Google Chrome is one of the best and most widely used browsers in the world. But a lot of Chrome users have been complaining that they face this site can’t be reached error when they visit any site.
This error mostly happens when you type the wrong domain address of the particular site. However, there can be other issues also like slow internet connection, etc.
Also sometimes this error may appear as DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN, or ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT, or ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED.
If you are facing a similar issue when you use Chrome then you have come to the right place. In this article, we will see what are the causes for this site can’t be reached error on Google Chrome and how to fix it.
Introduction:
Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. The Google Chrome browser is available for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android operating system
It was first released on 2 September 2008 for Microsoft Windows. Chrome has a worldwide web browser market share of 70%.
Most of Chrome’s source code comes from Google’s open-source project Chromium. Google’s Chrome browser is licensed as proprietary freeware.
Features of Chrome include Download scanning, Adblocker, Incognito mode, malware blocking, and much more.
On 7 December 2010, Google announced the Chrome web store that helps you install web applications as extensions to the browser. The extensions are used by the users to modify Google Chrome and enhance it.
The Chrome users also face some errors while using the browser but they are fixed by Google in no time. However, some errors like this site can’t be reached error persists.
But the errors like these can be avoided if you know the causes and can be fixed if you know the fix. So, let us see what are the causes of this error and its possible fixes.
What are the causes for this site can’t be reached error on Google Chrome?
The most probable cause for this site can’t be reached on Google Chrome is the internet connectivity issue. However, there can also be an issue with the computer’s network adapter.
Another cause for this error is the failure of DNS lookup. This failure occurs when the web browser fails to find the domain address of the website on the server.
How to fix Google Chrome this site can’t be reached error:
Here is the list of methods that you can try to fix this site can’t be reached error on Google Chrome
- Clear the Google Chrome cache
- Reset Google Chrome settings
- Restart DNS client
- Reset TCP/IP
- Change IPv4 DNS address
- Disable “Experimental QUIC protocol” flag
- Update Network Adapter drivers
- Flush DNS cache using command prompt
- Reinstall Google Chrome
A lot of times this error is occurred due to a slow internet connection. So before trying any of the methods to fix this error just restart your router and check if the internet is working fine.
If you have a stable internet connection and restarting your router didn’t help to solve the error then follow the below methods to fix it.
Clear the Google Chrome cache:
Sometimes corrupted cookie files are the reason for browsers to show this site can’t be reached error. So removing the google chrome cache and clearing the cookies, and browsing history can help you solve the error. To do it follow the below steps:
1} Open the Chrome browser and click on the three dots on the top right corner beside the address bar. In that go to click on the History option. Or just type “chrome://settings/clearBrowserData” in the address bar.
2} From the side navigation taskbar click on clear browsing data.
3} Now check the boxes that say browsing history, cookies, and cache and click on clear data.
4} Exit your Chrome browser and open it again and check if the error persists.
Reset Google Chrome settings:
If deleting the cache files does not help you solve the error then try resetting the Google Chrome settings.
Chrome has an in-built option to reset your Chrome settings. So if there is any corrupted chrome extension or you have mistakenly changed the browser settings then this will help to solve the error.
Here are the steps to do it:
1} Click on the three dots beside the address bar and click on the Settings option.
2} From the side navigation option click on the Advanced dropdown menu and then click on the Reset and clean up option. Or just tap on the address bar and paste “chrome://settings/reset” to go to the reset and clean up window.
3} Next click on Restore settings to their original defaults. A popup will appear in that click on reset settings to restore your default settings.
4} Now load the website again and check if it still shows the error.
Restart DNS client on your Windows computer:
If you are a Windows user then try restarting your DNS client to fix this site can’t be reached error. Here are the steps to restart the DNS client on your computer:
How to restart DNS client through services
1} Press the key combination Windows + R to open the Run prompt. In that type “services.msc” and hit enter to open the services window
2} Now scroll down and search for DNS client. After you find DNS client tap on it and right-click >>then click on Restart.
