How to fix the “This site can’t be reached” error

Mistake "This site can't be reached" or “This site can’t be reached” often appears when using a web browser. So what causes it, and what is the most effective way to fix it? In this article, MONA Media shares 10 ways to fix the "This site can't be reached" error in the simplest and fastest way.

Causes of the "This site can't be reached" error

From our experience at work, MONA has found that there are many different causes, both internal and external, behind the "This site can't be reached" message. The most common are:

• Network connection problems
• The website is no longer running
• Problems with the browser installation and its extensions
• Your site configuration or firewall is blocking the site
• DNS errors
• Some antivirus or anti-malware software blocks access to certain websites
• Problems on the website's server

Top 10 ways to fix "This site can't be reached"

Restart your computer

Restarting your computer is the easiest way to quickly fix internet access problems. Small glitches in Chrome or in the whole system get cleared quickly. To restart, MONA suggests a few effective ways:

• Method 1: Press ALT + F4 => choose Restart => press Enter
• Method 2: Click Windows => click the right arrow next to Shut down => click Restart => press Enter

Restart the DNS Client on your computer

DNS Client is a feature related to your computer's internet connection. When it has a problem, it can cause errors. To fix this, restart the DNS Client on your computer with these steps:

• Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run window, type services.msc and press Enter.
• Step 2: You will now see the "Services" window that manages the services on your computer. Scroll down to find DNS Client and right-click it => click "Restart" to restart the service.
• Step 3: The DNS Client service will restart shortly.

Change to Google's DNS address to fix "This site can't be reached"

Changing your DNS is worth trying if you have network problems or are denied access to certain websites.

• Step 1: Right-click the network icon on your desktop => choose Open Network and Internet Settings.

• Step 2: A new window appears. Scroll down and choose Network and Sharing Center as shown below.

• Step 3: When the Network and Sharing Center window appears, click the type of network connection you are using => click Properties in the new window.

• Step 4: You will see the network settings window. Find and click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) => then click Properties as shown below.

• Step 5: In the next window, choose Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the right addresses below. Tick Validate settings upon exit, and finally click OK to finish.

-> Preferred DNS Server: 8.8.8.8

-> Alternate DNS Server: 8.8.4.4

Reset the TCP/IP communication protocol

To fix the "This site can't be reached" error, you also need to look at the TCP/IP protocol. TCP/IP is a very common protocol for establishing connections on the internet today.

To reset this protocol, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Right-click Start at the bottom left of the screen, or press Windows + X, to run Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).

Step 2: In the Windows PowerShell window, type each of the following commands and press Enter after each one.

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

Step 3: Wait for the commands to finish and restart your computer.

Turn off the Experimental QUIC Protocol in Chrome

• Step 1: Paste this address: chrome://flags into the Chrome address bar and press Enter. The Chrome experiments page appears right away. These are experimental features developed by Chrome, and you can disable them if they don't suit you.
• Step 2: Scroll down to find Experimental QUIC Protocol => then choose Disabled instead of Default in the drop-down.
• Step 3: Then click Relaunch to save the change.

Use the network troubleshooter

You can try the Windows Network Troubleshooter to find and fix network problems. Follow these steps:

• Step 1: Right-click the network icon on the taskbar => choose Troubleshoot problems.
• Step 2: The tool detects errors automatically and tells you if there are any problems.
• Step 3: If you get an error message saying "DHCP is not enabled for “Wireless Network Connection" with your connection, click "Next" and then click "Try This Repairs as an Administrator" to continue troubleshooting. In the next window, keep clicking Apply this fix.
• Step 4: Restart your computer and check whether the error is gone.

Turn on Automatically Detect Settings on your computer

Automatically Detect Settings applies when your computer uses a LAN. You should check whether this option is turned on:

• Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run window => type inetcpl.cpl and press Enter.
• Step 2: The Internet Properties window appears. Switch to the "Connect" tab => click "LAN Settings“.
• Step 3: Tick "Automatically Detect Settings” and “and untick "Use a Proxy Server for your LAN“

Clear browsing data and the DNS cache

• Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run window, type cmd and press Enter to open Command Prompt.

• Step 2: In the command window that opens, type this command: ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter

Reset the Chrome browser

Resetting Google Chrome returns the browser to the state it was in when first installed. Note that your settings and temporary data will be deleted if you use this method.

Enter chrome://settings/ in the Google Chrome address bar => press Enter => scroll down and choose Advanced => choose Restore settings to their original defaults. A new window appears => click Reset settings to finish.

Reinstall or update Google Chrome

Access errors can also happen if your Chrome browser hasn't been updated in a long time. In that case, MONA recommends updating to the latest version of Chrome by clicking the blue arrow next to your account avatar.

Check for older versions as follows: choose Settings => Help => About Chrome. Here you can see which Chrome version is installed and update it quickly.

To reinstall Google Chrome, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Press Windows + R => the Run window appears on screen.
• Step 2: Type Control Panel => press Enter => a new window opens. Choose Uninstall a program => select Google Chrome and click Uninstall.
• Step 3: Then go to C: Users %your_name% AppDataLocalGoogle (where %your_name% is your Windows username) and delete the old Chrome data.
• Step 4: Finally, download the latest version of Chrome and reinstall it.

That is how MONA Media shared 10 detailed ways to fix the "This site can't be reached" error. We hope this information helps, and we wish you a quick fix for the error on your computer.

See other access errors:

• Fix: Sorry, you are not allowed to access this page
• What is the 504 Gateway Time-out error? How to fix it
• What is the 503 Service Unavailable error? How to fix it