Fix “This Site Can’t Be Reached” Error (5+ Reliable Solutions That Actually Work)

The internet is a complex network of connections, which is why this error can originate from your local computer, your internet service provider, or the website’s server. To fix it, you first need to understand which part of the chain is broken.Before you can fix the problem, you need to know exactly what conversation your browser failed to have. The “This site can’t be reached” message is a generic wrapper, but looking at the small gray text code below it reveals the specific root cause.If you are running local security software (such as a third-party antivirus suite, a software firewall, or a VPN client), try temporarily disabling it. These tools can sometimes aggressively intercept or block legitimate web traffic, resulting in a “Connection Refused” or “Site Can’t Be Reached” error, even when the server is healthy. If the site loads after disabling the software, you’ll need to adjust that program’s settings to allow traffic to the website.Sometimes the internet is working fine, but your computer is “remembering” broken information. Your operating system stores a DNS cache to load websites faster. If a website moves to a new server IP but your computer tries to connect to the old one, the site will be unreachable.

What Does “This Site Can’t Be Reached” Error Mean?

You should restart your router and try changing your network adapter settings to use a public DNS, such as Google’s 8.8.8.8. However, if your internet works but all your hosted sites are down, check your cloud provider’s site to confirm if they are experiencing an outage.Throughout this guide, we’ve explained different ways to decode and fix errors on your site. Whether the culprit was a simple internet hiccup, an aggressive firewall, or a complex DNS propagation delay, you now know how to trace the connection and find exactly what needs fixing.You can bypass your ISP by changing your network adapter settings to use public, high-speed DNS servers:If flushing DNS didn’t work, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) might be the problem. ISPs often have slow or outdated DNS servers. If their directory is down, you won’t be able to reach websites even if your internet connection is technically active.

If the site loads after switching to Google DNS, the fault lies with your ISP’s configuration.

Why You’re Seeing the “This Site Can’t Be Reached” Error

This is the most common cause of failure, and it triggers the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error code. This can happen if the domain has expired, or if you recently migrated your site and the DNS propagation hasn’t finished yet. It can also occur if the A Record or CNAME in your DNS settings points to the wrong IP address.If you are seeing the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error, the issue is almost certainly in the DNS records. This occurs when the DNS resolution chain is interrupted.

1. Domain Name System (DNS) Failures

This is usually caused by a corrupted local DNS cache or a firewall blocking the connection. If the website is running, simply flushing your computer’s DNS cache should resolve the glitch.

2. Connection Timeouts and Refusals

For everyday users, this is a momentary annoyance. However, if you are a website owner or developer, then you cannot ignore this error. If you see this on your site, it means that either your web server (Apache/NGINX) or your DNS records are misconfigured.

• Server Downtime: The physical server hosting the website may be offline or undergoing a reboot.
• Server Misconfiguration: If the web server (like NGINX or Apache) crashes due to a syntax error, it cannot accept new visitors.
• Firewall Blocking: Your Firewall software might be identifying the site as a threat and blocking access. If you are using RunCloud, you can easily edit your Firewall rules from your RunCloud dashboard. If you want to learn more, read our guide on using ModSecurity as a web application firewall.
• Overload: If a server lacks resources (RAM/CPU), it may stop responding. 

3. Local Cache Issues

Suggested read: How to Fix the HTTP Error 503 Service Unavailable in 2025 [SOLVED]If you are a site owner, then you would know that dealing with SSL expiry is a major headache. RunCloud users avoid this entirely because the platform handles automatic SSL renewal (via Let’s Encrypt), ensuring your HTTPS configuration never breaks.

4. SSL and Security Protocol Errors

When you see the “This site can’t be reached” error, your browser is telling you that the website you tried to load has failed. In simple terms, the browser cannot establish a connection with the server.

5. Network Restrictions (VPN/Proxy)

If you are the site owner, then you must verify your A Record (which points your domain to an IP address) and your CNAME records. You can use command-line tools like nslookup or dig to see where your domain is pointing. Read our blog post to learn how to search DNS records.Now that we have discussed the common culprits, let’s explore the solutions to get your connection back on track. We’ll start with the quickest fixes and then move on to more technical server-side diagnostics.

