How to Fix the DNS_PROBE_STARTED Error in Google Chrome

Quick gut check: open a Command Prompt and run ping 8.8.8.8. If you get replies but websites won't load by name, it's almost certainly DNS, not your internet connection.

Fix 1: Flush Chrome's DNS Cache

Chrome keeps its own DNS cache separate from Windows. A single bad cached entry can keep throwing this error long after the underlying issue is gone. Clearing it is the highest-success, lowest-effort step, so start here.

1. Type chrome://net-internals/#dns into Chrome's address bar and press Enter.
2. Click Clear host cache.
3. Open a new tab and go to chrome://net-internals/#sockets, then click Flush socket pools for good measure.
4. Close the tab, restart Chrome completely, and reload the site.

While you're at it, clear Chrome's browsing data: Settings → Privacy and security → Clear browsing data, and tick Cached images and files plus Cookies and other site data. A stale cookie or cached redirect can mimic a DNS fault.

Fix 2: Switch to a Public DNS Resolver

If flushing didn't help, your assigned DNS server is the likely culprit. ISP resolvers go down, get overloaded, or return slow answers more often than people realize. Pointing your device at a fast, well-run public resolver fixes that and usually speeds up browsing across the board.

To change it on Windows 11:

1. Open Settings → Network & internet, then click your active Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection.
2. Find DNS server assignment and click Edit.
3. Switch from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual, toggle on IPv4, and enter your chosen primary and secondary addresses.
4. Save, then run ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt to clear the Windows resolver cache too.

Setting DNS on the router instead of the device fixes every phone, laptop, and console on your network at once. If multiple devices show DNS errors, do it there.

Fix 3: Disable IPv6 on Your Network Adapter

Plenty of home networks advertise IPv6 but can't actually route it cleanly. Chrome tries the IPv6 lookup first, hangs waiting for a response, and throws DNS_PROBE_STARTED. Turning IPv6 off forces it back to IPv4, which is why this fix resolves a stubborn chunk of cases.

1. Open Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click Change adapter settings on the left.
3. Right-click your active adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and choose Properties.
4. Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6). Leave IPv4 checked.
5. Click OK, then disable and re-enable the adapter so the change takes effect.

If you have both Wi-Fi and Ethernet adapters, repeat this for whichever ones you use. This is reversible — re-tick the box anytime if you'd rather keep IPv6 on.

Fix 4: Reset the Network Stack

When the first three fixes don't stick, a corrupted Windows network configuration is usually to blame. A full stack reset rebuilds the TCP/IP and Winsock layers from scratch. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run these in order:

1. ipconfig /release
2. ipconfig /renew
3. ipconfig /flushdns
4. netsh winsock reset
5. netsh int ip reset

Restart your PC after the last command. This clears any leftover bad routes or resolver state, and it's the standard "nuclear option" technicians fall back on for persistent DNS errors.

The Two-Minute Diagnostic, Step by Step

Before working through every fix, a quick diagnostic tells you where the fault actually lives so you don't waste time on the wrong layer. Run these three checks in order:

1. Is it just one site or all of them? Try loading three different sites. If only one fails, the problem is that site's DNS, not yours — wait it out or check a status page. If everything fails, continue.
2. Is it Chrome or the whole device? Open the same site in Edge or Firefox. If it loads there, the issue is Chrome-specific — focus on the cache flush and extensions. If every browser fails, it's a system or network problem.
3. Is it your device or the network? Load the site on your phone over the same Wi-Fi. If the phone works and the PC doesn't, the fault is on the PC. If both fail, it's the router or ISP.

Five minutes here saves you from blindly resetting your network stack when the real fix was switching browsers. Technicians always isolate the layer first.

Check Your VPN, Antivirus, and Extensions

Software on your own machine is a frequently overlooked cause. A VPN that's lost its connection, a security suite with web-shield filtering, or a misbehaving Chrome extension can all intercept DNS traffic and leave the probe hanging.

• VPN: disconnect it entirely and reload the page. If that fixes it, switch the VPN to a different server or update its client — a dead tunnel still routing your DNS is a classic culprit.
• Antivirus / firewall: temporarily disable any "web protection," "DNS filtering," or "secure DNS" feature in your security software, test, then re-enable it. If the error only returns with the feature on, whitelist the site or adjust that setting rather than leaving protection off.
• Extensions: open an Incognito window (extensions are off by default there). If the site loads in Incognito, an extension is the cause — disable them one at a time to find which one.

One more Chrome-specific setting: go to Settings → Privacy and security → Security and look at Use secure DNS. If it's set to a custom provider that's struggling, switch it to With your current service provider or turn it off to test.

Fixing It on Android and Other Devices

Chrome on Android throws the same error, but the fixes live in different places. The browser-level flush still works — visit chrome://net-internals/#dns in mobile Chrome and clear the host cache. Beyond that:

1. Toggle Airplane mode on for ten seconds, then off. This forces a fresh network and DNS handshake — the mobile equivalent of a stack reset.
2. Forget and rejoin the Wi-Fi network in your phone's settings to clear a stale DHCP lease.
3. In Android's Private DNS setting, switch it to Automatic or enter 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com to route through Cloudflare.

The same logic applies on a Mac or iPhone: change DNS in the network settings, flush the system resolver, and test on a second network to isolate the device from the router.

Why This Matters

DNS issues are the single most common reason a connected device can't load websites, and DNS_PROBE_STARTED is one of the more confusing flavors because everything looks connected. Knowing the cause sits in the lookup layer saves you from pointlessly rebooting the router five times. Switching to a public resolver in particular tends to pay off long after this error is gone — faster lookups, fewer outages, and in many cases better privacy than your ISP's default.

If you've worked through all four fixes and the error survives, test a different network entirely (your phone's hotspot is perfect for this). If the site loads on the hotspot, the fault is your router or ISP, and that's the next call to make.