---
title: "ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED on Windows: cause and fix"
description: "A stale entry in the Windows hosts file or a leftover VPN DNS suffix overrides public DNS, so the name resolves to nothing."
canonical: "https://lemwatch.com/errors/err-name-not-resolved/on-windows"
source: "https://lemwatch.com"
---

# 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.


## Related

- [All causes of ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED](https://lemwatch.com/errors/err-name-not-resolved)
- [All website error codes](https://lemwatch.com/errors)
- [ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED on Chrome](https://lemwatch.com/errors/err-name-not-resolved/on-chrome)
- [ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED on Cloudflare](https://lemwatch.com/errors/err-name-not-resolved/in-cloudflare)
- [ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED on Android](https://lemwatch.com/errors/err-name-not-resolved/on-android)
- [Free DNS lookup](https://lemwatch.com/tools/dns-lookup)
- [ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED: The network changed during the request](https://lemwatch.com/errors/err-network-changed)
- [Lemwatch pricing](https://lemwatch.com/pricing)