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macOS Monterey Internet keeps failing (DNS_PROBE_POSSIBLE)

I upgraded to macOS Monterey a few weeks ago and ever since then I've noticed that my M1 Macbook Air will randomly stop being able to connect to the internet.


After some period of time (also apparently random; sometimes it only takes a few hours, and other times a day or two) my browser (Brave, which is similar to Google Chrome) will keep showing a DNS_PROBE_POSSIBLE error out of nowhere. My Mac then fails to access the internet (other browsers like Google Chrome and Safari similarly fail to work) until it has been restarted, which seems to fix these issues but only temporarily.


I wasn't having any of these issues before macOS Monterey so I have no idea what caused this problem. I'm not even sure how to reproduce it; it seems to happen at random. This has been frustrating so I would appreciate any guidance and help that can be given.


Thank you for taking the time to read this.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 12.3

Posted on Apr 4, 2022 12:37 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Apr 5, 2022 7:21 AM

1 - Suggest restarting in Safe Mode. This will perform a Disk Repair, clear cache files and only load Apple Software, extensions and fonts. The boot up will be slow and can take some time - Normal.


2 - Does the issue present in this mode ?


3 - If not - there could be something in the main User Account playing up. To further isolate this - Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac. Then log out of the Main User account and log into the dummy account and test again if the issue persists.


4 - If the issue is present in the dummy account - then, this appears to be a System Wide issue on the computer.


5 - Suggest downloading the Application Etrecheck directly from a well Respected ASC Contributor. And Safe to use.


The application is free or paid from added features. 


Run the application with Full Disc Access ( Security & Privacy - Full Disc Access ).



It will take a Snap Shot -  both the hardware and software.


 The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 


Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last )



We can have a look at the report for possible issues and may have possible suggestions to resolve the issues.


Any Third Party Applications that will interfere with the normal operation of the OS, alter, modify, remove or delete or attempt to do so is an invitation for disaster and may require a Reinstallation of the OS in-order to replace any modified, altered, removed or corrupted elements of the OS this software has inflected on this computer 


Although some or all of these Applications maybe available on the Apple Apps Store, it does not mean Apple has verified what exactly the Application can do, does do or is doing to the Computer. That responsibility is left to the User to perform their due diligence on the Application before purchasing and installing it.


Any of the below should be removed as per Developers Instructions 


This includes AntiVirus, Disk Cleaners, Disk Optimizes, UnInstaller etc.


This will include CleanMyMac , This will include BitDefender


This will included Norton Antivirus , Sophos Av Software


Intego AntiVirus, McAfee, MacKeeper, Avast AntiVirus


Ad Guard, Webroot


The The Built in Security  is all that is required.

Similar questions

6 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Apr 5, 2022 7:21 AM in response to BadKeyboard

1 - Suggest restarting in Safe Mode. This will perform a Disk Repair, clear cache files and only load Apple Software, extensions and fonts. The boot up will be slow and can take some time - Normal.


2 - Does the issue present in this mode ?


3 - If not - there could be something in the main User Account playing up. To further isolate this - Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac. Then log out of the Main User account and log into the dummy account and test again if the issue persists.


4 - If the issue is present in the dummy account - then, this appears to be a System Wide issue on the computer.


5 - Suggest downloading the Application Etrecheck directly from a well Respected ASC Contributor. And Safe to use.


The application is free or paid from added features. 


Run the application with Full Disc Access ( Security & Privacy - Full Disc Access ).



It will take a Snap Shot -  both the hardware and software.


 The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 


Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last )



We can have a look at the report for possible issues and may have possible suggestions to resolve the issues.


Any Third Party Applications that will interfere with the normal operation of the OS, alter, modify, remove or delete or attempt to do so is an invitation for disaster and may require a Reinstallation of the OS in-order to replace any modified, altered, removed or corrupted elements of the OS this software has inflected on this computer 


Although some or all of these Applications maybe available on the Apple Apps Store, it does not mean Apple has verified what exactly the Application can do, does do or is doing to the Computer. That responsibility is left to the User to perform their due diligence on the Application before purchasing and installing it.


Any of the below should be removed as per Developers Instructions 


This includes AntiVirus, Disk Cleaners, Disk Optimizes, UnInstaller etc.


This will include CleanMyMac , This will include BitDefender


This will included Norton Antivirus , Sophos Av Software


Intego AntiVirus, McAfee, MacKeeper, Avast AntiVirus


Ad Guard, Webroot


The The Built in Security  is all that is required.

Apr 5, 2022 6:55 AM in response to BadKeyboard

Hi BadKeyboard,

Thanks for contacting Apple Support Communities!

We understand that you're unable to maintain your internet connection on your Mac since installing macOS Monterey.

Since you seem to experience the same behavior in multiple browsers, you may consider checking your Wi-Fi or router settings as outlined here: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

The steps outlined here may help as well: If Safari on Mac doesn't open a webpage or isn’t working as expected

Take care!

Apr 5, 2022 5:26 PM in response to PRP_53

First off thank you all for responding to my question.


After further research I encountered another Apple forum question that was asking about something very similar to my DNS issues.


I had Cisco AnyConnect installed and as discussed in that question it causes DNS issues in Monterey. My browsers just now started failing to connect to the internet, so I uninstalled AnyConnect and that immediately fixed my issues :)


I discovered this just before P. Phillips's comprehensive advice for me but his suggestion to look at third-party apps is spot on and probably would've helped me discover this had I not seen that other Apple forum post.


Thank you all for your help :)





May 13, 2022 12:19 AM in response to Miche11e_P

Hi @Miche11e_P


I also upgraded to Monterey around 2 weeks ago and have had a number of connectivity issues since (also on a MacBook Air M1). Solution to mine was deleting my routers IPv6 entry in the DNS but was working fine before the upgrade took place. Have their been any further reports of connectivity or DNS issues since the upgrade?

Jun 3, 2022 12:00 PM in response to BadKeyboard

Thank you! This was helpful! Recently upgraded to Monterey 12.4 and both safari and chrome would not work (previously worked fine on 12.3 or whatever the last version was). Browser would work maybe for about 2-5 minutes and then nothing. Kept getting the same DNS_PROBE_STARTED then No Internet (DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET). Thought it was caused by the OS update, tried to re-install, tried restoring time machine backup, even tried to re-install Big SUR (didn't work). Tried re-starting modem, etc. etc. Tried clearing DNS cache, tried searching for unfamiliar files/malware, tried reseting NVRAM and SMC...lets just say I went on every forum to tried every option!!


Turns out, I have Cisco AnyConnect installed. I totally forgot about it as I had it when working remotely if RDP crashed, I could use VPN as a backup. I deleted all Cisco AnyConnect applications and now my internet browsers work totally fine again. Three days I have spent trying to fix my computer!


So thank you BadKeyboard and P.Philips!

macOS Monterey Internet keeps failing (DNS_PROBE_POSSIBLE)

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