7 Ways to Fix the ‘This Site Can’t Be Reached’ Error and Get Back Online

Opening a browser usually feels routine – you type a link or click a bookmark, expecting the page to appear right away. Everything seems familiar and predictable, until suddenly the screen shows “This site can't be reached” error.

The moment the message appears, many questions follow. Is something wrong with your laptop? Is the internet down? Did the site disappear? Let’s take it slowly and find out what exactly stands between you and the page you want to open.

In this guide, we will walk you through seven practical steps to help you understand the cause of the “This site can't be reached” error and bring the page back. Each step is easy to follow and does not require a technical background.

Why “This Site Can't Be Reached” Error Appears and What It Actually Means

When your browser shows “this site can't be reached”, it simply means it couldn’t connect to the website. Something interrupted the process, so from your side, it appears that the site isn’t loading, even if it still works for others.

Sometimes you may see extra text next to it, for example, “this site can't be reached – the connection was reset”. Or the page may say that the website does not open because the server took too long to respond. All these messages describe the same type of situation: your device sends a request, but it never reaches the site or never gets a useful answer.

So the browser is not always saying that the site is broken forever. It is only saying that, right now, the page cannot be loaded, and the site is not available for you.

How to Understand Whether the Issue Is on Your Side or the Website’s Side

A very common question is “Why am I not able to access a website that worked yesterday?” Sometimes, the problem lies with your device or network. Sometimes the site itself is down.

Here is a simple way to guess where the problem is:

You can also test a few things:

• Open three or four different sites.
• Try the same page from another browser.
• Try the same page from another device or from mobile internet.

In the rest of the article, we will look at how to fix “this site can't be reached” in the most common situations and understand why certain sites won't load while others work.

Way 1 – Check Whether Your Internet Connection Is Working

Before you touch any settings, make sure that the internet connection is really working. Many times, “this site can't be reached” appears simply because the device is offline. A basic check, yes, but it saves a lot of time before moving on to more complicated fixes.

Go through this quick checklist:

• Look at the Wi-Fi or network icon on your computer.
• Check if you are connected to the correct Wi-Fi network.
• If you use a cable, make sure it is plugged in firmly on both sides.
• Try to open a very popular site, such as a search engine or a big news site.
  
  

If every site says the site is not available, the problem is almost certainly with your internet connection or provider. If only one or two sites fail, while others open quickly, the connection exists but has some limits.

You can also try these steps:

• Use another device on the same network.
• If that device also sees “this site can't be reached”, the problem is shared.
• If the other device works fine, the issue is local to your first device.

If your mobile phone can open the site on mobile data, but your home computer says the site is not available, the issue is probably in your router or home network, not on the wider internet.

Way 2 – Restart the Router and Your Device

If the connection should work, but “this site can't be reached” still appears, the next easy step is a restart. Routers, modems, and computers run for days and weeks without a break. They can collect small errors over time. The result is that some websites will not load for no clear reason.

Try this:

1. Turn off your router or modem with the power button.
2. Wait fifteen to twenty seconds.
3. Turn it back on and wait until the lights look normal again.
4. Restart your computer, laptop, or phone.

After everything starts again, try to open the problem page once more.

Many people notice that Chrome stopped loading pages correctly after the computer had been running for a long time. A fresh start clears temporary data and network glitches. In many cases, this alone makes the error go away, and the “site is not available” screen disappears.

Way 3 – Refresh the Browser Environment

If the restart did not help and one specific site is not available only on one device, your browser may be the main cause. Over time, your browser collects cached files, cookies, and data from extensions. If some of that data is damaged or outdated, some websites will not load correctly, and you may see “this site can't be reached” even when your internet connection is stable.

You can refresh the browser in a few simple steps:

1. Open the problem page in a private or incognito window.
2. If the page opens there, the problem is related to cache or extensions.
3. Clear cache and cookies in the browser settings.
4. Temporarily turn off extensions that change or block content.

You can also test another browser. For example, if one browser says the site is not available, but another browser opens the page, the root of the problem is the first browser. Resetting its settings or reinstalling it is often enough to fix the issue.

Way 4 – Fix DNS Issues That Break Website Access

DNS is like a phone book for the internet. It turns a website name into a numeric address that computers understand. When DNS does not work correctly, your browser does not know where to go. Instead of a normal page, you see “this site can't be reached”, and it looks as if the site is not available, even though your general internet link is fine.

