Flush DNS Cache — The #1 Fix

Windows stores DNS lookups in a cache to speed up browsing. When that cache gets corrupted, it can cause the “DNS Server Not Responding” error. Flushing the cache forces Windows to request fresh DNS information .

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator:

# Step 1: Flush DNS cache
ipconfig /flushdns

# Step 2: Register DNS records again
ipconfig /registerdns

# Step 3: Test DNS resolution
nslookup google.com

Citation: Microsoft Q&A confirms flushing DNS cache resolves DNS Client Event 1014 issues in most cases .

Reset Winsock and TCP/IP Stack

Corrupted network components can block DNS traffic. Resetting Winsock and the TCP/IP stack rebuilds these components to their default state .

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator:

# Reset Winsock catalog
netsh winsock reset

# Reset TCP/IP stack
netsh int ip reset

# Restart your PC after running these commands

Citation: According to Microsoft Community support, these commands resolve network connectivity issues after the 24H2 update, including DNS Client service problems .

Change DNS Server to Google or Cloudflare

Your ISP’s DNS servers may be slow, unreliable, or blocked. Switching to a public DNS provider often resolves the issue immediately .

Step A: Press Win + I → Network & internet → Wi-Fi or Ethernet
Step B: Click "Hardware properties" or your connected network name
Step C: Next to "DNS server assignment," click "Edit"
Step D: Change from "Automatic" to "Manual"
Step E: Turn IPv4 ON and enter:

     Preferred DNS: 8.8.8.8 (Google)
     Alternate DNS: 8.8.4.4 (Google)

     OR using Cloudflare:
     Preferred DNS: 1.1.1.1
     Alternate DNS: 1.0.0.1

Step F: Click Save → Restart your PC

Citation: LG Electronics confirms that Windows 11 24H2 has DNS communication issues with some routers, and changing DNS server manually resolves the problem . Microsoft Q&A also identifies ISP DNS servers as a common cause of Event ID 1014 .

Disable IPv6 (Temporary 24H2 Fix)

Windows 11 24H2 has a known IPv6 conflict with many routers that causes DNS failures .

Step A: Press Win + R → type "ncpa.cpl" → Enter
Step B: Right-click your active network adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) → Properties
Step C: Scroll to "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)"
Step D: UNCHECK the box → Click OK
Step E: Restart your PC

✅ If this fixes the problem, keep IPv6 disabled until Microsoft releases a patch.
⚠️ Re-enable it after future Windows updates to check if the bug is resolved.

Release and Renew IP Address

A stale or incorrect IP lease can also cause DNS resolution failures. Renewing the IP forces your computer to request a fresh configuration .

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator:

# Release current IP address
ipconfig /release

# Renew IP address
ipconfig /renew

# Flush DNS again (to be safe)
ipconfig /flushdns

Disable Fast Startup

Fast Startup saves system state (including broken DNS configurations) between shutdowns. Disabling it forces a clean start every time .

Step A: Control Panel → Power Options
Step B: Click "Choose what the power buttons do" (left sidebar)
Step C: Click "Change settings that are currently unavailable"
Step D: UNCHECK "Turn on fast startup (recommended)"
Step E: Click "Save changes" → Shutdown → Restart

Disable VPN or Proxy Temporarily

VPNs and proxies can intercept and block DNS traffic. Disabling them helps determine if they’re the cause .

Step A: Close your VPN application completely (not just disconnect)
Step B: Press Win + I → Network & internet → Proxy
Step C: Turn OFF "Use a proxy server" if enabled
Step D: Test your internet connection
→ If DNS works with VPN off, your VPN IP was likely blocked or causing conflicts

Update Network Adapter Driver

Corrupted or outdated network drivers can interfere with DNS resolution. A clean driver update removes all traces of the old driver .

Step A: Press Win + X → Device Manager
Step B: Expand "Network adapters"
Step C: Right-click your Wi-Fi/Ethernet adapter → Uninstall device
Step D: ✅ CHECK "Delete the driver software for this device"
Step E: Click Uninstall → Restart your PC
Step F: Windows will automatically reinstall the driver

Restart DNS Client Service

In some 24H2 installations, the DNS Client service gets disabled or stuck. Restarting it can restore functionality .

Step A: Press Win + R → type "services.msc" → Enter
Step B: Scroll to "DNS Client"
Step C: Right-click → Properties
Step D: Set Startup type to "Automatic" if disabled
Step E: Click "Start" if the service is stopped
Step F: Click Apply → OK

Also check these related services (Error 1068 can affect DNS):
- IP Helper
- WinHTTP Web Proxy AutoDiscovery
- WLAN AutoConfig

Network Reset (Last Resort)

This removes and reinstalls all network adapters and resets all networking components to their original settings .

Step A: Press Win + I → Network & internet
Step B: Click "Advanced network settings"
Step C: Click "Network reset"
Step D: Click "Reset now" → Yes
Step E: Your PC will restart in 5 minutes

Flush DNS Cache — The #1 Fix

Windows stores DNS lookups in a cache to speed up browsing. When that cache gets corrupted, it can cause the “DNS Server Not Responding” error. Flushing the cache forces Windows to request fresh DNS information [citation:1][citation:3][citation:5].

