How to Fix the DNS Server Not Responding Error in Windows

What the error means and how to read it

Windows produces this verdict when the troubleshooter can reach the network but the configured DNS server never answers: ping 1.1.1.1 succeeds while ping example.com fails, which is the signature of a resolver failure rather than a dead line. The cause sits somewhere on the chain — your PC's configuration, the router, or the ISP's resolver — and each link has its own typical failures.

Before changing anything, spend two minutes narrowing it down. The checks below tell you which link is broken, and that decides which fix is worth trying first — there is no point reinstalling drivers when the router simply needs a restart.

• Other devices on the same network fail too? The problem is the router or the line, not Windows
• ping 1.1.1.1 works but ping example.com does not? Classic resolver failure — switch DNS servers
• The error appeared right after installing a VPN, proxy or antivirus? Undo that first
• It works in Safe Mode with Networking? A driver or a third-party filter is interfering
• Only one browser fails while others resolve? Clear that browser's own DNS cache, not the system's

The fixes, in the order that works most often

Start with the router: unplug it for thirty seconds and plug it back in — a startling share of home resolver failures is just a hung router process. Second, flush the cache: open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns, then switch Windows to a public resolver — Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 — which bypasses the ISP resolver entirely (the companion article on changing DNS servers walks through the exact clicks). Third, renew the connection's lease with ipconfig /release followed by ipconfig /renew, which asks the router for fresh addresses again.

Still failing? Update the network adapter driver: Device Manager (Win+X) > Network adapters > your adapter > Update driver, or take the vendor's own package from the manufacturer's site. Temporarily disable any VPN and the web-protection module of a third-party antivirus — both are notorious for intercepting port 53. And run the two deeper repairs from an administrator prompt: netsh winsock reset and netsh int ip reset, followed by a reboot — they rebuild the Winsock catalog and the TCP/IP stack, which years of network tools occasionally corrupt.

When it keeps coming back

A one-off failure is life; a recurring one is a pattern worth diagnosing. If the error returns weekly, check whether the router's firmware is current and whether the ISP's resolver is the common factor — switch to public DNS permanently and see whether the problem follows. Compare with a phone on cellular data: if the site opens there but on no device at home, the fault is on the line or with the ISP, and a call to support with the exact error text is the honest next step.

Malware is the ugly outlier: some strains rewrite DNS settings to redirect your browsing, so if the adapter suddenly lists an unfamiliar resolver, remove it and run a full Microsoft Defender scan. On a network you manage yourself, set the resolver on the router rather than on one PC only — every device then behaves the same and future outages are easier to reason about. No cleanup tool changes DNS behavior; this is one repair that stays manual on any Windows version.

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