Quick Answer: ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED means Chrome couldn’t resolve the website’s domain name through DNS. It’s closely related to DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN and is usually fixed the same way: clearing the DNS cache, switching DNS servers, or restarting your router.
What Causes This Error
- DNS server (router or ISP) is unreachable or slow to respond
- Stale or corrupted DNS cache in Chrome
- Proxy or VPN settings interfering with domain resolution
- A firewall or antivirus blocking DNS lookups
- Local network misconfiguration (wrong or missing default gateway)
How to Fix It
Step 1: Reload and retry
Sometimes this is a one-off timeout. Wait a few seconds and reload the page before troubleshooting further.
Step 2: Clear the DNS cache
Go to chrome://net-internals/#dns and click “Clear host cache.” Also try chrome://net-internals/#sockets and click “Flush socket pools.”
Step 3: Change your DNS server
Go to Settings > Network > Wi-Fi > (your network) > Network > Name servers and switch to Google (8.8.8.8) or a custom entry for Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). This is the fix that resolves the error most reliably.
Step 4: Check proxy settings
Go to Settings > Network > Proxy and confirm it’s set to “Direct” unless you intentionally use a proxy. An incorrectly configured proxy blocks DNS resolution entirely.
Step 5: Restart your router
Power cycle it for 30 seconds. This resolves DNS issues that originate on the router rather than the Chromebook.
Step 6: Try a different network
Connect to a phone hotspot briefly. If the site loads fine there, the issue is with your home or office network, not your Chromebook or the website.
Still Not Fixed?
If ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED happens on every single site across multiple networks, check whether a browser extension is intercepting requests – disable extensions one by one from chrome://extensions. If it only affects one particular site, that site’s own DNS records may be misconfigured on their end, which isn’t something you can fix locally.
FAQ
What’s the difference between this and DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN?
They’re both DNS resolution failures and share nearly all the same fixes. NXDOMAIN specifically means the domain doesn’t exist at all, while ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED is a more general resolution failure that can include timeouts.
Could my antivirus software cause this?
ChromeOS doesn’t typically run third-party antivirus, but browser extensions marketed as “security” or “privacy” tools can interfere with DNS the same way.
Does switching DNS servers create any downside?
No meaningful downside for most users – public DNS providers are fast, reliable, and free.
