How to fix ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED (Windows, Mac OS, Android, iOS) (Mac OS)

Correct DNS (Domain Name System) settings are crucial, in order for you to be able to connect to the Internet. They are usually assigned automatically by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), however the option for you to set DNS manually still exists. Maybe your DNS settings stopped working, a program, or an app altered your current DNS settings, or your ISP has technical issues. As a result of these reasons, Google Chrome will show these error messages. In this case, what you need to do is to restore the original (and correct) DNS settings. Using Google's DNS settings is also a way to fix this error. To use them, you will need to enter the numbers below:

Preferred: 8.8.8.8
Alternative: 8.8.4.4

The how to change the DNS settings guide should help you locate the DNS settings and apply the necessary changes, for which you may need to contact your ISP.

The operating system is much more than the icons, and web browser we all see. It's made of multiple tasks and processes working together to provide the best experience possible. There are processes and tasks for the display, so that we can see the content, Internet connection, so that we can browse the Internet, sound, so that we can listen to what we open, and more. It is possible that a system process that stopped working or got stuck, or an unresponsive program/application is the reason why you get the ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED error message in Google Chrome.

In order to fix this error, the first course of action is to restart your device. Turn it off, and turn it back on after a few minutes.

Virtual Private Network software, or VPN is being used a lot nowadays. The way it works is that your device connects to a remote server anywhere in the world, owned and maintained by the VPN service provider. When connected to it, your device assumes a different identity, as its IP address (ID) as well as other settings are changed, ensuring that your online presence cannot be tracked, and your privacy is protected. Even though it's famous for protecting your privacy online, VPN software can sometimes interfere with the web browser and cause this error to appear in Google Chrome. Maybe the VPN server itself may have issues with its IP address or DNS settings, or the VPN app that's usually required to be installed on your device damaged operating system files accidentally.

If you have any VPN software installed in your device, uninstall it from your device, and check if that fixes the problem. If removing the VPN software did fix the problem, you can install it again, and check if the problem reappears.

NVRAM (nonvolitile random-access memory) is a small amount of memory used by Mac to store certain settings, such as display resolution, sound volume, startup-disk selection, time zone, and then be able to access them quickly. If ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED is related to the NVRAM, in any way, you can resolve it simply by resetting the NVRAM.

To reset the NVRAM, follow the steps below:

1. Turn off the Mac.
2. Press and hold the Option, Command, P and R keys for 20 seconds.
3. Release the keys after the second start-up sound.

The task of your modem and router is to ensure that the Internet connection you receive from your ISP is equally distributed to all your devices, throughout your home, while ensuring that unauthorized access is impossible. Like every piece of technology, the modem and the router can stop sharing the Internet connection, and break. Maybe the culprit for this error is not the device itself, but the router (or the modem, if you have one). It may be temporarily frozen (stuck), or completely broken.

To verify if the modem or the router, or both are the culprit, restart them. An effective way to restart them is by unplugging it from the power outlet and plugging it back in after a few minutes. In the meantime, restart, i.e. close and reopen the device's web browser, too.

Note: If you are not sure how to close (quit) an app, feel free to consult the how to close (quit) programs/applications guide.

The DNS settings are among the documents that provide us with a free pass to the Internet world. In case if the DNS settings corrupt, the Internet access will likely to be disrupted. Flushing the DNS is a method where all the corrupt settings are removed, i.e. "flushed" and then replaced with clean settings.

Maybe flushing the DNS is all you need to do, in order to fix the ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED issue. Flush them, and then try to open the website(s) where this error appeared in Google Chrome.

If you haven't flushed the DNS before, the how to flush the DNS guide should be of great help, if you are not sure how to flush it.

As a way to fix this error message, remove your current Wi-Fi network and reconnect to it. This will remove all the instructions that were saved related to that Wi-Fi network, and replaced with new, fresh instructions once you reconnect to the Wi-Fi network.

To remove the Wi-Fi network, follow the steps below:

1. Click on the Wi-Fi icon in the toolbar;
2. Click on Open Network Preferences, located at the bottom of the drop-down menu;
3. Click on Wi-Fi (located on the left side) and click Advanced (located at the bottom right of the pop-up window);
4. Select the Wi-Fi network you want to "forget", click the minus sign and click OK;
5. Reconnect to the Wi-Fi network by entering the username and password.