Windows shows this message after you run the network diagnostics: DNS server is not responding. It sounds definitive, and most guides immediately tell you to change your DNS.
The problem is that the diagnostic tool often concludes DNS when something else is actually going on. Changing DNS in the wrong case only wastes time.
What is actually failing
Every time you open a website, your device needs to translate its name into a numeric address. That translator is what DNS is.
If the translation fails, your internet connection may be perfectly fine, your device simply does not know where to go. How it works is explained more fully in the guide to public DNS and privacy.
First make sure it really is DNS
One quick check separates a DNS problem from a genuine connection fault.
Open Command Prompt and run ping 1.1.1.1. This contacts a numeric address
directly, with DNS not involved at all.
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| You get replies | The connection is fine, the problem really is DNS |
| No replies | The connection is down, DNS is not the cause |
If there are no replies, stop here and check the connection first, the order to work through is in the guide to not being able to connect to Wi-Fi and the guide to router indicator lights.
Another clue that confirms it. If messaging apps keep working while websites refuse to open, it is almost certainly DNS. Apps like that cache the server addresses they have used before, so they never need to ask the translator.
The order that works most often
Flush the DNS cache
In Command Prompt as administrator, run ipconfig /flushdns. Your device stores
previous translations, and a stale entry causes failures that feel random. This is the
fastest step and fixes it often enough.
Renew the address from the router
Still in Command Prompt: ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew.
This asks for a fresh address along with the DNS settings that come with it.
Disable and re-enable the network adapter
In Network Settings, disable the Wi-Fi adapter, wait ten seconds, enable it again. This clears a stuck adapter state without restarting the computer.
Restart the router
Unplug it from the mains, wait two minutes, plug it back in. If your provider's DNS is having trouble, this sometimes suffices, and it deletes no settings, unlike the reset covered in the guide to resetting a router.
Try another DNS as a test
Set a public DNS temporarily. If sites open immediately, your provider's DNS was the cause. If nothing changes, put it back, the problem is elsewhere.
Changing DNS as a diagnostic
Treat this as a diagnostic tool, not a permanent fix. The point is to establish the cause, not to sidestep it forever.
- Windows: Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Hardware properties → DNS server assignment → Edit → Manual.
- macOS: System Settings → Network → Details → DNS.
- Android: Settings → Network → Private DNS.
- iPhone: Settings → Wi-Fi → information icon → Configure DNS → Manual.
If changing it fixes the problem and you want it permanent, it is better set on the router so it applies to every device at once. What to weigh when choosing a DNS provider is covered in the guide to public DNS and privacy.
When it keeps coming back
A DNS problem that appears once and disappears usually means nothing. What is worth tracing is a pattern.
| Pattern | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Only on one device | That device's settings, not the network |
| All devices, at random times | The provider's DNS or the router |
| Only in the evenings | Peak-hour congestion, not DNS |
| After installing a VPN or antivirus | That software changed the DNS settings |
| After rain | The line outside the house |
The first row points to the guide to Wi-Fi trouble on one device, the third to the guide to the internet being slow at certain hours, and the last to the guide to internet problems when it rains.
The fourth row is worth checking first if you have just installed something. VPNs and some antivirus software take over the DNS settings, and leave them half-configured when forced closed.
