Cant connect to the internet after installing a VPN called "SurfShark" on my Windows 11 PC - DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error

Question

I'm having a major problem with my Windows 11 computer, wherein I'm not able to access the internet at all after I installed the Surfshark VPN application. The problem started when the Surfshark application started to prevent me from accessing the entire internet if the application wasn’t running. I already did several troubleshooting steps to solve this problem, yet it remains unsolved.

My Problem: I have a serious problem with my Windows 11 PC. I can't access the internet at all anymore. This problem began when I installed Surfshark VPN. Even though I have tried many things to fix this, I still have the problem.

My Problem Symptoms:

• No internet access at all. Chrome displays DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG. Edge, Firefox, and other browsers display "can't reach this page" or similar errors.
• The problem persists even when Surfshark is completely closed and not running.
• My other devices on the same Wi-Fi/router have internet access. So, it is not a problem with my internet service provider or router.
• Raw connectivity tests: ping 8.8.8.8 succeeds. So, internet packets can reach Google DNS. ping google.com fails. So, DNS resolution is broken.
• The problem is related to bad DNS configuration.
• I'm not able to access any website with any web browser I'm using (DNS PROBE FINISHED BAD CONFIG error with Google Chrome; can’t reach this page with Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox).
• I'm having this problem even if I completely disable/closed the Surfshark application.
• Other computers connected to the same Wi-Fi/network are working properly (no problem with the internet service provider or the router).
• I did raw internet connectivity tests: ping 8.8.8.8 – successful (can reach Google’s DNS server); ping google.com – failed (can’t do DNS resolution).
• The problem seems to be with the DNS configuration.

What I have tried so far (in order, with many reboots in between):

• Turn off Surfshark Kill Switch in Surfshark settings. Then, disconnect and close Surfshark.
• Reboot PC many times.
• Use Surfshark "Reset Network" feature when Surfshark is still briefly open.
• Completely uninstall Surfshark from Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
• Manually remove Surfshark, WireGuard, TAP, and TUN adapters from Device Manager, including driver software.
• Ran these commands in an elevated Command Prompt: ipconfig /flushdns ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew netsh winsock reset netsh int ip reset netsh advfirewall reset
• Configured custom public DNS settings manually (Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4; Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1) in adapter settings under Internet Protocol version 4 Properties.
• Disabled IPv6 in adapter settings.
• Un-checked all proxy settings in Internet Properties > Connections > LAN Settings.
• Restarted DNS Client in services.msc.
• Cleaned Chrome DNS cache (chrome://net-internals/#dns), socket pools, etc.
• Ran Windows Network Troubleshooter (no fix).
• Disabled Windows Firewall temporarily for testing purposes.

These did not restore internet access. The PC still does not have DNS resolution or any form of internet access, although it does have IP ping access. This is a clear indicator that there are still network drivers, firewall settings, or other settings from Surfshark that were not cleaned up correctly after uninstallation. This strongly implies that there are leftover, corrupted network drivers, firewall rules, and possibly registry keys from Surfshark that did not uninstall correctly.

None of these have fixed the issue. The PC still cannot access the internet. It cannot perform DNS resolution, nor can it browse the internet. Yet, it can still perform basic IP-level connectivity, such as pinging.I'm having a major problem with my Windows 11 computer, wherein I'm not able to access the internet at all after I installed the Surfshark VPN application. The problem started when the Surfshark application started to prevent me from accessing the entire internet if the application wasn’t running. I already did several troubleshooting steps to solve this problem, yet it remains unsolved.

My Problem: I have a serious problem with my Windows 11 PC. I can't access the internet at all anymore. This problem began when I installed Surfshark VPN. Even though I have tried many things to fix this, I still have the problem.

My Problem Symptoms:

• No internet access at all. Chrome displays DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG. Edge, Firefox, and other browsers display "can't reach this page" or similar errors.
• The problem persists even when Surfshark is completely closed and not running.
• My other devices on the same Wi-Fi/router have internet access. So, it is not a problem with my internet service provider or router.
• Raw connectivity tests: ping 8.8.8.8 succeeds. So, internet packets can reach Google DNS. ping google.com fails. So, DNS resolution is broken.
• The problem is related to bad DNS configuration.
• I'm not able to access any website with any web browser I'm using (DNS PROBE FINISHED BAD CONFIG error with Google Chrome; can’t reach this page with Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox).
• I'm having this problem even if I completely disable/closed the Surfshark application.
• Other computers connected to the same Wi-Fi/network are working properly (no problem with the internet service provider or the router).
• I did raw internet connectivity tests: ping 8.8.8.8 – successful (can reach Google’s DNS server); ping google.com – failed (can’t do DNS resolution).
• The problem seems to be with the DNS configuration.

