When you type a website address into Google Chrome, the browser uses a Domain Name System (DNS) to translate that human-readable name into a machine-readable IP address. To speed up your browsing experience, Chrome temporarily saves these IP addresses in a hidden internal database known as the DNS cache.
Most of the time, this system works flawlessly. However, if a website recently migrated to a new server or changed its hosting provider, Chrome might stubbornly try to load the old, cached IP address. This results in frustrating “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN” or “ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED” errors, even if the website is working perfectly fine on your phone.
While most troubleshooting guides tell you to flush your Windows or Mac system DNS, they completely ignore the fact that Google Chrome maintains its own independent DNS layer. If you do not clear Chrome’s internal cache as well, the connection errors will persist.
In this guide, we will show you exactly how to access Chrome’s hidden networking panel and flush the internal DNS cache.
How to Clear Chrome’s Internal DNS Cache
Because this is a low-level networking tool, it is not accessible from the standard Chrome Settings menu. You must access it via a hidden internal URL.
- Open the Google Chrome browser on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.
- Click on the main address bar at the top of the window.
- Type the following command exactly as it appears (or copy and paste it), and press Enter:
chrome://net-internals/#dns - You will be taken to a plain, text-heavy screen titled “Net Internals”. Ensure that the DNS tab is selected on the left-hand sidebar.
- On the right side of the screen, locate the button labelled Clear host cache.
- Click the Clear host cache button once.
Note: Google Chrome will not display a confirmation pop-up or a loading bar when you click this button. The action happens instantly in the background. It is perfectly normal to see no visual feedback.
Step 2: Clear Chrome’s Socket Pools
While flushing the DNS cache usually solves the problem, it is highly recommended to also flush the browser’s “socket pools.” This severs any active, hanging connections to the problematic website, forcing Chrome to establish a brand-new connection from scratch.
- While still on the Net Internals page, look at the left-hand sidebar again.
- Click on the Sockets tab (located directly below the DNS tab).
- On the right side of the screen, click the button labelled Flush socket pools.
- Again, there will be no visual confirmation. The sockets are cleared instantly.
Step 3: Restart Google Chrome
To ensure your changes take effect, you must completely restart the browser. Do not just click the red “X” to close the window, as Chrome often continues running background processes.
Instead, type chrome://restart into the address bar and hit Enter. Chrome will shut down entirely and automatically reopen with your newly cleared networking cache. Try loading the problematic website again; the DNS errors should now be completely resolved.
