DNS is like a phone book for the internet. When you type a website name like example.com, your computer asks a DNS server to look up the real number address behind that name, called an IP address. When DNS breaks, websites will not load, even though the internet connection itself is working just fine.
How to check if DNS is the problem
- Try opening a website by typing its normal name, like example.com.
- If that fails, try opening a website using its number address instead of its name. You can find a number address by asking a search engine for the IP address of a well known site.
- If the number address works but the name does not, the problem is DNS, not the internet connection itself.
- Ask if this is happening on more than one device on the same network. If it is, the problem may be with a shared network setting, not just one computer.
How to fix a DNS problem on a Windows computer
- Open the command prompt. You can search for it in the Windows start menu.
- Type ipconfig slash flushdns and press enter. This clears out old, saved address information that may be wrong.
- Type ipconfig slash release, press enter, then type ipconfig slash renew and press enter. This asks the network for a fresh set of address information.
- Restart the computer, since this clears out many small networking problems.
- Check the DNS server address in the network settings. If it looks wrong or was typed in by hand, try switching it back to automatic.
Always write down which DNS server the computer was using and what happened when you tested it. That small detail often turns a five minute ticket into a quick, confident fix instead of a repeated guessing game.