What I have tried so far (in order, with many reboots in between):

• Turn off Surfshark Kill Switch in Surfshark settings. Then, disconnect and close Surfshark.
• Reboot PC many times.
• Use Surfshark "Reset Network" feature when Surfshark is still briefly open.
• Completely uninstall Surfshark from Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
• Manually remove Surfshark, WireGuard, TAP, and TUN adapters from Device Manager, including driver software.
• Ran these commands in an elevated Command Prompt: ipconfig /flushdns ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew netsh winsock reset netsh int ip reset netsh advfirewall reset
• Configured custom public DNS settings manually (Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4; Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1) in adapter settings under Internet Protocol version 4 Properties.
• Disabled IPv6 in adapter settings.
• Un-checked all proxy settings in Internet Properties > Connections > LAN Settings.
• Restarted DNS Client in services.msc.
• Cleaned Chrome DNS cache (chrome://net-internals/#dns), socket pools, etc.
• Ran Windows Network Troubleshooter (no fix).
• Disabled Windows Firewall temporarily for testing purposes.

These did not restore internet access. The PC still does not have DNS resolution or any form of internet access, although it does have IP ping access. This is a clear indicator that there are still network drivers, firewall settings, or other settings from Surfshark that were not cleaned up correctly after uninstallation. This strongly implies that there are leftover, corrupted network drivers, firewall rules, and possibly registry keys from Surfshark that did not uninstall correctly.

None of these have fixed the issue. The PC still cannot access the internet. It cannot perform DNS resolution, nor can it browse the internet. Yet, it can still perform basic IP-level connectivity, such as pinging.

Answer 1

Hello Dontaskwhy E,

Thanks for sharing a very good issue description.

Have you tried to contact the vendor (SurfShark)? and any updates from their side?
Note: Check out my last tip (it may save you a lot of time in troubleshooting) ⬇️

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I would like you to check out the (hosts file) on your windows:

go to (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc)

Brief: hosts file act as 1st DNS for your machine like (hard coded phone book).
Example: http://www.dontaskwhy.com/ = 1.2.3.4 (IP) even you have a proper google DNS 8.8.8.8 it will redirect you to 1.2.3.4
Example 2: if i set (google.com = 0.0.0.0), you will not be able to access google as it has wrong ip (think of it as it's a phone contacts app and you have to register your friend's phone number correct to be able to dial it)

P.S: we will need (Administrator Account) to modify it.

• That's the default hosts file (note: it's all start with hashes(#) > this means it's a comment and not real (it's only for example)

I want you to look for any values added and delete them ALL > Save the hosts file on the same location (File > Save > Replace)

You might need admin account so open (NotePad as administrator & open the hosts file again to save it)

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Second Step of Troubleshooting:

Clear the NRPT (Name Resolution Policy Table)

1. Open PowerShell as an Administrator
2. Run the following command to see if there are any active policies: Get-DnsClientNrptPolicy
3. If you see any entries (especially mentioning Surfshark or something), run this command to clear them:
   Get-DnsClientNrptRule | Remove-DnsClientNrptRule -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
4. run this command in the powershell Restart-Service Dnscache
5. Check for Persistent Windows Firewall Rules
   from CMD/PowerShell
   netsh advfirewall reset
netsh wfp filter show state (it will generate a file: filters.xml > open it and search for the VPN or the name "surfshark")
6. Open Windows Registry (regedit)
   check out this path
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces
   If you see any IP addresses that don't match your manual configuration (8.8.8.8) or your static ip config > delete them (just delete the value not the key).
7. Lastly, launch a network reset from settings
   (Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset) > your pc will restart
   

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*** Additionally, run a full malware scan on your pc (just in case any virus or something to be deleted).

Pro Tip:
There is a tool called (System Restore) // what it actually does it's taking a backup of your settings/configurations (don't worry it's not affecting your files)

it's a life saver ;)
Good Luck,
Regards,