My Website Won't Load: Fixing 'This Site Can't Be Reached' and DNS Errors

If your site shows 'This site can't be reached', the problem is in one of three places: the domain doesn't resolve to an address (DNS), the server isn't responding (hosting), or the problem exists only on your device and network. The small error code the browser shows tells you which. DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN points to the domain or DNS records, ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT to the server, and ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS to a redirect loop.

Before panicking, a ten-minute check uncovers most of the problem.

1. Is it down for everyone, or just you?

Open the site on your phone with Wi-Fi off, on mobile data. Also use a free tool like 'downforeveryoneorjustme' that checks whether the site is reachable from different places in the world.

If the site loads elsewhere, the problem is on your side:

• Your computer's DNS cache holds an old record. On Windows, the ipconfig /flushdns command in Command Prompt clears it.
• Your router holds the old record. Turning it off and on usually does the trick.
• Your office firewall or an antivirus program is blocking the site.
• If many failed logins were attempted on the site, the server's security software may have temporarily blocked your IP. Ask your host to lift the IP block.

If the site is down everywhere, read on.

2. Read the error code

In Chrome a small code appears at the bottom of the error page. The most common:

• DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN or ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED: the domain can't be resolved to an IP address. The domain may have expired, the nameservers may be wrong or a DNS record may have been deleted.
• ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT: the domain points to an address, but the server there doesn't answer. The server is down, overloaded, or the IP is wrong.
• ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED: the server exists but refuses the connection. The web server software may have stopped.
• ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS: the site keeps redirecting to itself. The server works; the problem is in the settings.
• Codes like 500, 502 or 503: the server is reached, but the site errors internally. That's an application problem, not DNS; see 500 Internal Server Error.

3. NXDOMAIN: check the domain

First, see whether the domain has expired. Look up your domain on a Whois site and check the expiry date. If it has passed, you've found the cause; renew right away using the steps in my domain expired.

If it hasn't expired, check the nameservers. The Whois result has 'Name Server' lines. Are these the addresses of your host or of the DNS service you use, such as Cloudflare? If you recently transferred the domain or changed hosting, the nameservers may point somewhere old.

If the nameservers are right, check the DNS records. Look up your domain's A record in a tool like dnschecker.org. If the result is empty or differs from your host's IP address, fix the A record in the DNS panel. We explain what DNS records do in our DNS settings guide.

After a DNS change, the effect shows within minutes to a few hours, and up to 24 to 48 hours on some networks. During that time the site may load in some places and not others; that's normal.

4. Timeouts: check the server

If the domain resolves to the right IP but the site won't load, the problem is the server.

• Can you log in to the hosting panel? If so, is there a warning or suspension notice? An unpaid invoice is the most common reason hosting gets shut off; we cover that in hosting expired and my site went down.
• Is there a general outage notice on the host's status page or social media?
• The site may have exceeded its resource limits. On shared hosting, a traffic spike or bot attack can get an account temporarily suspended.
• If you use a VPS, the web server software may not have started automatically after a reboot.

At this point, opening a support ticket with your host is the fastest route. Include the domain, the error code and the time the problem began.

5. Too many redirects: find the loop

ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS usually comes from two settings cancelling each other out. The classic example: Cloudflare's SSL mode is 'Flexible' while the server redirects http to https. Cloudflare goes to the server over http, the server redirects to https, Cloudflare goes over http again, and the loop begins. Switching Cloudflare to 'Full (strict)' usually fixes it.

Other common causes: the www in WordPress's site address settings conflicting with the server's www redirect, or a rule in a redirect plugin that sends a URL to itself. Clearing the browser's cookies for that site sometimes breaks the loop too.

Once the site is back

• Note how long the outage lasted. A few hours leaves no mark on Google rankings.
• Test the form and email. If there was a DNS problem, email may have been affected too.
• Set up an uptime monitor. Free tools check the site every few minutes and email or message you when it goes down. You find out before your customers do.

If the site was moved recently, the checklist in moving a site when changing hosting helps you find the missed step. If you want regular maintenance that watches for outages and tracks domain and SSL expiry, see our maintenance and support plan; if the site is down right now, write to us directly.