How To Fix Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found Error

DNS or Domain Name Service server that translates domain names into numeric IP addresses. There have been reports from Windows 8 and Windows 10 users experiencing issues accessing websites using web browsers. An error message such as “server DNS address could not be found” or at times “server IP address could not be found” usually appears. If the error message appears, it prevent the users from browsing through a website. It can be a frustrating experience. But not to worry because in our latest troubleshooting series, we will talk about the causes for this problem and the recommended solutions on how to fix Server DNS address could not be found problem on Windows.

Fix Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found Error

If you do not know what your server IP address is, follow the steps below to find it:

  1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open RUN dialog box
  2. At RUN box, type “cmd” and press Enter or click OK.
  3. Inside command prompt window, type the command “ipconfig” and press Enter. The IPv4 address is your IP address.

There are several factors that may have caused this particular problem to occur such as domain name that you are trying to access is down, DNS servers down or not accessible to a change in the server of the IP address. Listed below are the troubleshooting solutions that you can to fix Server DNS address could not be found problem in Windows.

Solution 1: Configure DNS server settings

Estimate Cost : 0

Time Needed : 4 minutes

Changing to Google's DNS servers has been proven to have fixed connection related issues on your computer instead of using Public DNS. It provides a more faster and secure Internet connection for a stable browsing experience.
To do this:

  1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open RUN dialog box.

    open RUN dialog box.
    A small window will appear at the bottom-left corner of the screen.

  2. At RUN box, type Control Panel and press Enter or click OK.

    type Control Panel
    This will open the Control Panel window.

  3. At control panel window, make sure View by is set to Large icons.

    View by is set to Large icons.
    This will make it easier for you to read the titles.

  4. Click Network and Sharing Center.

     Network and Sharing Center.
    The network settings page will open.

  5. At left pane, click Change Adapter settings options.

    Change Adapter settings
    A new window opens.

  6. Inside Network Connections window, right click on your network and click Properties from the drop down menu

    right click on your network
    This will open the properties of the network your computer is currently connected to.

  7. Under Wi-Fi Properties, click Networking tab.

    Networking tab.
    This will show you the networking settings.

  8. Scroll down and double click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) to open it.

    Internet Protocol Version 4
    Another window opens.

  9. Inside Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties , click on the option “Use the following DNS server addresses”

    Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found
    This will allow you to enter a new DNS server.

  10. Input 8.8.8.8 as Preferred DNS server settings

    Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found
    Input 8.8.4.4 as Alternate DNS server settings

  11. Click OK to apply changes made

    Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found
    Click OK to exit Wi-Fi Properties

  12. Type Command Prompt at the search bar located at the lower left

    Command Prompt
    Right click on Command prompt result and click Run as Administrator

  13. Inside Command prompt, type the command “ipconfig /flushdns”, this will refresh the DNS servers

    Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found
    Restart your computer.

Tools
  • Run, Command Prompt
Materials
  • Windows 10

Visit a website again and then check if Server DNS Address or IP address Could Not Be Found error still occurs.

Solution 2: Reset Network Configurations

If the computers network configurations was not correctly configured, error message such as Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found or IP address could not be found will show when trying to access a website. To fix this, you might need to completely reset network configurations.

To do this:

  1. Type Command Prompt at the search bar located at the lower left.
  2. Right click on Command prompt result and click Run as Administrator from the drop down menu. This will open an elevated Command Prompt
  3. At Command Prompt window, type the following commands and press Enter after each command.
  4. Type netsh winsock reset and press the Enter key
  5. Type netsh int ip reset and press the Enter key
  6. Type ipconfig /release and press the Enter key
  7. Type ipconfig /renew and press the Enter key
  8. Type netsh interface ipv4 reset and press the Enter key
  9. Type netsh interface ipv6 reset and press the Enter key
  10. Restart Computer

Once computer completely reboots, visit a website again and then check if Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found error still occurs.

Solution 3: Restart DNS client service

A glitch in the DNS service may have caused this error to occur. Users claimed that restarting DNS client service helps resolved Server DNS address could not be found error.

To do this:

  1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open RUN dialog box
  2. At RUN box, type “services.msc” and press Enter or click OK. This will open Services window.
  3. Inside Service manager window, scroll down and locate DNS Client service.
  4. Right click on DNS client and click Restart from the drop down menu. Wait for the restart process to complete.

After DNS client service restart process is complete, visit a website again and then check if Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found error still occurs.

Solution 4: Uninstall and Reinstall Google Chrome

There are times when the error is not solely related to the networks configurations on your computer instead the browser is causing the issue itself. To know if this is the culprit, you might need to uninstall and then reinstall Google Chrome and then see if the error will be fixed. Make sure to exit all tabs on Google chrome browser before you begin to uninstall.

To uninstall:

  1. Click on the start menu or window button located at the lower left
  2. Click Settings, an icon that looks like a gear. This will open Windows Settings
  3. At Windows Settings, click Apps
  4. At left pane, click Apps & Features.
  5. Scroll down to locate Google Chrome and click on it.
  6. Click Uninstall tab
  7. Click Uninstall again to confirm action. Follow the onscreen instructions on how to uninstall google chrome.

To reinstall:

  1. Go to Google Chrome website to download
  2. Click Download Chrome. Follow the onscreen instructions to completely install Google chrome browser.
  3. Once chrome is completely installed, set Google chrome as default browser.

Visit a website again and then check if Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found error still occurs.

Solution 5: Configure Start up page on Google chrome

There are instances where extensions on the browser that have been configured to open at start up that can be harmful and may have eventually caused this error to occur. To fix this, you might need to configure the start up page when opening Google Chrome.

To do this:

  1. Open or Launch Google chrome.
  2. Click on the three vertical dots located at the upper right.
  3. Click Settings from the drop down menu.
  4. At left pane, click Appearance.
  5. Scroll down and locate On startup section
  6. Under On startup, click the option “Open the New tab page”. This means that the next time you launch google chrome, it will automatically direct you to the new tab page.

Visit a website again and then check if Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found error still occurs.

Solution 6: Update Network Adapter Driver

An outdated network adapter driver can sometimes cause network related issues on your computer, in this case getting a DNS server address not found error. To fix this, it is recommended to update network adapter driver.

To do this:

  1. Press Windows key + R on your keyboard to open RUN dialog box
  2. At RUN dialog box, type “devmgmt.msc” and press Enter or click OK. This will open device manager
  3. Locate and click Network adapters to expand it.
  4. Right click on your network adapter and click Update driver from the drop down menu.
  5. Click the option “Search Automatically for drivers”. It will now search for available drivers and automatically installs them.
  6. After update process is complete, click close to exit.

After driver software is up to date, Visit a website again and then check if Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found error still occurs.

Solution 7: Flush DNS cache

Most of the time, windows will automatically save the addresses of the IP addresses of the websites you visited. But there are instances where the cache saved on the IP addresses becomes outdated that prevents you from visiting the website again that is why error message occurs. To fix this, you might need to clear and flush DNS cache.

  1. Press Windows key + R on your keyboard to open RUN dialog box.
  2. At RUN dialog box, type “cmd” and simultaneously press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER on your keyboard for administrative access
  3. At command prompt window, type the following commands and press Enter after each command.
  4. Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter
  5. Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter
  6. Type ipconfig /registerdns and press Enter
  7. Exit command prompt

Visit a website again and then check if Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found error still occurs.

After following the solutions mentioned, you will successfully fix Server DNS Address Could Not Be Found error. For more troubleshooting videos, feel free to visit our TheDroidGuy Youtube Channel.

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