How to Fix ‘This Site Can’t Be Reached’ Google Chrome Error?

New day – new chrome error. This time we will focus on very common Google Chrome error which is saying ‘This site can’t be reached’.

In most cases, when trying to visit a website and an error message comes up instead, we would close the browser then try again.

If you are using Google Chrome, you might encounter a ‘This site can’t be reached’ error if a website is down or taking too long to load, or if there is an issue with the internet connection.

Instead of trying again later or trying with another browser, we are going to examine why you might be getting this error code and check out some ways to solve it, whether you are on a Windows PC or using iOS or Android.

What ‘This Site Can’t be Reached’ Error Means?

This error message means you cannot access the website you are trying to get to.

If you are sure you spelled the web address correctly, there might be a problem with your domain name system (or DNS) server.

When and Why Does it Occur?

A DNS lookup failure is the most common cause of a ‘this site can’t be reached’ error message.

The DNS network goes through a website’s domain name to access it. This is the URL you are inputting into the browser or the link you are clicking on to get there.

When you press Enter after entering the website address, the browser tries to access the website using its IP address. The DNS network system translates the domain name into the IP address.

If the DNS address is misconfigured or the Windows DNS client doesn’t work properly, a DNS lookup failure can happen.

This is the most common for the error, although any one of these could also cause it:

Corrupt cookies or out of date settings in Google Chrome.
The wireless network connection needs a repair.
Out of date wireless adapters.
An antivirus blocking the website in question.
Invalid DNS cache.

7 Ways To Fix ‘This Site Can’t be Reached’ Error

Although most of the ways to fix the ‘this site can’t be reached’ error are for Windows PC users, you might be experiencing the same problem on an iOS or Android device.

If so, see the fixes at the end of this list for help with those.

FIX #1: Clear the Browser Cache

One of the most simple ways to fix the ‘this site can’t be reached’ error is to clear out Google Chrome’s browser cache.

It will determine whether the issue is happening because of corrupted cookie files. Occasionally the browser will serve cached error pages.

Clearing your browser’s history can solve this problem.

Open Google Chrome and click the 3 dots in the top right corner.
Than click on “More Tools” and “Clear the browsing data“.

This Site Can't be Reached Fix - Clear Cache

Another way to do this is to open the browser and:

Press “CTRL + SHIFT and DEL” together.
On the Settings window, choose ‘All Time’ from the drop-down menu.
Clear out your browsing history, cookies and cached images, check-marking them if not already selected.

Now try to reload the webpage that gave you the error before.

Note: you can use this solution to fix “ERR_CACHE_MISS” error also.

FIX #2: Reset Your Chrome Browser Settings

If the first fix doesn’t work then try to reset Google Chrome. Resetting it will eliminate errors stemming from browser extensions or browser settings.

Open Chrome Settings menu and click on “Advanced“.
Click on “Reset and Clean Up” and choose the option to “Restore your settings to defaults” and reset them.

This Site Can't be Reached Fix - Restore Chrome Settings

Now try to reload the webpage again.

FIX #3 Restart the DNS Client

If you still can’t load the webpage, try to restart the DNS client instead.

Press “Start + R” on the keyboard (or type “Run” in the search bar).
Type in services.msc, check the list and locate the “DNS client“.
Right-click on it, then press “Restart” and reopen Chrome.

See whether the problem has been solved.

FIX #4: Change the DNS Servers

Changing up the DNS servers you use to get on the internet can sometimes solve the ‘this site can’t be reached’ error.

Use another DNS address whenever your internet connection seems to be slowing down.

This is how to change the DNS servers:

open “Network and sharing center“ and click the button which opens your current internet network’s properties.
Locate the “TCP/IPv4” properties.
Set your DNS server to “Open DNS” or “Google’s DNS“.
- The primary server for Open DNS is 208.67.222.222 and the secondary one is 208.67.220.220
- The primary server for Google is 8.8.8.8 and the secondary one is 8.8.4.4
Press “OK” and check to see whether the error is resolved.

FIX #5: Flush the DNS Cache

You can get a ‘this site can’t be reached’ error when there is an invalid DNS cache.

This step will also help you to fix “ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED” error if you are facing it.

In this case, you need to flush the old DNS cache and then update it to the right IP address.

Type cmd in the search bar to launch the command prompt and right-click it to run it “As an administrator“.
Enter this: ipconfig /flushdns
You will see a ‘Flushed the DNS resolver cache’ message on the screen after the command has run successfully.
Restart the PC and check whether you still get the error message.

FIX #6: Reset the TCP/IP Address

If the other solutions have not worked, it’s time to reset the TCP or IP address.

Open Command prompt and type in:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /all
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew
netsh int ip set dns
netsh winsock reset

Restart the PC and check if it worked.

FIX #7: Run Windows Network Troubleshooter

Our final suggestion is to run the network troubleshooter included with Windows to locate and attempt repairs on your wireless network connection.

Type Run in the PC’s start menu search bar to open the run program module.
Type “ncpa.cpl” in the program to open the network connections box.
Now locate your Wi-Fi from the list, right-click it and click on “Diagnose” (let the network troubleshooter run).
If it comes up with ‘DHCP is not enabled for wireless network connection’ you need to fix this as an administrator.
- Click “Try these repairs as an administrator“.
Restart the PC to see whether the problem has been solved.

There are still other things to try if none of those fixes worked.

Other possibilities include reinstalling network drivers, restarting the router, reinstalling Chrome, and updating wireless adapter drivers.

How To Fix ‘This Site Can’t be Reached’ Error on iOS and Android?

If you are using a Mac OS you can try to change the TCP/IP4 or the DNS.

To change these, look in your system preferences, network and then advanced Wi-Fi settings).

On an Android operating system, clear your browser and app data.

To clear the history, it’s the same process as on a PC. To clear the app data, go to “Settings” then click on “Apps“, then click on “Chrome” and clear out the data as well as the cache.

Conclusion

I hope one of following solutions above will help you to fix ‘This Site Can’t Be Reached’ browser error. If not, feel free to check video guide below.

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