Is Google DNS down today?

Sites won''t load after switching to 8.8.8.8

After changing DNS to 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4, some sites stop opening entirely. Usually the culprit is a cached bad response. Flush your local DNS cache: on Windows run ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt, on macOS use sudo dscacheutil -flushcache && sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Then restart the browser. If the issue stays, check that both primary (8.8.8.8) and secondary (8.8.4.4) addresses are entered correctly in your network adapter settings.

Online banking login fails or times out

Some banks use geo-based access controls that interact badly with public resolvers. If your bank''s login page throws a timeout or an authentication error, the DNS response might be returning a CDN node that''s geographically mismatched. Try clearing browser cookies and cache alongside the DNS flush. If that doesn''t help, temporarily switch back to your ISP''s DNS to confirm the resolver is the cause.

High latency when resolving domain names

Google Public DNS is anycast-based, so your queries should route to the nearest node automatically. If you''re seeing consistently high resolution times (above 80–100 ms), your router might be ignoring the configured DNS and still forwarding queries through the ISP. Log into your router admin panel and verify the WAN or LAN DNS fields actually show 8.8.8.8, not your ISP''s addresses.

NXDOMAIN errors for valid domains

- Double-check the domain spelling — NXDOMAIN means the resolver got a definitive "doesn''t exist" answer

- Run nslookup example.com 8.8.8.8 in terminal to test resolution directly

- If nslookup resolves fine but the browser doesn''t, your OS cache is serving stale data — flush it

- Check your hosts file (​C:\​Windows\​System32\​drivers\​etc\​hosts on Windows) for conflicting entries

Streaming video buffering or not loading

Video platforms like YouTube rely on DNS to route you to the closest content server. If buffering gets worse after switching resolvers, your configured DNS might not be propagating correctly through your router to all devices. Set the DNS directly on the device rather than only on the router, and retest. Also confirm your device isn''t using a hardcoded alternate DNS from a previous configuration.