Hot to Fix “DNS Address Could not be Found” in Windows 10

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By Victor Ashiedu

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Hot to Fix "DNS Address Could not be Found" in Windows 10

Introduction

If you receive the error message “DNS address could not be found” it may be caused by one of these 3:

  1. Your Windows PC has the incorrect DNS entries
  2. The DNS Server of your ISP may be having problems
  3. Your network card has some problems

No matter what may have caused “DNS address could not be found” error for you this guide will help you fix it.

Options to Fix “DNS Address Could not be Found” Error

Here are the steps to fix “DNS address could not be found” error in Windows 10:

  1. Flush and Re-register DNS then Release and Renew IP Addresses
  2. Point your PC to Google or OpenDNS DNS Servers
  3. Perform Network Reset
  4. Update Network Card Driver

These steps are presented in a simplest-first order. The fixes presented first are easier to apply.

When you perform the steps in a recommended fix check whether the error is fixed. If it is not, try the next fix..

Flush and Re-register DNS then Release and Renew IP Addresses

dns address could not be found

My first recommended fix for “DNS address could not be found” error is to flush and re-register DNS. Then release and renew your IP addresses.

If for any reason your PC has the wrong IP information (including DNS), the steps in this fix could update the entries to the right one and fix the problem.

Here are the detailed steps:

ipconfig /flushdns 
ipconfig /registerdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew 

Here are the commands in Command Prompt…

dns address could not be found

When you finish, try the previous action that threw the error and see whether it is resolved. If you still receive “DNS address could not be found” error try the next fix…

Point your PC to Google or OpenDNS DNS Servers

If the last suggested fix did not resolve “DNS address could not be found” error, it is likely that the DNS servers for your ISP is broken or down.

One way to find out and fix the problem is to point to other reliable public DNS servers. The most popular are Google’s or OpenDNS’s public DNS server.

Here are the steps to try this fix:

  • Type control panel in Windows 10 search bar. Then click it from the search results.
  • When Control Panel opens, click Network and Internet.
dns address could not be found
  • Then click Network and Sharing Centre.
dns address could not be found
  • To open your network adapters, click Change adapter settings.
dns address could not be found
  • Then double-click the adapter that connects your PC to the internet.
You are most likely to have just one adapter.
dns address could not be found
  • When the adapter status page opens, click Properties.
  • Then, at the properties of the adapter, highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
  • Finally, click Use the following DNS server address. Then enter the values shown in the image below. When you finish, click OK.
The DNS addresses shown are for Google. You could also use OpenDNS DNS addresses shown below:

Preferred DNS server : 208.67.222.222
Alternate DNS server : 208.67.220.220

These last steps will likely fix “DNS address could not be found” error. But if in the rare instance that it does not, try the next fix…

Perform Network Reset

Resetting your network card could fix most network related problems and is likely to fix “DNS address could not be found” error.

For the steps to try this fix click this link – Perform Network Card Reset (link opens in a new browser tab).

But if “DNS address could not be found” error is still not resolved, try updating your network card driver…

Update Network Card Driver

Update Network Card Driver

My final recommendation to fix “DNS address could not be found” error is to update the driver for your network card.

Here are the steps:

  • Right-click Windows 10 start menu. Then click Device Manager.
  • When Device Manager opens, scroll down to Network adapters group. Then click the right-pointing arrow to expand it.
  • Finally, to update the driver for the network adapter card, right-click it. Then select Update driver.
  • Finally, select Search automatically for drivers…option and follow the steps to update the driver.

Conclusion

One of the methods discussed in this guide should resolve “DNS address could not be found” error in Windows 10.

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About the Author

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Victor Ashiedu

Victor is the founder of InfoPress Media, publishers of ilifeguides.com and itechguides.com. With 20+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, his expertise spans Windows, Linux, and DevOps. Explore his contributions on Itechguides.com for insightful how-to guides and product reviews.

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