The DNS or Domain Name Server maintains the directory of the domain names. It translates the domain names to Internet Protocol (IP) address so that people can see them on their devices. And at the time of translating the IP address, if the device fails to do so, this Dns_Probe_Finished_Bad_Config error appears.
When you will get this error, you will get a “This Webpage is not available” message on the Mac screen. If you are getting this error, this indicates that the Mac device is unable to connect to the website that you are trying to access.
This error is not website specific, but it is a network-related error. So, if you are getting this error, we would suggest you fix it at the earliest to continue browsing. Follow the next section for the fixes to get rid of this error.
Methods to Fix the “Dns_Probe_Finished_Bad_Config” Error on Mac
In this section, we will discuss some of the possible means to solve the error. Go through them one by one and implement them as instructed to fix this error quickly and completely.
Method 1: Renew IP Address
Renewing the IP address will help you fix any kind of IP address related conflicts. So if you are facing this error, we would recommend you to renew the IP address in Mac devices.
To renew the IP address in Mac you need to do the following steps:
- Click on the “Apple” button and then tap on the “System preferences.
- Now, open the “Network” section ” option. Choose the name of the “Network” that you want to connect to.
- Then tap on the ‘Advanced” button. From there choose the “TCP/IP”
- Lastly, tap on the “Renew DHCP Lease” option.
Following the above steps will help you renew the IP address in Mac. Now, try to open any webpage in Google Chrome and check if you are getting the error message.
If the error is still there, follow the next fix.
Method 2: Clear the DNS Cache
The DNS cache is the database that keeps a record of all the recently visited websites. So clearing the caches will help you to fix the error. Because if any kind of changes happens in the DNS Server, the system will search for its local cache to navigate the user to a website.
And the local caches will be incorrect due to the change. So, setting back the DNS Cache to its original form will help you fix the problem.
If you are a Mac user you need to type a code at the time of clearing the caches. To clear the DNS caches, do as follows:
- Open the Mac Device and then tap on the “Finder” button.
- From there, go to the “Applications” section. Then tap on the “Utilities” button.
- Now, go to the “Terminal” section.
Once you have entered the “Terminal” section, you need to provide the specific code to completely clear the cache.
Note: the Code varies from one OS version to the other.
Method 3: Change the DNS Address
The prime reason for this error is the outdated or DNS settings. In that case, you need to update the DNS server. The Primary server needs to be 8.8.8.8 and secondary DNS Address should be 8.8.4.4. Here is how you can change the DNS address in Mac.
- Click on the “Apple” icon first. Now, from there go to the ‘System Preferences” section.
- Next, tap on “Network” and then choose the Network name that you want to connect to.
- Now, choose the “Advanced” option. Now a window will appear with several tabs
- Choose the “DNS” Tab. Now tap on the “+” button to replace or add the DNS addresses 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4.
- Tap on the “Apply” button next. Then click on “OK”
If you have done the above steps accordingly, then you have successfully changed the DNS Settings. In most of the cases, the numbers of the DNS address are already set in Mac devices. If you see those DNS addresses with the above-mentioned numbers in it, you don’t need to change anything.
Method 4: Delete the Temporary Files
The Browser store the temporary files on the device so that it can easily access them to improve the browsing experience. And most of the time, these temporary files can be corrupted or damaged which results in DNS error.
So, you need to delete the temporary files to get rid of this error. If you are a Mac user, you need to do as follows to delete the temporary files from the device.
- Hold the Shift, CMD and G key together first. This will open a dialog box.
- In the Dialog box write “~/Library/Caches”. Hit the “Enter” button next.
- Now, a window will appear where you will find all the temporary files that are stored on your Mac.
- Select all the temporary files and tap on the “Delete” button next from the drop-down menu.
You have now successfully deleted all the temporary files. Now, open any website and check if you have solved the error Dns_probe_finished_bad_config.
These were the effective methods to deal with the DNS Server error. If you are still facing any issue, we would suggest you to power cycle the router. Turn off the router and then unplug it. Now turn on it and plug it back in. Network issues can easily be fixed just by resetting the router.