ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED on Windows

A stale entry in the Windows hosts file or a leftover VPN DNS suffix overrides public DNS, so the name resolves to nothing.

Why it happens on Windows

A stale entry in the Windows hosts file or a leftover VPN DNS suffix overrides public DNS, so the name resolves to nothing.

The fix on Windows

Run ipconfig /flushdns in an elevated prompt, then inspect C:\\Windows\\System32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts for the domain and remove any stale line.

If that didn't fix it

Windows has its own failure mode, but ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED has a wider set of causes. The most common one overall is: No DNS record exists for the hostname.

Add the A or CNAME record. Check apex and www separately.

Check your own domain

Resolving the name from outside your machine proves in one step whether the record exists at all or whether only your resolver is failing.

Frequently asked questions

Why does ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED happen on Windows?

A stale entry in the Windows hosts file or a leftover VPN DNS suffix overrides public DNS, so the name resolves to nothing.

How do I fix ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED on Windows?

Run ipconfig /flushdns in an elevated prompt, then inspect C:\\Windows\\System32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts for the domain and remove any stale line.

What does ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED mean?

Chrome could not turn the hostname into an IP address. Closely related to NXDOMAIN but broader: it also covers resolver failures and timeouts, not just definitive 'does not exist' answers.