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator:

# Step 1: Flush DNS cache
ipconfig /flushdns

# Step 2: Register DNS records again
ipconfig /registerdns

# Step 3: Test DNS resolution
nslookup google.com

Citation: Microsoft Q&A confirms flushing DNS cache resolves DNS Client Event 1014 issues in most cases [citation:1].

Reset Winsock and TCP/IP Stack

Corrupted network components can block DNS traffic. Resetting Winsock and the TCP/IP stack rebuilds these components to their default state [citation:5][citation:7].

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator:

# Reset Winsock catalog
netsh winsock reset

# Reset TCP/IP stack
netsh int ip reset

# Restart your PC after running these commands

Citation: According to Microsoft Community support, these commands resolve network connectivity issues after the 24H2 update, including DNS Client service problems [citation:4][citation:7].

Change DNS Server to Google or Cloudflare

Your ISP’s DNS servers may be slow, unreliable, or blocked. Switching to a public DNS provider often resolves the issue immediately [citation:1][citation:3][citation:5].

Step A: Press Win + I → Network & internet → Wi-Fi or Ethernet
Step B: Click "Hardware properties" or your connected network name
Step C: Next to "DNS server assignment," click "Edit"
Step D: Change from "Automatic" to "Manual"
Step E: Turn IPv4 ON and enter:

     Preferred DNS: 8.8.8.8 (Google)
     Alternate DNS: 8.8.4.4 (Google)

     OR using Cloudflare:
     Preferred DNS: 1.1.1.1
     Alternate DNS: 1.0.0.1

Step F: Click Save → Restart your PC

Citation: LG Electronics confirms that Windows 11 24H2 has DNS communication issues with some routers, and changing DNS server manually resolves the problem [citation:8]. Microsoft Q&A also identifies ISP DNS servers as a common cause of Event ID 1014 [citation:1].

Disable IPv6 (Temporary 24H2 Fix)

Windows 11 24H2 has a known IPv6 conflict with many routers that causes DNS failures [citation:5].

Step A: Press Win + R → type "ncpa.cpl" → Enter
Step B: Right-click your active network adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) → Properties
Step C: Scroll to "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)"
Step D: UNCHECK the box → Click OK
Step E: Restart your PC

✅ If this fixes the problem, keep IPv6 disabled until Microsoft releases a patch.
⚠️ Re-enable it after future Windows updates to check if the bug is resolved.

Release and Renew IP Address

A stale or incorrect IP lease can also cause DNS resolution failures. Renewing the IP forces your computer to request a fresh configuration [citation:6][citation:7].

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator:

# Release current IP address
ipconfig /release

# Renew IP address
ipconfig /renew

# Flush DNS again (to be safe)
ipconfig /flushdns

Citation: Microsoft Q&A experts recommend this sequence for resolving DNS-related issues after Windows updates, including the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error [citation:6].

Disable Fast Startup

Fast Startup saves system state (including broken DNS configurations) between shutdowns. Disabling it forces a clean start every time [citation:5].

Step A: Control Panel → Power Options
Step B: Click "Choose what the power buttons do" (left sidebar)
Step C: Click "Change settings that are currently unavailable"
Step D: UNCHECK "Turn on fast startup (recommended)"
Step E: Click "Save changes" → Shutdown → Restart

Disable VPN or Proxy Temporarily

VPNs and proxies can intercept and block DNS traffic. Disabling them helps determine if they’re the cause [citation:1][citation:3][citation:5].

Step A: Close your VPN application completely (not just disconnect)
Step B: Press Win + I → Network & internet → Proxy
Step C: Turn OFF "Use a proxy server" if enabled
Step D: Test your internet connection
→ If DNS works with VPN off, your VPN IP was likely blocked or causing conflicts

Update Network Adapter Driver

Corrupted or outdated network drivers can interfere with DNS resolution. A clean driver update removes all traces of the old driver [citation:1][citation:3][citation:5].

Step A: Press Win + X → Device Manager
Step B: Expand "Network adapters"
Step C: Right-click your Wi-Fi/Ethernet adapter → Uninstall device
Step D: ✅ CHECK "Delete the driver software for this device"
Step E: Click Uninstall → Restart your PC
Step F: Windows will automatically reinstall the driver

Restart DNS Client Service

In some 24H2 installations, the DNS Client service gets disabled or stuck. Restarting it can restore functionality [citation:4].

Step A: Press Win + R → type "services.msc" → Enter
Step B: Scroll to "DNS Client"
Step C: Right-click → Properties
Step D: Set Startup type to "Automatic" if disabled
Step E: Click "Start" if the service is stopped
Step F: Click Apply → OK

Also check these related services (Error 1068 can affect DNS):
- IP Helper
- WinHTTP Web Proxy AutoDiscovery
- WLAN AutoConfig

Citation: Microsoft Community support identifies that the 24H2 update can disable the DNS Client service, preventing DNS resolution entirely. Setting it to Automatic and starting it resolves the issue [citation:4].

Network Reset (Last Resort)

This removes and reinstalls all network adapters and resets all networking components to their original settings [citation:5][citation:7].

Step A: Press Win + I → Network & internet
Step B: Click "Advanced network settings"
Step C: Click "Network reset"
Step D: Click "Reset now" → Yes
Step E: Your PC will restart in 5 minutes