Did you just encounter the error “Server IP Address Could Not Be Found” when accessing a WordPress site or any other website in your browser? Well, worry no more because this is a popular browser error that most people receive when trying to access websites on their browsers. The good part is that the server error can be removed easily by applying simple troubleshoots.

Some think internet connectivity problems only cause the error. It can, however, show up for various reasons, which we will talk about in a moment.

In most cases, the error message displayed in your browser is ‘Server IP Address Could Not Be Found’, but in other cases, the error can present itself as “Server DNS address could not be found”, the error is also similar to “404 server not found”.

They’re not exactly the same though, but these three errors are similar and the troubleshooting is the same with some few steps that need to be taken in the latter. In this post, we’ll discuss this server error and also share all the effective methods that will help you fix the problem fast.

What Is Server IP Address Could Not Be Found?

This error is related to DNS and it often shows up when the domain name address isn’t found by your browser.

What happens is that when you type a domain name in your browser address, the DNS servers will now match the domain to its associated IP address. As you may already know, each domain name has an IP address. Still, because domain names are easier to remember, that’s why we use domain names to access websites rather than using IP addresses that are in numbers that are hard to remember.

So when the IP address of the domain name you’re trying to access isn’t found, or the path is not found, you end up with an error message.

With a strong internet connection, your browser can complete the process within a few seconds. When the website you’re trying to access is not displayed and instead shows the error message, there is something wrong either from the server where the website is hosted or a setting in your browser that’s interfering with sending the request.

Let’s now take a look at the common causes of ‘Server IP Address Could Not Be Found’.

Common Causes Of Server IP Address Could Not Be Found

Internet Connection Problem

When you try to access a website, and the network is interrupted, you might end up with the ‘Server Ip address could not be found’ OR ‘Server DNS address could not be found.’

The request to access the website has been sent but couldn’t complete, and that’s why you’re unable to display the website and end up with an error message. Checking your internet connection is one of the first steps you need to take to fix this problem.

To check whether it’s an internet connection problem or not, you should try accessing other websites. If they’re displayed on your browser, it means the site showing the error message is the one with the problem.

This means the problem has to do with the server you’re trying to access, or it’s just a temporary from the hosting provider, and has to wait for some minutes or hours before they fix the problem on their part.

Incorrect Network Configuration

Your internet connection might be good, but due to misconfiguration in your PC or browser network settings, you can receive the error ‘Server Ip Address Could Not Be Found.’

If you have recently made some changes to your network settings both on your computer or browser, you should revert those changes, or preferably you should change the settings to default to see if you can get rid of the problem.

IP Address Changed At Server Level

As mentioned earlier, every domain name registered is assigned an IP address. Some servers can change this address, though it occasionally happens if the IP address changes. The error message will be shown to the visitors, and the new IP address for the site has to be matched with the domain name again before visitors can access the site properly.

This is also a server problem; you might need to contact your hosting provider to fix it.

Problem With Network Adapter Driver

When the network adapter driver on your PC has problems, it will interfere with your internet connection and hence prevent you from accessing websites. Not updating your network driver can also result in network problems, so it’s advised to check and install updates if available.

Wrong Proxy Settings

If you’re using proxies to connect online, it’s probably the reason why you’re getting this error. Using a proxy most of the time requires changing your network settings. If you’ve done so recently or are using an app that uses a proxy, chances are the program changed your network settings and though not allowing you to access websites.

You should disable using proxy temporarily to see if the problem can be solved, and if solved, you need to use the right settings the next time you’re using proxies to surf the web.

DNS Cache

The cache can cause problems, and as you already know, these are files stored on your computer or browser that lead to the malfunctioning of different programs.

Each program on your PC stores cache in a different folder, and for the problem of ‘Server IP Address Could Not Be Found,’ you need to clear the DNS Cache to solve the problem caused by the DNS Cache.

You can delete all the Cache on your PC using third-party applications such as CCleaner. You can use any PC cleaner you have, though.

Browser Settings Changed

When browser settings are changed, corrupted, or outdated, the error ‘Server IP Address Could Not Be Found’ can appear. Some users don’t mind using old browsers, but the thing is that most servers can now detect old browsers and don’t give them access to website requests.

Usually, these servers will show a message that you’re using an outdated browser and need to update before accessing the site. While others will show an error message like the ‘IP address could not be found.’

DNS Settings Have Changed

DNS configuration has to be set correctly before you can display any website. Once these settings are altered, you’ll have various internet connection problems. Even if you haven’t changed your DNS settings, there are programs that can temper these settings. Virus and Malware files can also change your DNS settings.

These are so far the common causes of the error ‘Server Ip Address Could Not Be Found’. Let’s talk about how anyone can deal with the problem quickly.