To fix common DNS problems, you can try to:

• Change your DNS server to a public and reliable option.
• Clear the DNS cache on your device.

You usually find DNS settings in the properties of your network connection. Many people use public services from large companies, because they are often faster and more stable than the default settings.

Clearing the DNS cache forces your computer to forget old answers. This is useful when a site has moved to a new server. Without clearing the cache, your system may still try the old address. The result is that the site is not available for you, while it already works for others.

If DNS was the cause, these steps can remove the old data and allow the page to load again instead of showing “this site can't be reached” over and over.

Way 5 – Check VPN and Proxy Settings

Sometimes the general internet connection is fine, but there is something in the middle that changes how your traffic moves. This is common when you use a VPN or a proxy server. These tools can protect your privacy or help you reach blocked sites, but they can also make a "site not available” message appear when something goes wrong.

How Proxies and VPNs Block or Redirect Traffic

A VPN sends your data through a special server in another city or country. A proxy works in a similar way. Your browser talks to the proxy, and the proxy talks to the website. If this extra server is offline or overloaded, the site cannot respond, and you see that this site can't be reached even though your own line is working.

In offices and schools, proxies are often used to control access. In such networks, some websites will not load at all because they are blocked on purpose. From your point of view, the site is not available, but in reality, it is forbidden by the rules of that network.

Public VPN servers can also be blocked by some sites for security reasons. In this case, the site is not available only when the VPN is turned on. As soon as you turn it off, the page suddenly opens normally.

When an Incorrect Proxy or VPN Configuration Causes the Error

In other situations, the settings themselves are wrong. The address of the proxy server may be outdated, the port may not be correct, or the VPN may have lost its internal connection. Then every new page can show that this site can't be reached, and you may feel that the whole internet is broken, while in fact only this layer is failing.

You may also use several browsers with different settings. One browser might still use an old proxy address and show that the site is not available, while another browser that connects directly works without trouble.

What to Disable or Adjust to Restore Access

To see if a VPN or proxy is the reason, try this:

• Close or pause your VPN application.
• Remove proxy details in your browser (usually an HTTP/HTTPS proxy) and in system network settings.
• Open the site again and check what happens.

If the page suddenly opens, you know that the site is not available only when the VPN or proxy is active. You can then choose a different VPN server, fix the proxy address with the help of your company or provider, or leave these tools off for this particular site.

Way 6 – Review Your Firewall and Antivirus Settings

Firewalls and antivirus programs protect your device from attacks, and it is important to keep them enabled. Sometimes, however, they can be too strict and create another version of the site is not available situation. For example, they may think that a page is unsafe and block it without a clear warning. You only see “this site can't be reached”, so it feels like the site is broken.

You can check your security tools:

• Open your firewall or antivirus panel.
• Look at recent alerts and blocked items.
• See if the problem site is listed there.
• If you trust the site, add it to the allowed or safe list.

For a short test, you can also turn off web filtering for a moment, then try to open the page again. If the page loads only when protection is disabled, then the site is not available because of a rule in these tools. Turn protection back on right after the test and then adjust the settings so that trusted sites stay available.

Way 7 – Try Advanced Network Fixes

If none of the previous steps helped and “this site can't be reached” still appears again and again, there are a few advanced actions you can try. 

You can reset the core network components on your device. On many systems, this is done with special commands that reset the network stack and clear deeper caches. This can solve rare cases where old hidden settings keep telling your browser that the site is not available, even after the main problem is gone.

It is also helpful to test the route to the site with tools such as Ping and Traceroute. If these tools fail only from your network, but a friend in another place can load the page, the site is not available only inside your provider or region. If no one can reach it and every test fails, the site is not available because the server itself is offline.

At this point, the problem is outside your control, and you only need to wait until the site owner fixes it.

Conclusion

The “This site can't be reached” error – it’s a whole group of possible scenarios. That’s why approaching it with a simple, structured method works so well. Each step rules out a layer: the device, the browser, the DNS, the VPN or proxy, the firewall, and finally the network path itself. 

Whether the solution ends up being quick or more technical, following these steps gives you clarity — and in most cases, restores access long before you reach the final stage