How to restart DNS client using command prompt
1} Go to search and type cmd and hit enter to open the command prompt.
2} Next type the command “net stop dnscache” to stop the DNS client
3} Now type the command “net start dnscache” to restart the DNS client
After you restart the DNS client on your Windows computer open the Google Chrome application and check if the browser still shows the same error.
Reset TCP/IP using command prompt:
Another method that you can try to fix this site can’t be reached error on Google Chrome is resetting the TCP/IP. To do it
1} Go to search and type cmd. Now right-click on the command prompt and click on run as administrator to run the command prompt as Administrator.
2} Now type the command “netsh int ip reset” and hit enter to execute the commands.
3} Wait for few seconds for the system to complete the resetting process and restart your computer.
4} Lastly open the Chrome browser and load the site and check if the error continues.
Change IPv4 DNS address:
You can also fix the Google Chrome this site can’t be reached error by manually changing the DNS address on your computer. To change the IPv4 DNS address follow the below steps
1} Go to control panel >>then click on view network status and tasks under Network and Internet. Next, click on change adapter settings on the left-hand side and click on the Network option you are using
2} Or press the key combination Windows + R and type “ncpa.cpl” on the run prompt and hit enter. Next Tap the network that you are using.
3} A window will appear, in that click on properties. Next search for Internet protocol version 4(TCP/IPv4) and double click on it.
4} After that a new window will appear. Here click on the radio button that says “Use the following DNS server addresses:” and enter the following Numbers in the boxes
8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4
5} Next tick the validate settings upon exit checkbox and click on OK to apply the changes.
Disable “Experimental QUIC protocol” flag:
Quick UDP Internet Connection (QUIC) is an experimental transport layer network protocol designed by Google to reduce the latency compared to TCP. You can think of QUIC as a combination of TCP+TLS+HTTP/2 implemented on UDP.
Sometimes this protocol may not work properly forcing Google Chrome to throw the error. So, to fix it we need to disable the Experimental QUIC protocol from Google Chrome. To do it follow the below steps:
1} Open Chrome >>tap on the address bar and type the following address “chrome://flags/” and hit enter.
2} Now search “Experimental QUIC protocol” from the search box
3} Next click on the Dropdown option and click on disable.
4} Restart your Chrome browser to apply the changes.
Update Network Adapter drivers:
If you have a stable internet connection but still you are not able to load any site on the browser and get this site can’t be reached error then try updating the network adapter drivers on your computer.
To update network Adapter drivers on your Windows computer follow the below steps:
1} Open the run prompt and type “devmgmt.msc” and hit enter to open the device manager.
2} Now double click on the Network adapter option.
3} Next double click on each component. A new window will appear in that go to Driver tab and click on Update driver. Repeat the step for each component under Network Adapter.
Flush DNS cache using command prompt:
Invalid DNS cache can cause the site to throw this site can’t be reached error. So to fix the error you would have to flush the old DNS cache. Here are the steps to do it:
1} For this you need to open the command prompt as Administrator. So ho to search and type cmd >>right click on command prompt and click on Run as Administrator to open the command prompt as Administrator
2} In that type the command “ipconfig /flushdns” and hit Enter and wait for few seconds.
3} After the process is complete “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver cache” message will appear.
4} Lastly restart the computer to apply the changes.
Reinstall Google Chrome:
If all the above methods do not work and you still face the error on Chrome then try reinstalling the latest version of Google Chrome browser. To reinstall the latest version of Chrome follow the below steps:
1} First uninstall the Google Chrome installed on your computer from the control panel. If you don’t know the steps the follow this control panel >>uninstall a program >>tap on Google chrome and click on Uninstall.
2} Next go to the official Google Chrome website and download the latest version of Chrome.
3} After that open the downloaded file in the folder and double click on it.
4} Accept the terms and conditions to complete the installation process.
Final Words!!
In the above article, we explained all the possible methods to fix this site can’t be reached error on Google Chrome. If you are facing a similar error read the above article. Also, let me know which method helped you solve the error.