How To Fix Server IP Address Could Not Be Found

Check And Fix Internet Connection

This is the first thing to fix when encountering the error ‘Server IP Address Could Not Be Found. You should check to see if you can access other websites or not. If you can’t access all websites from your device, it means there is something wrong with your internet connection.

You can also try to use another browser to see if you can load websites successfully. If you can do so, it means your previous browser has the problem, and if not, you need to troubleshoot your internet connection.

Since your browser isn’t displaying websites, the best way to test your internet connection is to use the Ping command in the command prompt. This will test your internet connectivity. Here is how to do that;

• Open the command prompt on your PC, search for ‘cmd’ in Windows search, and it will show up.
• Right-click ‘cmd’ and run as administrator.
• When the command prompt opens, you should type ping google.com and note the results.
• If your connection is ok, some statistics will be shown, and if there is a problem, an error message will be displayed, and you need to proceed with the following troubleshooting.

Fix Network Problem

Once you figure out there is a network problem, you need to fix it before moving to other troubleshoots.

Incorrect network configurations and network driver problems, as mentioned, can cause the error ‘Server IP Address Could Not Be Found,’ and the best way to fix this is by running Windows Network Troubleshooter.

It comes in both Windows 8 and 10. The best way to access the tool is by right-clicking on your network, that’s either Wifi or Ethernet. You should see the option ‘Troubleshoot problems.’

The troubleshooter will take some time to scan and find problems. If network problems are found, the troubleshooter will fix them automatically without any further steps from your side, or you’ll be instructed on what to do next. If there are problems with the driver, it will be mentioned, and you need to fix it. We’ll mention how to fix the network driver in the coming fixes.

Clear Cookies and cache In Your Browser

Clearing cookies and cache in your browser can help you solve the problem. Some users reported solving the problem by clearing cookies and cache, and you need to do that as well.

Clearing cookies and the cache are pretty simple in all browsers. Go to settings, and you’ll see the option to clear browsing data. But for Chrome, here is how to do it;

• Hold Ctrl-Shift-Del or type this address in chrome ‘chrome://settings/clearBrowserData’.
• A window will open that gives you the option to clear browsing data.
• Select to clear cookies and cache by checking the boxes. You should select the option ‘from the beginning of time’.
• Click on the clear data button.
• Close your browser and launch it again.

Check And Fix Proxy Settings

Since proxy settings can lead to this error we’re talking about; we need to check and see if they’re configured correctly. If not, we need to change them with the appropriate settings. Here is how to check the settings on Chrome browser;

• Click on the three vertical dots on your Chrome browser; sometimes, it’s a downward arrow.
• You’ll see ‘Settings’ from the dropdown menu; click on that.
• Scroll down the options, and you’ll see ‘Advanced,’ click on that also.
• You then locate the option ‘Open your computer’s proxy settings’ and click on it.
• In the proxy settings, you’ll notice the option that says ‘Automatically detect settings’; you should select that.
• The action will configure the best proxy settings to ensure that you’re able to connect online without any problems.
• Check to see if the problem is resolved.

Also check How To Fix Your Connection Is Not Private Error In Chrome

Reset Google Chrome

It might be possible that Chrome settings have been changed so that it can’t load websites, not only Chrome. Whichever browser you’re using, you should reset the settings back to default.

For Google Chrome, you need to type ‘chrome://flags/’ in the address bar and then select the option ‘Reset Settings’.

Reinstall your browser

If the problem is still not removed, you should uninstall your browser and then install it again.

By adding a new installation, you’ve cleared all the wrong settings in your browser. Even though resetting your browser should bring back all settings to default, you should still consider installing your browser again for a better chance of removing the problem.

Update Network Drivers

If network drivers aren’t supporting network hardware on your Pc, you’ll be having network connection problems. One of the leading causes of this problem is having an outdated driver on your PC.

If this is the case that’s showing the ‘Server IP Address Could Not Be Found’ error, updating network drivers will fix the problem for you. Here is how to update your network driver;

• Open the run dialogue box and type ‘devmgmt.msc’ in the box.
• Click Ok or press Enter on your keyboard.
• The device manager will open, and you need to locate the network adapter you’re using.
• Right-click on the network adapter you’re using, and you’ll see the option ‘Update Driver.’
• Windows will search for updates if available and will install them.
• Another way to install the updates is by visiting the manufacturer’s website and downloading the latest driver available on your Pc. You then delete the old driver currently installed and then install the newly-downloaded file on your PC. Sometimes you might end up having problems updating the driver automatically, and hence you need to follow this method.
• Once you update the network adapter, you should check the website to see if you can access it without the error message displayed.

Restart DNS Client Service

• Open the Run dialogue and type ‘Services.msc’.
• Click Ok or hit enter to run the command above.
• A Window will open with a list of Windows services; you should locate the ‘DNS client’
• Right-click on it and choose the option ‘Restart.’
• You should as well set the ‘Startup type’ to ‘Automatic’.

Change IP and DNS Settings

IP and DNS play a big role when it comes to connecting online, and they must be configured correctly before you can connect your device online without receiving any error.

The best configuration should be to set obtaining IP Automatically. By default, the settings should be this way, but Antivirus software or other programs are known to alter this setting, and you need to fix it.

Here is how to do that;

• Click on the network icon that’s on your taskbar, or you can as well search for ‘Network and Internet Settings’ in Windows search.
• From the top left, you’ll notice the option ‘Change adapter settings’; click on that to open a new window.
• Right-click on the internet adapter you’re using to connect online.
• Click on properties from the options menu.
• Then you click on ‘Internet Protocol version 4 [TCP/IPv4] and select the ‘Properties’ tab.
• In this tab, you’ll see the option ‘Obtain an IP automatically’ and also ‘Obtain DNS server address automatically’ select these two options and click OK to save the changes.
• Now you should check to see if you’ve removed the problem.
• You should restart your PC after making these changes.
• You should note that if your PC is using a private DNS service or you’re using proxy-based connections, you need to contact the network administrator to fix the settings.

Resetting IPv4 Settings And Clearing DNS Cache

This is also an effective way to fix the ‘Server Ip Address Could Not Be Found’ on your browser and has worked for many people. This fix involves resetting IPv4 and flushing DNS Cache. Here is how to execute the steps;

Resetting IPv4 Settings

• Open the command prompt, you can do that by opening the Run dialogue and then typing ‘cmd’ in the box, or you can search for ‘command prompt’ or ‘cmd’ in Windows search.
• Right-click on the command prompt option and select ‘Run as administrator’ from the menu.
• You now type ‘netsh Winsock reset’ in the command prompt and press Enter.
• When finished, you should close the command prompt window and restart your PC.
• You should open the command prompt again and run this command ‘ipv4 reset reset.log’, hit enter to run the command.
• The two commands you’ve run will reset all IP configuration settings and will clear any changes that are causing errors on your PC
• You now restart your Pc again, launch your browser and check if the error ‘Server Ip Address Could Not Be Found’ is gone or not.

Flushing the DNS Cache

This step involves deleting DNS info that’s cached on your system. This will also help eliminate errors showing up when trying to access a website. Here is how to execute with the command prompt;

• Run the command prompt as the administrator just like you did in the previous troubleshooting.
• Type ‘ipconfig/flushdns’ in the command prompt and hit enter to run the command.
• If everything is ok, a message will be displayed as ‘Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache’.
• You can now check to see if the problem is gone, and chances are the problem is now taken care of.

Delete Chrome Host Cache

If after flushing DNS Cache, the problem isn’t gone, you now clear the host cache in chrome. Chrome’s cache can be corrupted or can be full sometimes which will cause problems. Here is how to execute the step;

• Open your chrome browser.
• Type ‘chrome://net-internals/

  dns’ in the address bar.

• In the display options, you’ll notice the option ‘Clear Host Cache’ which is next to ‘Host Resolver Cache’. Once you click that, host cache will be cleared.
• You can now check and see if the problem is removed.

Switch to Google DNS

If you’re still getting the error ‘Server Ip Address Could Not Be Found’ even after resetting DNS, you should now change the DNS address; this will definitely help. Here is how to do that;

• Open the Run dialogue by holding Windows + R keys.
• Type ncpa.cpl in the box and click or press enter.
• The network connections window will open, locate your active network connection and, right-click on it, and select the ‘Properties’ tab.
• You then choose the option ‘Internet Protocol version 4 [TCP/IP] and select ‘Properties.’
• Choose the radio option that says, ‘Use the following DNS server addresses and type these addresses in the fields. For ‘preferred DNS server,’ you should type 8.8.8.8, and for ‘Alternate DNS server,’ you should type 8.8.4.4,
• Check the option ‘validate settings upon exit’.
• Click Ok and Close the Window, and also Restart your PC.
• Check for the problem to see if it’s eliminated.

Clear the files in Etc. folder

This simple fix can as well help you get rid of the error ‘Server IP Address Could Not Be Found’. You just need to find the Etc. The folder is located in your drivers, and delete all the files.

Navigate to this path on your PC; C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. Note that you’re not deleting the Folder ‘Etc.’, you’re deleting all the files while leaving the folder empty. Restart chrome and check to see if you’ve removed the error.

That’s it for this post on how to fix the Server IP Address that Could Not Be Found. We hope you find these solutions helpful, and don’t forget to share in the comments how things have worked for you.