Accessing the internet these days is the easiest it has ever been. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still run into problems when trying to visit your favourite sites. DNS errors on websites to simple routing problems at your end can all cause a number of different problems when trying to connect to the internet.

In this article, we’re taking a look at the “ERR_network_changed” error, its causes and giving you 11 fixes for the problem.

What causes Err_network_change?

As you can probably guess by the name, the error is triggered by a sudden network change. The most likely cause of the issue is you switched WiFi networks or switched from WiFi to ethernet when a webpage was loading. However, there are other reasons that can trigger this error as well including

Incorrect DNS settings.
Outdated drivers
Issues at your ISP’s end

Also read: WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration: 10 Fixes

How to fix this error?

Here are x fixes you can try out.

Restart your router

Power cycling your network equipment is the fix to more issues than you can think. More often than not, connectivity issues can be caused by an underlying bug in your router and can be fixed by rebooting.

Refresh the page

At times you may also see this message because a page wasn’t able to load properly due to the network switching. In such cases, try refreshing the page to see if you can get the page to load.

Disabling any proxies or VPNs that you might be using

Another rather common reason people run into this issue is when they’re trying to connect to a host through a proxy or a VPN connection, and the host keeps on denying the connection request.

Several high-profile sites, especially streaming ones like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, detect and disable proxies or VPNs these days. In such cases, the solution is pretty straightforward. You disable your proxy or VPN client and try connecting to the host again.

Check your Proxy settings

Corrupt proxy settings are one of the main causes of the problem. Try disabling your proxy to see if you can access the internet.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R to open the Run prompt. Type in inetcpl.cpl and press enter.

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Step 2: Head over to the Connections tab and click on LAN Settings.

Step 3: Make sure that the Use a proxy server for your LAN option is unchecked and that the Automatically detect settings option is enabled.

Restart your PC and try again. Alternatively, you can also leave the Automatically detect settings option unchecked if the above configuration doesn’t work for you.

Use command prompt to flush DNS

You can flush your existing outdated DNS using the command prompt.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R and type in cmd, and hit enter.

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Step 2: Type in ipconfig /flushdns to reset DNS settings to default.

Now restart the browser and try again.

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Reset network settings

Resetting your PC’s network and/or DNS settings can also clear up quite a few such errors.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R and type in cmd and hit enter.

Step 2: Type in ipconfig /flushdns to reset DNS settings to default.

If the above command doesn’t help, try entering these commands in the Command Prompt one at a time.

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

If you suspect an issue with your router’s DHCP assignment, use these commands to release your old IP and request a new one.

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

If this doesn’t work either, use the following commands to reset your network stack.

ipconfig/flushdns
nbtstat -R
nbtstat -RR
netsh int ip reset C:\resetlog.txt
netsh winsock reset

Try another DNS

There are multiple free DNS providers using whom you can fix this issue. In this example, we’re going to use Google’s DNS.

Step 1: Press Windows key + I to open the Windows settings and click on Network & Internet.

Step 2: Click on Change adaptor options.

Step 3: Right-click on your active network (WiFi or LAN) and click Properties.

Step 4: Find Internet Protocol Version 4 in the list, click on it and then click Properties.

Step 5: Check the Use the following DNS server addresses radio button and type in 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in the preferred and alternative DNS addresses, respectively.

This should resolve any errors you’re facing.

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Check for updates

If the issue is in Chrome itself, chances are developers might release an update to fix the problem. Regardless, you should always make sure you’ve got the latest version of the browser installed to avoid running into problems that could otherwise be avoided.

Head over to chrome://settings/help and make sure you’re on the latest update. If you’re not, update immediately and try again. The *Aw snap* error in Chrome should be fixed.

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Clear your browser’s data

Corrupt files in your cache or otherwise can cause this error as well. Clear them out to see if you can get Chrome to work.

Step 1: Type in chrome://settings/clearBrowserData in your browser’s address bar and hit Enter.

Step 2: Select the cache and cookies options and ensure the Time range is set to All time. Click on the Clear now button to clear out all the data.

Now restart the browser and try again.

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Reset your browser

Resetting Chrome can fix all sorts of random bugs and glitches with the browser.

Step 1: Head over to chrome://settings/reset. Click on Restore settings to their original defaults.

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Step 2: Chrome will show you a warning prompt. Click on Reset Settings, and your browser will reset to default settings.

Check your drivers

Your network adaptor’s drivers could be causing connectivity issues. Try connecting to the internet using either an ethernet connection or any other alternatives and follow these steps to get your drivers in place.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R, type in devmgmt.msc and hit enter.

Step 2: Double click Network adaptors to expand it and right-click your Wi-Fi card or ethernet adaptor, depending upon what you need to fix. Click on Update driver.

Step 3: Select Search automatically for drivers, and Windows will find and install any available updates.

Now restart your PC and try again.

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How to fix ‘Err_network_changed’?