How to Fix If You Can't Access a Particular Website

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Quick and easy fixes to access pages that aren't loading
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This wikiHow teaches you what to do when you can't access a particular website. If you can load the website on other computers, phones, tablets, or networks, there could be an issue with your device, web browser, or Wi-Fi —especially with errors like "This site can't be reached." We'll help you troubleshoot why certain websites aren't loading, provide quick fixes to most browsing problems, and get you connected back to your favorite website in no time.

Accessing a Website That Won't Load

If you can't load one website but others work fine, use a site like Down Detector to see if it's down. Try loading the website on a different device or network to rule out browser and connection problems. The website may also be blocked by your network, firewall, or antivirus software.

Section 1 of 3:

Troubleshooting

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  1. If it's just one website you can't access, there's probably nothing wrong with your computer, phone, or tablet. To check, head over to https://downforeveryoneorjustme.com or https://downdetector.com , enter the domain name (for example, wikiHow.com), and click the blue button. If the site is up and running, you'll see "It's just you." If there's something wrong with the site, you'll see confirmation that it is down.
    • If the website is down, there's not much you can do until it comes back up. Check back after a while to see if anything changes. If you know the site is back up but you still can't access it, clear your browser cache and then try again.
    • Sometimes, the site may be up and running, but a network issue may prevent your computer from connecting to and loading the page. If the site isn't down, read on to keep troubleshooting.
  2. For example, if you can't load the website on your phone, see if you can load it on your computer. If the website loads on the other device, the problem is probably related to your device or web browser. If the website doesn't load elsewhere, the website or its network is likely having trouble handling connections.
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  3. If the site opens fine on another device, there's a chance one of your web browser plugins or extensions is preventing the site from loading. If the website loads in your browser's private browsing mode , you can usually solve the problem by disabling browser extensions , clearing your cookies , or resetting your browser to its original settings. Here's how to open private, incognito, or secret mode on different browsers:
    • Computer:
      • Chrome, Edge, and Safari: Press Command + Shift + N (Mac) or Control + Shift + N (PC). [1]
      • Firefox: Press Command + Shift + P (Mac) or Control + Shift + P (PC). [2]
    • Mobile:
      • Chrome: Tap the three dots next to the address bar and select New Incognito tab .
      • Safari: Tap the two overlapping squares, tap Private at the bottom-left, then tap + to open a new tab.
      • Samsung Internet: Tap the two overlapping squares, and then tap Turn on Secret mode . [3]
  4. Often, a simple reboot will fix the problem you're having. After rebooting , visit the site again.
  5. Sometimes a website won't load because it's blocked on your network. It's also possible the website itself (or its web hosting provider) is blocking traffic from your ISP. The only way to rule this out is to try connecting to a different network (such as public Wi-Fi), or using a VPN. If the website loads on a different network, contact your network administrator.
  6. If your computer is set to connect to the internet through a proxy server or VPN, the website may be blocking that service's IP address, preventing the website from loading. You may be able to access the website by bypassing the proxy server or temporarily turning off your VPN.
    • Disable a proxy server on Windows: Click the Windows Start menu, select Settings , and go to Network & Internet > Proxy . Turn off "Use a proxy server" at the bottom.
    • Mac: Click the Apple menu and go to System Settings > Network . Select your connection and click Details . Click Proxies and uncheck any of the proxies you don't want to use. [4]
  7. Your antivirus software may be interfering with your ability to load certain websites. Try disabling the software and then load the site again.
    • If the site loads when your antivirus software is disabled, there's likely a firewall rule or some other setting in that software blocking the website. Keep in mind that this could be because the site is problematic! If you're sure the site is fine, open your antivirus program, locate the section where you can allow or block websites and apps, and make any necessary adjustments.
    • Make sure to re-enable the antivirus after you're done testing.
  8. If you see an error about security or a certificate when trying to load the website, the date and time on your computer, phone, or tablet may be inaccurate. [5] Check your computer or mobile device's clock to make sure that it is set to the correct time and date.
    • If the time or date is incorrect on Windows, open your Settings, select Time & language , click Date & time , and toggle "Set time automatically" to On. [6]
    • If the time or date is wrong on a Mac, open the Apple menu, select System Settings , click General , and select Date & Time . [7] Check the box next to "Set date and time automatically."
  9. If you have parental control software, it may be blocking access to certain websites. If you can access it, disable the parental control software and try visiting the website again.
  10. If your computer is infected with a virus or other malware, you may have trouble accessing websites. When this happens, certain sites may not load, or you may be redirected to a completely different website! When you run an antivirus or antimalware scan , your security software will walk you through the process of securing your computer and (hopefully) restoring your website access.
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Section 2 of 3:

Fixing Web Browser Problems

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  1. If the site is loading fine on other devices but not working in your web browser (even in private or secret mode), try another browser. If you only have one browser installed, you can quickly download and install another free browser like Firefox , Chrome , or Opera and try loading the website there.
    • If the site loads in another browser, try disabling your ad blocker in your regular browser, as well as clearing your cookies. Sometimes ad blockers and outdated cookies can prevent websites from loading properly.
  2. If the website still won't open, deleting the cache and cookies will often clear up the issue. The steps are a little different in each web browser and device, so check out our comprehensive guide to clearing cache and cookies on all browsers.
  3. JavaScript is enabled by default on web browsers. If JavaScript has been disabled, you'll encounter difficulties loading a lot of popular sites. Check your browser settings to ensure that it is enabled:
    • Computer:
      • Chrome: Click the three-dot menu, select Settings > Privacy and Security > Site settings > JavaScript . If JavaScript is disabled, select Sites can use JavaScript . [8]
      • Edge: Click the three-dot menu and go to Settings > Cookies and site permissions > JavaScript . If it says "Allowed," you're good. If not, click it and toggle the switch to On. [9]
      • Firefox : Enter about:config into the address bar and confirm that you want to proceed. Type "javascript.enabled" into the search field and make sure the value is set to "True." If it isn't, double-click the word false to make it so.
      • Safari: Click the Safari menu and go to Settings > Security . If "Enable JavaScript" is not checked, check the box now.
    • Mobile:
      • Chrome for Android: If you're using Chrome on iPhone/iPad, JavaScript is on and there's no way to turn it off. [10] On Android, tap the three dots next to the address bar and go to Settings > Site settings > JavaScript . If it's off, turn it on now.
      • Safari: Open your iPhone or iPad Settings and select Apps > Safari . Scroll down and tap Advanced , and toggle on "JavaScript" if it's turned off.
    • Samsung Internet: Tap the three-line menu, select Settings , choose Advanced , and then turn on JavaScript if it's disabled.
  4. If you still can't connect, Chrome and Firefox have built-in options for restoring your browser to its original factory settings. This can clear up problems with these two browsers that other options did not. This will reset all your settings and shortcuts, disable extensions and add-ons, and delete temporary site data. [11]
    • Chrome: Click the three-dot menu and go to Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults > Reset settings . [12]
    • Firefox: In Firefox, click the menu and go to Help > More Troubleshooting Information . Click Refresh Firefox and follow the on-screen instructions. [13]
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Section 3 of 3:

Fixing Network Issues

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  1. If you can get to the website on your phone or tablet's mobile data network but not your home network, try restarting your wireless router and/or modem. Traffic to or from a certain website may be getting tripped up by your modem or router.
    • Unplug the power cables for the modem and the router (if you have a separate one), and wait about a minute. Modems and routers can look all different ways, but generally have one or more blinking lights. The modem will usually be connected to a coaxial jack or phone jack in the wall.
    • Plug your modem back in and wait for it to completely light up.
    • Plug your router back in and wait for it to completely light up.
    • Try visiting the website again.
  2. Flush your DNS cache . The DNS (Domain Name System) is the service that translates web domain names into IP addresses so that you can connect to websites. Your computer has a DNS cache that could become outdated or corrupted, which would make it so you can't access certain websites. Flushing your DNS cache could help you regain access to your favorite sites. [14]
    • Windows: Press Windows key + R , type cmd , and then press Enter . At the prompt, ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter .
    • Mac: Open the Terminal from the Utilities folder, type sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder and press Return . You'll be prompted for your admin password.
  3. The DNS servers your device is set to use may be blocking the site you're trying to visit. This is common when using DNS service providers that use security blacklists to block known rogue sites. [15] Usually your computer will be set to obtain DNS server info automatically, but you can specify servers if you wish.
    • Find a reliable public/free DNS server, such as the ones available from Google, Cloudflare, and OpenDNS. You'll want to write down the IP addresses for both the primary and secondary DNS servers.
      • Google: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
      • Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
      • OpenDNS: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220
      • Verisign: 64.6.64.6 and 64.6.65.6 .
    • Change the DNS servers on Windows: Press Windows key + R and type ncpa.cpl to open Network Connections. Right-click your network adapter, select Properties , highlight "Internet Protocol Version 4" in the list, and click the Properties button. To specify servers, select Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the addresses of the ones you want to use. If addresses are already specified, you can replace them or try obtaining them automatically to see if that helps.
    • Change the DNS servers on Mac: Open the Apple menu and go to System Settings > Network . Select your network service and go to Details > DNS . Enter the DNS server addresses. If addresses are already specified, you can move the new ones to the top of the list or remove the old ones. [16]
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    What does it mean when I get the error message "The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading. The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be verified."?
    Community Answer
    Whether it took too much time for the browser to get a response from the website you wished to access. Or, that said website you wished to access was detected by your firewall as not safe and could harm your computer.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    What if a particular page won't open?
    Community Answer
    Assuming you just need to read the page and not interact with it (logging in, uploading things, etc.), you could try wayback.archive.org. Just enter the page's URL to see whether they have any archived versions of it. If they do, you'll get a calendar with links. If you do need to interact, check if the problem is on your end by testing the page on a different computer or network. If it still won't load, then the issue is on their end and there's nothing you can do.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    If I can't connect to a certain website no matter what device I use, does that mean the site is blocked or down?
    Community Answer
    Go to iidrn.com. They can check if the website itself is down, or if it's something with your connection. Just type in the website in the white bar and click enter. It will tell you automatically! If the website is up and running correctly, then the problem might be with your internet.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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      • If you can't connect to any websites at all, there could be a problem with your internet connection. Contact your internet provider's technical support or your local administrator to help you get back online.
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      • If a website is blocked by your antivirus software, DNS service, or proxy server, it's probably for a good reason. That site could infect computers with malware or be otherwise malicious.
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      • Although rare, larger backbone networks sometimes experience problems that affect many websites simultaneously.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/157179?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
      2. ↑ https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/private-browsing-use-firefox-without-history
      3. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/levant/support/apps-services/use-samsung-internet-in-a-strong-private-and-secure-environment/
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-ph/guide/mac-help/mchlp25912/15.0/mac/15.0
      5. ↑ https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-time-errors-secure-websites
      6. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/how-to-set-your-time-and-time-zone-dfaa7122-479f-5b98-2a7b-fa0b6e01b261
      7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203413
      8. ↑ https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/12654?hl=en
      9. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/enable-javascript-7bb9ee74-6a9e-4dd1-babf-b0a1bb136361
      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/7675428?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&oco=0
      2. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3296214?hl=en
      3. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3296214?hl=en
      4. ↑ https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/refresh-firefox-reset-add-ons-and-settings
      5. ↑ https://support.ucsd.edu/services?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0033298
      6. ↑ https://support.opendns.com/hc/en-us/articles/227988027-How-to-prevent-users-from-circumventing-OpenDNS-using-firewall-rules
      7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-dns-settings-on-mac-mh14127/mac

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Try a different browser.
      2. Disable ad-blockers.
      3. Temporarily disable anti-virus apps.
      4. Make sure JavaScript is enabled in your browser.
      5. Disable browser extensions.
      6. Verify your proxy server settings.
      7. Scan for malware.
      8. Reset your DNS settings.

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