ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE on Windows 10/11 [SOLVED]

Even though the error err_address_unreachable does not have a particular reason, with a bit of troubleshooting you can easily fix this. Please bear in mind that the issue is not always your computer or browser and sometimes can be a network-wide error. To eliminate this, we will first look into confirming whether the issue is with your computer or the network itself.

Fix Err_address_unreachable Windows 10/11 Error

err_address_unreachable error on Windows 10/11 Google Chrome or any browser can be caused if the DNS server is not responding or is faulty. The router or modem you are connected to might have some WiFi IP configuration issues that might be causing this issue.

As mentioned earlier, before trying to fix something that is not broken, let’s see if the issue is somewhere else.

NOTE: I Assume you have restarted your computer and the router/modem prior to getting into the troubleshooting. A complete shutdown and restart of your equipment can clear out any configuration discrepancies that might be in place.

Go to isitdownrightnow.com and enter the web address you are trying to access and click “Check.

err_address-unreachable-windowslovers-guide

If the website seems to be up but you are facing issues accessing the site, chances are there is an issue with your network.

After that’s out of the way, get a second phone and try to access the website and see if that is accessible from the other device. This can either be your phone or another laptop/computer as long as it is connected to the same network.

If the webpage loads fine on another device, it concludes that the issue is with your computer or the browser you are trying to access.

Use a different web browser

Usually, lots of err_address_unreachable are seen on Google Chrome. This can be because Google chrome sometimes uses its own IPv6 DNS settings and this might be causing DNS resolving issues. As a result, you are not able to access the websites. Some users also see the dns probe finished no internet issue as a result of this.

Try accessing the same page with a different browser like Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge. If the website loads fine on another browser and you are receiving the error only on Google Chrome, you can apply the following fix.

Err_address_unreachable Google Chrome Fix

 I would advise you to carry out this fix in an incognito window as there might be plugins installed on your computer that might be causing WiFi communication problems if you are on WiFi or ethernet.

  • Open Google Chrome and hit the “Windows” + “N” keys on the keyboard together. Alternatively, you can access chrome’s settings from the top right corner and open a new incognito window from there.
    chrome-incognito-mode
  • Once you are in an incognito window, we will use the Google Chrome Flags command to access the internal settings page. Type the following command in the address bar and hit the enter key.
    chrome://net-internals/#dns
  • A new settings page window opens up and you will find a “Clear host cache” button on it.
  • Click on it to clear all the host cache settings that Google Chrome is using and restart your browser.
    chrome-flags-to-solve-server-ip-address-issues

With any luck, the error should now be cleared and you should be able to access the website.

It’s also highly recommended that you clear your Google Chrome cache.

I would also disable all the plugins that are installed on the browser and check if any plugins are interfering with the connection settings.

If there are any “websaftey” or link checker plugins that are meant to protect your browsing sessions, they might be the culprit being your broken internet connection.

No, if the issue is not just on Google Chrome but on all the browsers and only on your system, try the following.

Flushing Winsock and IP Configurations

Your computer follows a set of protocols and settings to connect to outside webpages and applications. Over time these settings become obsolete and cannot be used to load webpages or get access to the content via the internet. 

Windows periodically flushes these out and updates them with the latest configs. If this does not happen for some reason, we can manually flush these settings.

To fix err_address_unreachable error using CMD, do the following:

  • Open CMD as an administrator. It’s very easy to allow programs to run as administrator in windows 10 or 7.
  • Enter the following commands in the same order.
  • netsh winsock reset
    ipconfig /flushdns
    netsh int ip reset C:\resetlog.txt
    ipconfig /release
    ipconfig /renew

    releasing-ip-address-from-cmd-windwos-10
  • Restart your computer and check if you are able to access the website after the restart is complete.

Using Free Google DNS

As mentioned earlier, Google chrome in some cases uses Google’s DNS if the settings on your computer are not valid for some reason.

Alternatively, you can apply the same DNS settings directly to your network adapter which makes sure that you are directly asking google to do the DNS resolution.

Most of the users see great success by using this trick to solve the err_address_unreachable error.

  • Open control panel. You can either search for “Control Panel” on the bottom search bar or fire up run, type “control” and hit enter.
  • Find and open the “Network and Sharing Center”.
    network-and-sharing-centre-control-panel
  • On the left-hand side of the new window, click on “Change adapter settings”
  • You need to make sure you know how your computer is connected to the internet. Is it via Wi-Fi or the Ethernet cable(LAN).
  • Depending on that, find the right network adapter > Right-click > Properties.
  • Select “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and click on “Properties” on the bottom right of the small window.
    opening-ipv4-properties
  • Make sure the “Obtain an IP address automatically” unless you know what you are doing and have to set a static IP address for your windows PC.
  • Click on the check box for “Use the following DNS server addresses” and enter the following DNS records as they appear in the boxes.
    Preferred DNS server:  8.8.8.8
    Alternate DNS server:  8.8.4.4

    altering-DNS-solve-server-ip-address-could-not-be-found
  • Go back to the network adapter page and disable the network adapter and reenable it.
  • This sort of restarts the network adapter since there is no other way to manually restart just the adapter. If it’s possible I would suggest you restart the computer.
  • Once restarted, check if the issue has been resolved.

Reset The Network Settings on Windows 10

Windows 10 has a special function that allows you to reset just the network settings. If you are familiar with iOS devices, it resets just network settings on your laptop network devices.

  • Go to start and open settings.
    opening-settings-on-windows-10
  • Click on “Network & Internet”.
    opening-network-and-sharing-centre
  • Now if you scroll towards the bottom, you will see a “Network reset” option, click on it.
  • Finally, click on the “Reset now” button on the next page and click “Yes” to confirm.
    resetting-network-windows-10
  • Give it some time and it will reset all the network settings on your computer and also restart the computer.

Once the process is completed, try accessing the webpage and see if you still see the issue.

Other Tips For ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE Issues

If none of these tips helped, you need to make sure that you have checked all the hardware that you are using to connect to the internet.

Using a Docking Station or an Adapter?

Are you using a docking station to connect accessories and the internet to the laptop? If so, try resetting the docking station firmware or just resetting the dock and see if that solves the issues.

Usually, docking stations have their own mac address and own configurations set on them. Clearing them out can solve the err_address_unreachable errors.

Windows Updates and Upgrades

If you are still using windows 7, it’s about time you upgrade from windows 7 to windows 10. It’s free as long as your current installation of Windows 7 is genuine.

Doing this will reset your computer and install all the patches and updates that your computer might be missing. Microsoft releases so many updates for its computers periodically and its almost impossible to catch up to but sometimes your computer not having a certain patch or update can cause so many issues.

Summing Up,

There are lots more troubleshooting procedures out there that you can try. Regardless, these are some of the most trusted and working for a majority of users as per the forums. Flushing the DNS and Winsock usually does the trick for me, but you can look into other ways to solve IP address not responding issues on your computer or browser.

Please leave any feedback and queries in the comments section down below.

Prajwal is a senior editor @Windowslovers. A Tech enthusiast who loves to read and write articles that aid users in getting the most out of their gadgets and tech it easy.

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