Browser Will Not Open Any Website but the Internet Works: How to Fix It

1Isolate the problem with two quick tests

This is the step that saves the most time in the whole process, because it separates two families of cause that never mix. If any app still connects to the internet, your network is working and the problem is local. If a second browser opens sites normally, the failing browser is at fault, and you can ignore everything to do with the network and the system.

1. Open an app that uses the internet and is not a browser, such as a messenger or an email client. If it connects, your internet is fine.
2. Open another browser already installed on the computer and try the same site.
3. If the second browser opens it normally, go to Solutions 4, 6 and 9, which deal with the failing browser.
4. If both browsers fail and the app works, the problem is system-wide: move on to Solutions 2, 3, 5 and 7.
5. If even the app cannot connect, stop here: the problem is the connection itself, not the browser.

2Flush the DNS cache and change the DNS server

DNS is the service that translates a site's name into the server's numeric address. When that cache goes bad or the provider's server fails, the browser hangs trying to resolve the name and shows a server-not-found error, while apps that already hold fixed addresses keep working normally. It is the most common cause of the symptom described in this guide.

1. On Windows, open Command Prompt as Administrator and run the commands below, one at a time.
2. On a Mac, open Terminal and use the matching command to flush the DNS cache, entering the administrator password when asked.
3. Restart the computer and test before moving on.
4. If that does not fix it, change the DNS server in the network connection properties: choose manual configuration and enter 1.1.1.1 as preferred and 8.8.8.8 as alternate.
5. On a Mac, the same setting sits in the network settings, in the DNS tab of the connection you use.

Windows:
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

macOS:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

3Turn off the proxy that was left on

A proxy is a middleman every bit of browser traffic passes through. VPN apps, optimiser programs and even some threats switch a proxy on in the system settings and, when they are uninstalled or stop working, they leave that setting active pointing at an address that no longer exists. The result is exactly this: no site opens in the browser, but apps that ignore the proxy keep connecting.

1. On Windows, open Settings, go to Network and Internet and open Proxy.
2. Turn off automatically detect settings and switch off any manual proxy that is active. On a home network, everything off is normal.
3. On a Mac, open System Settings, go to Network, select your connection, open the details and go to the proxies section. Untick every protocol box that is ticked.
4. Close the browser completely and open it again. Proxy settings only take effect in a new session.
5. If the setting comes back on its own after a restart, a program is re-enabling the proxy: review recently installed apps and run a full antivirus scan.

4Test in a private window and disable the extensions

A private window opens the browser without extensions and without your normal session's cookies. That makes the test nearly perfect: if sites open there, an extension or your profile data is to blame, and you have just eliminated every other theory. Ad blockers, VPN extensions and security extensions are the ones that most often jam things up after an update.

1. Open a private or incognito window from the browser menu, usually the three dots or three lines in the top right corner.
2. Try opening two or three different sites in that window.
3. If it works, go back to the normal window, open the extensions page from the same menu and disable them all at once.
4. Test again. If sites open, re-enable the extensions one by one, testing after each, until you find the culprit.
5. Remove the offending extension rather than just disabling it, and be suspicious of any extension you do not remember installing.

5Fix the computer's date, time and time zone

Almost every site uses a security certificate valid only between set dates. If the computer's clock is off by days, months or years, the browser concludes that every certificate has expired and refuses the connection, showing not-private warnings on absolutely every address. It is a cause that goes unnoticed because nobody links the clock to browsing, and it happens often after a weak motherboard battery or a time zone change.

1. Look at the system clock, next to the taskbar or at the top of the screen. Check the year too, not just the time.
2. On Windows, open Settings, go to Time and Language and turn on automatic date, time and time zone. Use the sync now button.
3. On a Mac, open System Settings, go to General and then date and time, and turn on setting it automatically.
4. Restart the browser and test.
5. If the clock falls behind every time the computer is unplugged, the motherboard battery is dying and needs replacing.

6Clear the browser's cache and cookies

Corrupted temporary files make the browser load forever or show blank pages. Clearing the cache is safe and deletes no bookmarks or saved passwords. Clearing cookies signs you out of the sites you were logged into, so have your passwords ready before ticking that box.

1. Open the browser menu, at the three dots or three lines in the top right corner, and find the clear browsing data area, inside settings or history.
2. Choose the all-time range.
3. Tick cached images and files. Tick cookies too if the problem persists after the first clean.
4. Do not tick saved passwords or autofill data, unless you are certain you know every password.
5. Close the browser completely, open it again and test.

7Suspend the antivirus and firewall web filter

Many antivirus products include a module that inspects website traffic, and that module sometimes jams after an update, blocking everything instead of only what is dangerous. The typical symptom is the browser loading forever or refusing secure connections, while apps that bypass the filter keep working. Run this test for a few minutes only and turn everything back on afterwards, because the computer is unprotected in the meantime.

1. Open the antivirus dashboard and find the web protection module, browsing shield, site scanning or content filter.
2. Turn off that module only, for a short period, and test the browser immediately.
3. If sites open, that is the culprit: turn the module back on and look in its settings for the option to reinstall or renew the traffic inspection certificate, or reinstall the antivirus.
4. If it does not help, turn the module back on before continuing and test the firewall too, checking that the browser is on the list of allowed programs.
5. Never leave the protection off after the test, even if the problem seems to have gone.

8Check the hosts file

The hosts file is an old system list that redirects site names to fixed addresses, and it takes priority over DNS. Blocking programs, irregular activation tools and some threats write lines into that file pointing sites at addresses that never answer. That explains the case where only some sites, or only antivirus and update sites, stop opening.

1. Open a plain text editor as Administrator. On Windows, find Notepad in the Start menu, right-click it and choose run as administrator.
2. Use the open file option and paste the path matching your system, shown below.
3. Read through the lines. Lines starting with a hash symbol are comments and can stay. Lines pointing known sites at 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0 are blocks.
4. Before changing anything, copy the whole file's contents into another document so you can undo it.
5. Delete the improper blocking lines, save and restart the browser. If you cannot save, the editor is not running as administrator.

Windows:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

macOS:
/etc/hosts

9Create a new profile or reset the browser

If the private window works but the normal one still fails, even with no extensions and a clean cache, the browser profile is corrupted. A new profile is the fastest and least destructive way to confirm it, because the old profile stays where it is. A reset goes one step further and returns every setting to default, keeping bookmarks and passwords but disabling extensions and clearing temporary data.

1. First, sign in to the browser's sync account, if you use one, to make sure bookmarks and passwords are saved off the computer.
2. Create a new profile from the profile icon, usually in the top right corner, choosing the option to add a person or add a profile.
3. Test browsing in the new profile. If it works, move your bookmarks over and start using that profile.
4. If you would rather stick with the old profile, find the section in settings for restoring settings to their original defaults and confirm.
5. Only after all that is it worth uninstalling and reinstalling the browser, downloading the installer only from the browser's own official site.