ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE: What It Means and How to Fix It

ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE is a Chrome and Edge error meaning your computer has no usable route to the IP address it resolved for the site. The page says "This site can't be reached" and that the address is unreachable. It is a local or network-routing failure reported by the operating system (the equivalent of "Network is unreachable" or "No route to host") rather than anything the web server said. Firefox shows "Unable to connect" or "The connection has timed out," and Safari says it cannot connect to the server.

Two situations dominate: the site published an IPv6 address and your network has no working IPv6, or you are trying to reach a private or VPN-only address from a place that has no route to it.

Work out which address family fails

dig +short example.com A
dig +short example.com AAAA
curl -4 -sS -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" https://example.com/
curl -6 -sS -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" https://example.com/

If curl -4 works and curl -6 fails with "Network is unreachable," your device cannot route IPv6, and the site's AAAA record is making browsers try it first. If both fail, the issue is wider: routing, firewall or a down server. Check the routing table:

ip route         # Linux
route print      # Windows
netstat -rn      # macOS

A missing default route (default via ...) explains the error.

If you are a visitor

1. Check basic connectivity. Other sites should load. If none do, follow DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET.
2. Restart the router and reconnect to Wi-Fi so DHCP and IPv6 router advertisements refresh.
3. Disable IPv6 as a test. On Windows, uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 in the adapter properties. On Linux, sudo sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6=1. If the site now loads, your IPv6 connectivity is broken; ask your ISP, or leave it off.
4. Check the VPN. A VPN that routes only some traffic, or a split tunnel with a stale route, can make addresses unreachable. Disconnect, reconnect or change servers.
5. Check local network ranges. If you are trying to open an internal address (like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x) from outside that network, it will never be reachable without a VPN. Also confirm no other network is using the same range, which can cause routing conflicts.
6. Renew the lease. On Windows, ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew. Then flush DNS with ipconfig /flushdns.
7. Try another network. Mobile data tests whether your home or office routing is at fault.

If you own the site

1. Remove or fix a broken AAAA record

A frequent self-inflicted cause: you added an AAAA (IPv6) record, but the server does not actually listen on that IPv6 address, or a firewall blocks it. Visitors with IPv6 get unreachable or timeouts, while IPv4 users are fine.

Check it:

dig +short AAAA example.com
curl -6 -v https://example.com/ --max-time 10

Fix by either making the server listen on IPv6 (listen [::]:443 ssl; in nginx), opening port 443 for IPv6 in the firewall (ip6tables or security group), or deleting the AAAA record until you are ready. Browsers usually fall back to IPv4 quickly, but not every client or network handles fallback gracefully, and an unreachable-route answer can surface as this error. Verify both families with the DNS Checker and Port Checker.

2. The DNS record points at an unroutable address

If the A record contains a private (RFC 1918) address like 10.0.0.5 or 192.168.1.10, or a reserved address, public visitors cannot reach it. Use your server's public address. Look up what the IP belongs to with the IP Lookup, and compare with the address shown by What Is My IP when run on the server.

3. Cloud and VPS networking mistakes

Check that the public IP is attached to the instance, the route table has an internet gateway, and security groups or network ACLs allow inbound traffic on the port. After a migration, a released elastic IP or a detached floating IP will leave DNS pointing at nothing.

4. Upstream routing problems

If only some networks cannot reach you, a routing problem or provider filtering may exist between them and your host. Use Down From Where for several vantage points and then run traceroute or mtr from an affected network (see the connection errors guide). Contact your hosting provider with the results.

5. Server-side ICMP and firewall behavior

A host or firewall that answers with "ICMP destination unreachable" (rather than silently dropping packets) causes an immediate unreachable error on the client instead of a slow timeout. Review rules that REJECT instead of DROP, and make sure Path MTU discovery messages are not wrongly blocked.

6. Internal-only sites

Staging or admin sites meant for a VPN should resolve only inside the network (split DNS). If public DNS publishes their private IPs, outside users get this error. Keep the records in the internal zone.

Confirm the fix

1. Re-run curl -4 and curl -6; both should return a 2xx or an intended redirect.
2. Use the Port Checker on port 443 and verify the DNS answers with the DNS Checker.
3. Compare regions with Down From Where, then run the Website Health Check.
4. Add an uptime monitor so an unreachable address alerts you.

Next steps

• Learn the difference between refused, timed out and reset in the connection errors guide.
• Read This site can't be reached for the other variants.
• Understand records in the DNS records cheat sheet.
• Check a network change error in ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED.

FAQ

Is ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE the same as a timeout?

No. A timeout means packets vanished without an answer. Unreachable means the system or a router explicitly reported that no route exists, so the error appears quickly.

Should I disable IPv6 on my server?

Not as a first step. Better to make IPv6 work, or remove the AAAA record if you cannot support it right now.

Why do I see it only on a VPN?

The VPN may not route to that address, or it may force DNS answers for internal addresses. Check the VPN's routes and split-tunnel settings.

Does this mean the site is down?

Not necessarily. It indicates a routing or address-family problem between you and the site. Other users may reach it fine.

This page is general information written by our editorial team and updated when documentation changes. Servers and providers differ, so test changes safely first. See our editorial policy and disclaimer.