Full Guide to Fix DNS Server Unavailable in Windows 10 - MiniTool (2024)

DNS server plays an important role when connecting to the Internet. But sometimes, you may receive an error message saying that “your DNS server might be unavailable”, then you cannot connect to your Internet. This post from MiniTool has gathered several methods to fix this issue, so read it carefully.

DNS server unavailable is a common error that occurs in Windows 10 due to incorrect DNS or network configuration, incorrect DNS address, and similar reasons. However, it is difficult to tell the exact reason why the DNS server is down while browsing the Internet.

In short, your computer cannot connect to the Internet if you get this message stating that “your DNS server might be unavailable”. Then how to fix the “DNS server unavailable” error? Multiple useful methods are shown below.

Method 1: Reset Your Router

The easiest method to get rid of the “DNS server unavailable” error is to reset your router. If you are using a router to establish your network connection, then what you need to do is to unplug and reconnect the router cable or press the router reset button.

After you do this, then you may fix the “DNS server unavailable” error.

Method 2: Run Network Connections Troubleshooter

You can also try to run Network Connections Troubleshooter to fix the “DNS server unavailable” error. The Network Connections Troubleshooter is a powerful built-in feature in the Windows system that can help you fix Internet issues. Here is a quick guide to run it:

Step 1: Press the Win + I keys at the same time to open the Settings app.

Step 2: Choose Update & Security, and then go to the Troubleshoot tab.

Step 3: Click Internet Connections in the right panel and then click Run the troubleshooter.

Step 4: Wait for the process to complete and then follow the prompts showing on the screen to fix the error.

Method 3: Flush the DNS

You can flush the DNS to solve the “DNS server unavailable” issue. Here is what you need to do:

Step 1: Type cmd in the Search bar and then right-click Command Prompt to choose Run as administrator.

Step 2: Type the following commands in the window and then press Enter after each command.

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
exit

Step 3: Restart your computer and then check if the error is fixed.

Method 4: Reset TCP/IP

You can also try to reset TCP/IP to fix the error. Here is the tutorial:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator. If you cannot open Command Prompt, then you can right-click your Start button to choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).

Step 2: Type netsh int ip reset in the window and then press Enter.

Step 3: Close the window and then check if the issue appears again.

Method 5: Enter the IP Address Manually

You may meet the “DNS server unavailable” error because your IP address isn’t set manually, therefore, you can do the following to manually set your IP address.

Step 1: Press the Win + R keys at the same time to open the Run box.

Step 2: Type ncpa.cpl in the box and then click OK to open Network Connections.

Step 3: Locate your network connection, right-click it to choose Properties.

Step 4: In the Properties window, choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and then click Properties.

Step 5: A new window pops out, choose Use the following IP address, then enter theIP address, Subnet mask, Default gateway. Then choose Use the following DNS server addresses, enter Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server. (We used settings that work for our configuration, but you can enter different data.) Click OK to save changes.

Step 6: Restart your computer to check if the error still persists.

Method 6: Make Sure That DNS Is Automatically Obtained

You can also set your DNS to automatic to deal with the “DNS server unavailable” error. Here is a quick guide:

Step 1: Follow Steps 1-4 from Method 5, then choose Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically. Click OK to save changes.

Step 2: In the Properties window, choose Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and then click Properties.

Step 3: Choose Obtain an IPv6 address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically. Click OK to save changes.

After you set the DNS server address to obtain automatically, then the problem should be fixed.

Bottom Line

This post is mainly talking about how to fix the “DNS server unavailable” error, so if you meet the error, don’t hesitate to try these methods mentioned in this post.