DNS Timeout — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

A DNS Timeout means your device sent a request to the DNS server asking for a website's address, but the server did not respond in time. After waiting for a set period, your device gave up. This is different from a DNS failure where the server responds with an error — here, the server never responded at all. The DNS server may be overloaded, unreachable, or your network connection to it may be too slow or broken.

Affected Models

Windows
macOS
Linux
Android
iOS
All internet-connected devices
Google Chrome
Firefox

Common Causes

The DNS server is overloaded and cannot process requests quickly enough
Your internet connection is slow or intermittent, causing DNS packets to be lost
A firewall is silently dropping DNS traffic (port 53 UDP/TCP)
The DNS server address configured on your device is wrong or unreachable
Your router is struggling to relay DNS requests due to congestion or a software bug

How to Fix It

Switch to a faster, more reliable DNS server. Open your network adapter properties, go to IPv4 settings, and manually enter 1.1.1.1 (preferred) and 1.0.0.1 (alternate) — Cloudflare's DNS, which is the world's fastest.

If your ISP's DNS is slow or overloaded, a public DNS server will dramatically reduce timeout issues.
Restart your router and modem. Unplug both, wait 30 seconds, and reconnect. An overloaded or stuck router can cause all DNS requests to time out.

This is the fastest first step and resolves the majority of temporary DNS timeout issues.
Flush your DNS cache. On Windows, open Command Prompt and run: ipconfig /flushdns. On Mac: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache. Then try the website again.

Clearing the cache ensures your device is not trying to use old, stale DNS records.
Check your firewall settings. Make sure UDP and TCP traffic on port 53 is not being blocked. If you use a third-party firewall, look for DNS blocking rules.

Port 53 is the standard port for DNS traffic. Blocking it will cause all DNS requests to time out.
Run a network diagnostic. On Windows, go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Internet Connections and click Run. Let Windows diagnose and attempt to fix the issue.

Windows can automatically detect and fix common DNS configuration problems.

When to Call a Professional

If DNS timeouts affect all devices in your home and restarting your equipment does not help, call your ISP. Frequent DNS timeouts across the whole network suggest a problem with the ISP's infrastructure or your connection to it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a DNS timeout and a DNS failure?

A DNS failure means the server responded with an error code — it received your request but could not complete it. A DNS timeout means the server never responded at all within the time limit. Timeouts usually point to network connectivity problems or a severely overloaded server. Failures usually point to issues with the domain or the server's internal configuration.

How many milliseconds should a DNS lookup take?

A good DNS lookup should complete in under 100 milliseconds. Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 server often responds in under 20ms. If DNS lookups are taking more than 500ms, your DNS server is too slow. If they are timing out entirely (usually after 3–5 seconds), the server is unreachable.

Can DNS timeouts slow down my whole internet browsing experience?

Yes, significantly. Every website you visit requires at least one DNS lookup before it can start loading. If DNS is slow, every page load feels slow — even if your connection speed is fast. Switching to a fast DNS provider like 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 can noticeably speed up your browsing.