Very often people leave comments on the site, from which I take topics for new articles. Recently, a comment was left on an error post that said the error "The server's DNS address cannot be found." The Internet disappears, sites stop opening, and an error appears in the browser stating that the DNS address could not be found. After which the Internet stops working, not a single site opens.

There is such a problem, and the error itself about problems with DNS is very popular. The solutions for all versions of Windows will be the same. It doesn't matter if you have Windows 7, 8, or ten. And it doesn’t matter in which browser the error appears, and for which site. I will show Windows 10 as an example. Let's try to resolve the error “This page could not be opened” or “Cannot access the site”. Typically, the main error message depends on the browser you are using.

Cannot find server DNS address: what is it?

Before moving on to the solutions, I want to write a few words about the error itself. DNS is needed to resolve website addresses (which we indicate by letters) to digital addresses. Browsers only understand them. Accordingly, when DNS cannot resolve the address, the browser reports an error that the site cannot be opened and writes that it cannot find the DNS address of the server.

The error itself may look different. It all depends on the browser.

As you can see, in the screenshot above I have an error accessing the site youtube.com. It doesn't matter, the error can happen for any site. For example, for vk.com, facebook.com, google.com, yandex.ua, etc. It all depends on the site you wanted to open.

Determining the cause of the DNS error

There may be several reasons why you encountered this error: your Internet provider, problems with the site, an error on the router, or a failure on your computer. It is not difficult to identify them. Let's go in order:

• The problem is on the site side. If you see the error “The server's DNS address cannot be found” when you try to access only one site, but other sites open normally, then most likely the problem is on the side of a specific site. You can just wait a little, or try opening the site from another device (via another connection). If it opens, then try to solve the problem on your device.
• Error with DNS due to Internet provider or router. If you have many devices, and they all fail to open websites and get the same error, then the problem is most likely on the side of the Internet provider, or in the router. To get started, just turn off the router for a minute, turn it on, and check if the error disappears. If not, then connect the Internet directly to your computer (if possible), and try opening sites. If the error persists, contact your Internet provider support.
• The problem is in the computer (laptop). Most likely it is. In this case, on other devices (if any), everything works fine, the sites open. In this case, try following the tips in this article.

What to do and how to fix the error (using Windows 10 as an example)

Let me remind you that the tips are suitable regardless of what Windows you have installed. I advise you to follow the recommendations in the same order.

Checking the DNS Client service

We need to check if the DNS Client service is running and restart it. To do this, right-click on the "Computer" icon (This PC) and select "Manage". Or press the keyboard shortcut Win+R, and run the command compmgmt.msc.

In the new window, select "Services" and find "DNS Client" in the list. Right-click on the service and select Properties.

Check if the startup status is set to Automatic and click Ok.

Then, right-click on the service again and select "Restart". Restart your computer.

Resetting the DNS cache

If after restarting the service the sites do not open, try resetting the DNS cache. It's very easy to do. Launch Command Prompt. In Windows 10, simply right-click on the Start menu and select “Command Prompt (Admin).” If Windows PowerShell (administrator) is there, launch it. Or we find and launch the command line through the search.

Execute the command ipconfig/flushdns.

Restart your computer and check the result.

Registering an alternative DNS from Google

This method almost always helps. By default, DNS addresses are assigned to us by our Internet service provider. And the problem may lie precisely in them. Therefore, we can register our own static DNS in the properties of our Internet connection on the computer. It's best to use Google's DNS:

They are reliable and work quite quickly. Although, local addresses can process requests faster. But you don’t even have to pay attention to this. A large number of users use DNS addresses from Google. I strongly do not recommend using any other addresses, it can even be dangerous.

Right-click on the Internet connection icon (on the notification panel), and select Network and Sharing Center. Go to the "Change adapter settings" section.

Further attention! Right-click on the connection through which you are connected to the Internet and select "Properties". If your computer is connected via Wi-Fi, then this is a Wireless Network Connection (in Windows 10 - Wireless network). If you just connect via a network cable, then click on “Local Area Connection” (or Ethernet on Windows 10). Also, you may have a high-speed connection, with the name of your provider.

Select the item “IP version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and click the “Properties” button. Next, put the switch next to “Use the following DNS server addresses” and enter the addresses as shown in the screenshot below.

If the error "Cannot find the server's DNS address" persists, restart your computer and try opening the site again.

If you have a different router and don’t know how to change, then write the model in the comments, I’ll try to tell you.

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

Restart your computer and check if it works.

If you have any questions, ask them in the comments. Don’t forget to share new solutions and write about ways that helped you get rid of the error with looking up DNS addresses when surfing the Internet.