DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET, what it means and how to fix it

When a page fails, Chrome runs a quick probe to classify the failure. This result is the probe's verdict: there is no functioning internet connection to probe with. Despite “DNS” in the name, DNS settings are not the issue here; the pipe itself is down, so name lookups are moot. The dinosaur page that accompanies it is Chrome's offline page.

The fix, in order

  1. Establish the scope. Are all devices offline, or just this one? Everything offline means router, modem, or provider. One device means that device's connection.
  2. Power cycle modem then router. Unplug both for 30 seconds; modem first back on, let it sync fully, then the router. This is the highest-yield step for a dead home connection.
  3. Read the modem lights. No sync or a red internet light means the line to the provider is down; note the light state before calling support, they will ask.
  4. Rejoin Wi-Fi cleanly on the affected device. Forget the network and join again, confirm airplane mode is off, and move closer to the router to rule out a marginal signal that associates but cannot pass traffic.
  5. Check the provider for an outage from your phone on mobile data. A neighborhood outage reduces the fix to waiting, and the provider's estimate is the only useful information available.

If it still happens

If the router reports itself connected and devices get addresses, yet the probe still finds no internet, suspect the provider's side past the modem (an authentication or upstream fault) or a router firmware failure; a factory reset of the router is the last local step before the provider's support line.

Common questions

Why does it say DNS when the problem is the connection? Because the message comes from Chrome's DNS probe component, which tests lookups to decide what kind of failure occurred. Its “no internet” verdict means the probe could not reach anything at all; the label records which test reported it, not which component is broken.

What is the difference from DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN? NXDOMAIN means the internet works and DNS answered, but the specific name does not exist. NO_INTERNET means nothing could be reached in the first place. One is a wrong or dead address; the other is a dead connection.

Related errors

ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED · DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG · DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN