How To Fix ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED In Google Chrome

Imagine you’re browsing the web, and you suddenly see a message in Google Chrome saying ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED. This error can be annoying and disrupt your browsing experience, preventing you from accessing websites. But don’t worry; it’s a common issue that can easily be fixed.

The ERR NETWORK CHANGED error usually pops up when your browser detects a change in your network connection. This can occur for various reasons, such as changes in your IP address, network configuration adjustments, or issues with your DNS settings. Fixing this error is crucial to ensure smooth and uninterrupted browsing.

In this guide, we’ll take you through the steps to resolve the ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED error. We’ll cover everything from restarting your router to resetting your network settings. By the end, you’ll know how to tackle this issue and get back to browsing without any hassles.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. The ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED error in Google Chrome usually results from changes in your network settings or IP address.
2. To fix this error, you can start by restarting your router to refresh the connection.
3. You can also resolve the issue by resetting your network configuration, including the IP address and DNS cache.
4. Checking and disabling proxy settings may help if they are causing the problem.
5. Verifying and switching to a reliable public DNS can improve connection stability.

What Does ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED Mean?

The ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED error in Google Chrome occurs when the browser detects a disruption in your network connection. This error typically comes with a message like “Your connection was interrupted” or “A network change was detected”. It means that while you still have an internet connection, something has changed, causing a temporary disconnect. Here’s how it appears on Google Chrome:

Common causes of this error include changes to your IP address, which can happen if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns a new one or if you switch between different Wi-Fi networks. Other factors like changes in network configuration, issues with DNS settings, or even using a VPN or proxy can trigger this error.

While the error can be annoying, it’s usually fixable. It’s important to address it promptly to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted browsing experience for accessing your favorite websites, whether these are WordPress websites, an online store, or any other. With these upcoming troubleshooting methods, you will be able to resolve the problem and get back online quickly.

Common Causes Of ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED Error

The ERR NETWORK CHANGED error in Google Chrome usually arises from issues in your network setup. Here are some common causes:

Network Configuration Changes: These can occur when you switch networks or if your router settings are altered; this will disrupt the connection.

IP Address Conflicts: If multiple devices on a network have the same IP address, it can lead to conflicts, resulting in this error.

DNS Issues: Issues with your Domain Name System (DNS) settings can prevent Chrome from connecting to the internet, triggering the error. This may happen if the DNS servers you use are down or misconfigured.

Addressing these issues typically involves checking your network settings, ensuring unique IP addresses for each device, and verifying that your DNS settings are correct.

How To Fix ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED

There are many ways to resolve the ERR NETWORK CHANGED error; however, we’ll start with the simplest and move on to more complex methods.

Restart Your Router & Computer

By restarting your router and computer, you can fix common connectivity issues. If you’re also having connectivity or residential network problems, restarting your router can help you resolve them. This process can help clear any temporary glitches in your network connection.

To do this, look for the power off button on your router and press it to turn it off. If there’s no power button, unplug it from the power source. Give it about 30 seconds, then plug it back in. It can take 1-2 minutes to boot up and for the router to work. This often resolves the error.

After the router restarts, check if your internet connection is working. Open your browser and see if the error is resolved. If the problem persists, you may need to restart your computer. Why?

Because when you restart your router, you clear its memory and let it re-establish a clean connection to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). However, rebooting your computer or PC flushes temporary configurations and forces your network adapter to reconnect under fresh parameters.

After doing this, check if you can access your website. If not, move to the next solution below.

Reset Your Network Configuration

If restarting your router and computer doesn’t work, you may have issues with your network configurations. This happens when your system’s IP address or DNS settings are outdated or misconfigured; this leads to a disruption in the internet connection.

Resetting the whole network configuration is easy; you can do this from your computer. This process involves renewing your computer’s IP address and removing its local DNS cache. You might already know what browser caching is and how to clear browser cache and Google Chrome’s cache.

Luckily, the local DNS cache works in much the same way. A local DNS cache is a temporary storage location on a device (such as a computer, smartphone, or router) that holds recently resolved domain name system (DNS) queries. When you access a website, your device will resolve the domain name (e.g. yourfirstwebsite.com) into an IP address. This is the address used to locate the server hosting the website.

Now, you may wonder why it’s necessary to flush the local DNS cache and reset your network settings. For an answer to this question, let’s give an example:

Think of a local DNS cache as a small notebook your computer keeps to remember the addresses of websites you’ve recently visited. Here’s how it works:

Every website has a domain name (like example.com) and a numerical address called an IP address (like 192.168.1.1). The DNS (Domain Name System) translates the website’s domain name into its IP address, much like a phone book matches a person’s name with their phone number.

