DNS Server Failure — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

A DNS Server Failure means the DNS server your device uses to look up website addresses encountered an error and could not complete your request. DNS servers are like directories that translate website names (like amazon.com) into IP addresses. When the DNS server itself fails — due to being overloaded, crashing, or having a configuration error — it cannot give you the address you need, and websites fail to load.

Affected Models

Windows
macOS
Linux
Android
iOS
All devices with internet access

Common Causes

Your ISP's DNS server is down, overloaded, or experiencing an outage
Your router's DNS relay is not functioning correctly
The DNS server address configured on your device is incorrect
A network firewall is blocking DNS traffic on port 53
The specific DNS server you are using is having a temporary internal error

How to Fix It

Switch to Google's public DNS server. Go to your network adapter settings (Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections), right-click your connection, choose Properties, click 'Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)', then Properties. Enter 8.8.8.8 as preferred DNS and 8.8.4.4 as alternate.

Google's DNS is one of the most reliable in the world and is completely free to use.
Flush your DNS cache. On Windows, open Command Prompt and type: ipconfig /flushdns. On Mac, type: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache. Press Enter and then try loading the website.

Your computer caches DNS results. Flushing forces it to make a fresh request to the DNS server.
Restart your router and modem. Unplug both, wait 30 seconds, and plug them back in. Many routers run a small DNS service internally that can get stuck.

This is quick and resolves many temporary DNS failure issues.
Test your internet connection by pinging a known address. Open Command Prompt and type: ping 8.8.8.8 — if you get replies, your internet works but DNS is the problem. If you get no replies, your internet itself is down.

Pinging an IP address directly bypasses DNS — so if it works, you know DNS is the issue and not the connection.
Try a different DNS server. Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) and OpenDNS (208.67.222.222) are both free, reliable alternatives to your ISP's DNS.

If one public DNS server is also failing, try another. It is rare for multiple major providers to fail at the same time.

When to Call a Professional

If switching to a public DNS server does not resolve the problem and you have no internet access at all, contact your ISP. They can check whether their DNS infrastructure is experiencing issues and guide you through any additional configuration needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a DNS server failure the same as my internet being down?

No, they are different. Your internet connection can be fully working while DNS is broken. A quick test: type an IP address directly into your browser (like 216.58.215.46 — Google's IP) and see if it loads. If it does, your internet works but DNS is failing. If nothing loads, your internet connection itself is the problem.

How do I know if my ISP's DNS is the problem?

Switch to a public DNS server (8.8.8.8) and see if the problem goes away. If websites load normally after switching, your ISP's DNS was the issue. You can keep using the public DNS server permanently — there is no downside.

Can my router cause a DNS server failure?

Yes. Many routers handle DNS requests themselves before passing them to your ISP. If the router's DNS service gets confused or overloaded, it can return failures for all your devices. Restarting the router resets this internal DNS service. Some routers also allow you to change the upstream DNS server in their settings.