow you to change Wi-Fi server details only while some force you to change both the Wi-Fi and data connections.

Bonus Tips:

If you have tried every solution in this article and your browser still doesn’t work, the problem is possibly caused by a temporary downtime on your router. In this case, restarting the device is the best solution:

• First, you should turn off the router.
• Wait for about 5 minutes and switch it on again.
• At the same time, restart your computer, whether it be Windows or MAC.
• Try connecting to the internet again.

So these are all potential solutions you can try to fix a frustrating “DNS Server Not Responding” issue and continue traveling the fantastic world of the internet. Bon voyage!