How to fix ‘The DNS server isn’t responding’ error in Windows 10

Loss of internet connection is one of the most frustrating errors you can encounter. One of the most common causes of internet disconnection is DNS malfunction. In this step by step tutorial, you will learn ways of how to fix ‘The DNS server isn’t responding’ error in Windows 10.

Method #1: Flushing the DNS server via Run

Step 1

Double press ‘Windows Key +R’ then type and run ‘ipconfig /flushdns.’

Note: You need to ensure that there is a space before the slash for the command to work correctly.

After running the above command, there will be a slight flash on your screen. You have successfully flushed your DNS server settings. You should try to reconnect to the internet.

Method #2: Flushing your DNS settings via PowerShell

Step 1

You need to click on the search icon on the taskbar and search for ‘Windows PowerShell’ as shown in the image below. Run the result as administrator as illustrated below.

Step 2

Copy and paste the command below into the PowerShell command line as shown in the image below.

Clear-DnsClientCache

Method #3: Switch to the free Google DNS Address

Since ISP DNS servers may fail from time to time, it is recommended to switch to Google’s DNS servers.  They are free and most times improve your internet speed.

Step 1

Right click on the network icon on the taskbar then select ‘Open Network & Internet settings’

Step 2

You can view the network you are connected. You need to click on ‘Change adapter options’ as illustrated below:

Step 3

You now need to double click on your preferred network connection. For demonstration, we will choose the Wi-Fi adapter (which is the most common).

Step 4

Find and click on properties as illustrated in the image below:

Step 5

Under the Wi-Fi properties, you need to double click on ‘Internet Protocol Version 4’ to configure.

Step 6

Under the IPv4 properties, you need to insert Google’s preferred and alternate DNS server addresses as illustrated below:

Step 7

You now need to double click ‘Internet Protocol Version 6’ to configure the custom DNS settings.

Step 8

Under the IPv6 properties, you need to insert Google’s preferred and alternate DNS server addresses as illustrated below:

Method #4: Switch to the free OpenDNS DNS Configurations

You can opt to use the OpenDNS DNS settings to fix your DNS malfunction. It is important t note that this method shares all the steps in Method 3. You need to replace the Google DNS settings with the following:

IPv4 settings

– Preferred DNS Server is 208.67.222.222.

– Alternate DNS Server is 208.67.220.220.

IPv6 settings

– Preferred DNS Server is 2620:0:ccc::2.

– Alternate DNS Server is 2620:0:ccd::2.

Conclusion

You now know how to fix the ‘DNS server isn’t responding ‘error in Windows 10. Which method worked best for you? Please let us know in the comment section below.