Azure Vm no Internet access

Question

Azure Vm no Internet access

Adaptive Information Systems 0

Azure Vm no internet access. I have changed the dns to point to the google.com and doesn't work and I did a ipconfig/flushdns.

Adithya Prasad K 1,395 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-23T23:22:35.3066667+00:00
Hi @Adaptive Information Systems ,

Thank you for sharing the details. I understand that the Azure VM is currently unable to access the internet even after updating the DNS configuration and running ipconfig /flushdns. I appreciate the troubleshooting you have already completed.

Please note that a DNS setting must point to a DNS server IP address, not a hostname such as google.com. If you intended to use Google Public DNS for testing, the DNS server IP is 8.8.8.8. For an Azure VM, we recommend configuring DNS at the virtual network or network interface level rather than manually within the guest operating system.

To help isolate the cause, please complete the following checks:

Verify the DNS configuration

Run ipconfig /all and confirm the DNS server addresses currently applied.

In the Azure portal, review both Virtual network > DNS servers and the VM's Network interface > DNS servers.

If a custom DNS server is not required, temporarily select Default (Azure-provided), restart the VM, and run:

ipconfig /renew

ipconfig /flushdns

Test DNS resolution and outbound connectivity separately

From an elevated PowerShell window, run:

nslookup google.com

Test-NetConnection 8.8.8.8 -Port 53

Test-NetConnection [www.microsoft.com](http://www.microsoft.com) -Port 443

If the IP-based test succeeds but hostname resolution fails, the issue is likely DNS-related. If both tests fail, the issue is more likely associated with routing, outbound connectivity, an NSG, firewall, proxy, or network virtual appliance.

Review the Azure network configuration

Check the effective NSG rules at both the NIC and subnet levels and confirm that the required outbound traffic is allowed.

Review the NIC's Effective routes and confirm where the 0.0.0.0/0 route sends internet-bound traffic.

If this route points to Azure Firewall, a network virtual appliance, or an on-premises gateway, please verify that the next hop allows and translates outbound traffic.

Run Network Watcher > Connection troubleshoot from the affected VM to www.microsoft.com on TCP port 443 and review the reported blocking rule or network hop.

Confirm that the VM has an outbound connectivity method

Please verify that the subnet or VM has a valid outbound path appropriate for your design, such as Azure NAT Gateway, Azure Firewall or an NVA with source NAT, a public load balancer outbound rule, or an instance-level public IP.

Check the guest operating system

Please confirm that Windows Firewall, endpoint security software, or an application proxy is not blocking outbound DNS traffic on TCP/UDP port 53 or HTTPS traffic on TCP port 443. You can also run netsh winhttp show proxy to check whether a WinHTTP proxy is configured.

For additional guidance, please refer to Troubleshoot Azure VM connectivity problems.

Once the checks are completed, please share the outputs of ipconfig /all, nslookup google.com, both Test-NetConnection commands, the NIC's effective routes, and the Network Watcher test result. These details will help us determine whether the interruption is related to DNS resolution or the VM's outbound network path.

1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi Adaptive Information Systems,

Thanks for reaching out on Microsoft Q&A.

Two things stand out here, and the DNS change you made is likely not the root cause.

1. Your VM probably has no outbound connectivity at all

If this VM was created recently, note that Azure retired default outbound access. New subnets created through the portal are now private by default, meaning the VM cannot reach the internet unless you explicitly enable outbound traffic. Flushing DNS will not help if there is no outbound path.

To confirm, run this from the VM:

Test-NetConnection 8.8.8.8 -Port 443

If this fails, it is a connectivity issue, not DNS. Fix it by adding one of these:

NAT Gateway on the VM's subnet (recommended)
A Standard Public IP attached to the VM's NIC
A Standard Load Balancer with outbound rules

Alternatively, go to your VNet > Subnets > select the subnet > set Default outbound access to Enabled, then stop/deallocate the VM, and restart it. Keep in mind this option goes away for new VNets with the API change after March 31, 2026, so NAT Gateway is the better long term fix.

2. Your DNS setting is invalid

DNS servers must be IP addresses, not hostnames. "google.com" will not work as a DNS server. Use 8.8.8.8 (Google) or leave it as the Azure default 168.63.129.16. Also, set DNS at the VNet or NIC level in the Azure portal rather than inside the guest OS, since DHCP can overwrite in-guest changes.

Also check:

NSG on the NIC/subnet for any outbound Deny rules
Effective routes on the NIC (Networking > Effective routes) for a UDR sending 0.0.0.0/0 to a firewall or appliance that may be blocking traffic

Reference: Default outbound access in Azure

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