How to Fix The “This Site Can’t Be Reached” Error 

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to flush DNS cache, troubleshoot local issues, and diagnose common server-side problems.

Step 1: Identify the Exact Error Code

Are you seeing the “This site can’t be reached” error on your site?

This is where a server management platform helps. While manual configuration is possible, tools like RunCloud automatically monitor key services and connections. RunCloud ensures that services like NGINX or PHP are actually running, so your visitors never see a dead screen.

Step 2: Check Domain Status and DNS Configuration

Identifying the cause of a site crash helps prevent repeat outages. Usually, this requires digging through confusing text files on the server’s log directory (/var/log/). However, if you are using RunCloud, then you can access the NGINX and Apache logs directly from the web interface.Pro Tip: Manual DNS changes are prone to typos. RunCloud’s DNS integrations help ensure records are mapped correctly, reducing the risk of NXDOMAIN errors.RunCloud completely changes this dynamic by offering a visual interface to diagnose, fix, and even automatically prevent these crashes. RunCloud includes a powerful Auto-Healing feature that minimizes downtime without requiring manual intervention. If a service crashes or becomes unresponsive, RunCloud detects the failure immediately and automatically attempts to restart it to restore connectivity.

Step 3: Flush DNS Cache and Browser Resolver Data

If you encounter the ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR or ERR_CONNECTION_RESET, you can be certain that the issue is related to security. If the website’s security certificate is out of date, modern browsers will terminate the connection to protect your data.Suggested read: How to Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error

Step 4: Change DNS Resolvers to Rule Out ISP Issues

If you are not using a managed platform like RunCloud, fixing an ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED requires connecting to your server via SSH (Secure Shell) and manually running command-line utilities to check the server status. For example, to restart the NGINX or Apache services, you would need to execute commands like:This error often means your local network is still using the old IP address, so try flushing your DNS or accessing the site via a different network.

• Google DNS: Set your Primary DNS to 8.8.8.8 and your secondary DNS to 8.8.4.4.
• Cloudflare DNS: Set your Primary DNS to 1.1.1.1.

This error is frustrating and can have multiple underlying causes, which makes troubleshooting harder. In this guide, we break those causes down and show you how to fix them.Finally, aggressive security settings can block connections, leading to ERR_CONNECTION_RESET or ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR.

Step 5: Check Server Availability & Web Server Health

This happens when the connection between your computer (the client) and the website’s server is severed or was never established in the first place. This is why many developers choose RunCloud.

Sign up for RunCloud and discover how painless server management can be.Your computer saves time by storing old data. This is referred to as a DNS cache or Browser cache. If a website moves to a new server but your computer remembers the old IP address, the connection will fail.

Step 6: Check Web & Server Logs

RunCloud eliminates the guesswork by providing a visual dashboard for all your server needs. RunCloud covers the essentials:

Step 7: Check SSL, HTTPS Configuration, and Firewall Rules

Sometimes the website address is found, but the web server is unavailable. You will likely see ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT or ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED. This can happen due to several reasons:However, if you are a website owner or developer, you know that fixing the error is only half the battle. Preventing it is where the real value lies. Why waste hours debugging command-line errors when you could automate the health of your infrastructure?

Final Thoughts

Here are the most common reasons this error occurs:While global propagation can technically take up to 48 hours, modern setups usually resolve within minutes. You can significantly speed up this process by lowering your TTL settings or utilizing RunCloud’s Cloudflare integration to ensure that your SSL and DNS changes deploy instantly. If you recently moved your website to a new host, you may be waiting for DNS propagation to complete. This is the time it takes for servers worldwide to update their records based on your Time To Live (TTL) settings. Read our guide on How To Speed Up DNS Propagation to learn more about this.Suggested read: How to Check Linux CPU Usage or Utilization (5 Ways)

• Automatic SSL: Never see an expired certificate error again.
• One-Click Service Restarts: Fix crashed web servers instantly without touching a terminal.
• Painless DNS & Domain Management: Map domains correctly every time, reducing NXDOMAIN errors.

sudo systemctl restart nginx
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Let’s get started!