To make things faster, your computer saves these translations in its local DNS cache. So, the next time you visit the same site, your computer doesn’t have to look up the IP address again—it just checks its notebook.

This caching makes browsing faster because your computer doesn’t have to ask the DNS server for the IP address every time you visit a website.

The entries in the DNS cache are temporary. They stay in the cache for a while (determined by a time-to-live or TTL setting) and then get erased. So, if a website changes its address, the computer can find the latest.

However, sometimes, the information in the cache can become outdated or incorrect. If you can’t reach a working website, try to clear or flush the DNS cache to remove dated information. This is the reason we sometimes need to flush the DNS cache.

To do this, press Windows + R to launch the Run dialog box. Type cmd and click OK.

This will open a Command Prompt for you. Type the following commands, one at a time, and hit Enter after writing each line.

ipconfig /flushdns

This command clears the local DNS cache on your computer. Running the above command clears these entries, forcing the computer to fetch updated IP addresses from DNS servers.

nbtstat -R

The nbtstat -R command reloads the NetBIOS name cache and re-registers all NetBIOS names with the local system. NetBIOS is a networking protocol that helps devices on a local network communicate. This command helps troubleshoot network issues, especially when dealing with file sharing or network browsing problems.

netsh int ip reset

This command resets the TCP/IP stack, the core set of protocols for Internet communication. Running netsh int ip reset rewrites two registry keys used by the TCP/IP stack, effectively resetting it to its default state.

netsh winsock reset

This command resets the Windows Sockets (Winsock) API, which defines how Windows network software accesses network services. Winsock can become corrupted, causing network connectivity issues. Running ‘netsh winsock reset’ resets the Winsock catalog.

Once you execute all commands as per instructions, open Chrome browser and try to access your website to see if the issue persists.

Check Your Proxy Settings

Proxies are intermediaries between your PC/computer and the internet, often used for privacy, security, or accessing content restricted to certain locations. Unlike Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which encrypt and route all your internet traffic, a proxy server only directs traffic from specific applications or services.

Typically, proxies come in two main types: SOCKS5 and HTTP. SOCKS5 proxies offer better privacy but may be slower, while HTTP proxies are useful for accessing websites that might be restricted due to geographic or other limitations.

Although proxies are useful in some situations, the incorrect proxy settings can mess with your internet connection, leading to the network change detected error. This happens when the proxy server fails to connect properly or if the settings are outdated.

You can disable proxy settings to fix the issue. Here’s how:

1. Navigate to Control Panel → Network and Internet → Internet Options.
2. This opens the Internet Properties window. Click on Connections tab, then on LAN Settings button.
3. Disable the option that says Use a proxy server for your LAN (These settings will not apply to dial-up or VPN connections).
4. Also, tick the Automatically detect settings checkbox.
5. Click OK to close Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window.
6. Click OK to close Internet Properties window.

After making these changes, open Chrome and visit any web page to check if the error is resolved.

Check Your DNS Settings

If disabling proxy, restarting your router, and resetting network settings didn’t work, you could have issues with your DNS (Domain Name System) settings that translate domain names into IP addresses, helping your browser connect to websites. Incorrect DNS settings can cause the ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED error by preventing these translations.

To ensure your DNS settings are correct, check them in your network configuration. Look for any errors or outdated entries that could be causing issues. If problems persist, consider switching to a public DNS like Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1).

Let’s see how to change it. For this tutorial, we’ll be using Google’s Public DNS. You can use Cloudflare DNS if you wish. The steps are the same except for the last one, where you should use the Cloudflare DNS addresses (we’ll mention it when you get to that step).

On Windows, go to Control Panel. Then, click Network and Internet → Network and Sharing Center → Change adapter settings.

Choose an internet connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For instance:

• For Ethernet Connection: Right-click the Ethernet interface and choose Properties.
• For Wireless Connection: Right-click the Wi-Fi interface and select Properties.

We’re continuing with the wireless option.

Choose the Networking tab. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or under This connection uses the following items label, then click the Properties button.

Select the General tab, choose Use the following DNS server addresses, enter the addresses as follows, and click OK:

• Preferred DNS server = 8.8.8.8 
• Alternate DNS server = 8.8.4.4

If any IP addresses are already recorded in the Preferred DNS server or Alternate DNS server, note them down for future reference (if required). Replace those IP addresses with the IP addresses of the Google DNS servers or the Cloudflare DNS server if you choose that one.

Now, try visiting your site. You should be able to access it.

Important: If you’re already using a custom DNS server, we recommend you revert to default settings because in some instances, switching back to default resolves the error.

FAQs

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