Fix "DNS Server Not Responding" on Windows, Wi-Fi and PS5

Windows Network Diagnostics sometimes ends with this sentence: "Your computer appears to be correctly configured, but the device or resource (DNS server) is not responding." Browsers show a similar dead end, and consoles report a DNS failure during a connection test. All of them describe the same thing. A name query went to a DNS resolver and no answer came back.

What the message actually means

Resolving a name takes one question and one reply. Your device asks a recursive resolver (see recursive vs authoritative resolvers) for the address of a name, and the resolver replies with an IP address or an error. This message means the reply never arrived. It does not say the domain is missing, and it does not say your internet is cut off.

That separates it from NXDOMAIN. NXDOMAIN is an answer: the resolver replied and said the name does not exist. "Not responding" is silence. The resolver may be down, unreachable, overloaded, blocked by a firewall, or answering too slowly for the timeout your device allows. The usual culprits are the home router acting as a DNS forwarder, the ISP's resolvers, or something on the device itself.

Work out which layer is silent

Four things can fail: the single device, the router, the ISP's resolvers, or one particular resolver address. Two cheap tests separate them before you change any setting.

1. Try a second device on the same network. If a phone on the same Wi-Fi loads pages, the network and the resolver are working and the problem sits on your computer or console.
2. Ask a different resolver the same question. In a terminal, run nslookup example.com 8.8.8.8 with any public resolver address. If that answers and a plain nslookup example.com times out, your default resolver is the silent one.
3. Use a raw IP. If ping 8.8.8.8 replies but names fail, connectivity is fine and only DNS is broken. If the ping fails too, you have a connection problem, not a DNS one.

Fix the network side first: router and modem

Home routers run a small DNS forwarder. Your devices ask the router, and the router asks the ISP. These forwarders can hang after long uptime, and a power cycle clears that more often than any setting change.

1. 1

   Power-cycle the router and modem

   Unplug both, wait about 30 seconds, plug in the modem first, then the router. Give them a few minutes to reconnect before testing.

2. 2

   Test with one device on a cable if you can

   If a wired computer works but Wi-Fi does not, the trouble is the wireless link or its settings, not DNS itself.

3. 3

   Change the router's DNS setting

   In the router's admin page, look for a DNS field under WAN, Internet, or DHCP settings. Labels differ between brands, so check the manual. A public resolver set here covers every device at once.

Windows 10 and 11: ordered fixes

Run these in an elevated Command Prompt (Run as administrator), testing after each one. They go from least to most disruptive.

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
netsh winsock reset

• ipconfig /flushdns empties the local cache. It helps when a bad cached answer is the problem, but it cannot revive a resolver that is not answering. See how to flush the DNS cache.
• ipconfig /release followed by ipconfig /renew asks the router's DHCP server for a fresh lease, including its DNS server addresses.
• netsh winsock reset resets the Windows socket layer. It needs a restart, and it can remove network entries added by some VPN or security programs.

Switch the adapter to a different DNS resolver

If the resolver the router hands out is the silent one, point this computer at another. Public resolvers such as Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) are common choices. They are examples, not recommendations, and they change who sees your lookups. See how to change your DNS server.

Windows 11 click path

Open Settings, then Network & internet, choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and open the properties of your connection. Find DNS server assignment, choose Edit, switch from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual, turn on IPv4, and enter a preferred and an alternate address. Save, then test.

Windows 10 click path

Open Control Panel, then Network and Sharing Center, then Change adapter settings. Right-click your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter, choose Properties, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), click Properties, choose Use the following DNS server addresses, and fill in the two fields. Click OK.

Other things on the device that block DNS

• VPN and security software. Some VPN clients and firewalls intercept DNS. Disconnect the VPN, or pause the web-protection feature, for one test. If names resolve, adjust that program's DNS or filtering settings rather than leaving it off.
• IPv6, as a test only. On a network with a broken IPv6 path, queries can stall. Clear the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) checkbox in the adapter's properties, test, and turn it back on if nothing changes. Leaving it disabled is not a fix.
• Adapter driver. An outdated or damaged Wi-Fi driver can drop traffic. In Device Manager, update the adapter, or use Uninstall device and restart so Windows reinstalls it.

Wi-Fi specific problems

When a laptop shows the error only on Wi-Fi, check signal before DNS. A weak link drops packets, and a DNS query is one small packet that can be lost. Move closer to the router, try the 5 GHz band if offered, and compare with a wired connection.

Public hotspots in hotels, cafes and airports are a separate case. Many make you accept terms on a sign-in page before DNS works properly. Open a plain HTTP address, or any site you have not visited, so the sign-in page can appear. A custom DNS setting can stop that page from loading, so set the adapter back to automatic on those networks.

PlayStation 5

On a PS5, a DNS failure usually shows up during Test Internet Connection or when a game or the PlayStation Network cannot be reached. The fixes mirror the PC ones: restart the router, then set DNS by hand on the console.

1. 1

   Restart the console fully

   Turn it off from the power menu rather than using rest mode, wait a moment, and start it again.

2. 2

   Open the connection setup

   Go to Settings, then Network, then Settings, then Set Up Internet Connection. Select your network and open its advanced options. Menu wording can change between system software updates.

3. 3

   Choose manual DNS

   Set DNS Settings to Manual, then enter a Primary DNS and a Secondary DNS. Public resolver addresses work here. Leave MTU Settings on Automatic unless you have a known reason to change it.

4. 4

   Test again

   Run Test Internet Connection from the Network settings. It reports whether the console obtained an IP address, reached the internet, and signed in to PlayStation Network.

If the test still fails over a cable, try another cable or router port. Other consoles also have a DNS field in their network settings, but menu names differ, so check the maker's help page.

Verify the fix with nslookup and this site's tools

Confirm that the resolver you chose answers. Query it directly, then compare with your system default.

nslookup example.com 8.8.8.8
nslookup example.com

Both should print Name: and an Address: line for the domain. A line reading "DNS request timed out" means the resolver did not answer, which is exactly this problem. A line reading "Non-existent domain" is NXDOMAIN, a different problem. The "Server:" lines at the top show which resolver responded.

A browser-based check helps separate your network from the domain. Run the name through our DNS lookup tool, the NSLookup tool, or the home-page lookup at /. They resolve from our server, not from your connection. If they return addresses while your own device times out, the domain is fine and the fault is on your side. Note that these tools take domain names only: they reject IP addresses and single-label names, so test with something like example.com, not 192.0.2.10 or localhost.