How to Fix Cloudflare “Error 523: Origin Is Unreachable”

Error 523: Origin Is Unreachable.

Cloudflare is a cloud-based security service that helps your web pages against DDoS attacks and other threats. If you’re using Cloudflare and you see the “Error 523: Origin Is Unreachable” error message, you will not be able to open this website until you resolve the problem.

Several reasons can cause this issue, including issues with the Cloudflare server, DNS, and even your third-party firewall software. This guide will help you to resolve the Cloudflare “Error 523: Origin Is Unreachable” error and gets back to access your website as usual.

Check Cloudflare status

Before proceeding with any troubleshooting steps to fix the problem, you should check if there are issues with the server in charge of your area. If this server is down or has been re-routed for maintenance, you will encounter server error 523 on Cloudflare.

The Cloudflare Status page lets you quickly check the status of your area. Just scroll down to find the one corresponding to your location. If it says “re-routed” next to your area, there’s a service disruption, and you’ll have to wait for Cloudflare to fix the problem. But if the status is “operational,” try one of the methods below to fix the error.

Check the status of your area.
Check the status of your area.

Use Google DNS

Sometimes, the issue might lie in your current DNS provider. Many users have reported that switching to Google DNS did the trick, so it’s worth a try.

  1. Open Control Panel.

    Open the Control Panel.
    Open the Control Panel.

  2. Under Network and Internet, click View network status and tasks.

    Select View network status and tasks.
    Select View network status and tasks.

  3. In the left-hand pane, click Change adapter settings.

    Click Change adapter settings.
    Click Change adapter settings.

  4. Right-click the network connection you’re currently using and select Properties.

    Select Properties.
    Select Properties.

  5. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4.)

    Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
    Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4.)

  6. Select Use the following DNS server addresses.
    In the Preferred DNS Server, type 8.8.8.8, and in the Alternate DNS Server, type 8.8.4.4. Click OK to save the changes.

    Check the Use the following DNS server addresses option, then fill in the Preferred DNS server and the Alternate DNS server.
    Check the Use the following DNS server addresses option, then fill in the Preferred DNS server and the Alternate DNS server.

  7. Now, double-click Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6.)

    Double-click Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6.)
    Double-click Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6.)

  8. Select Use the following DNS server addresses.
    In the Preferred DNS Server, type 2001:4860:4860::8888, and in the Alternate DNS Server, type 2001:4860:4860::8844.

    Use the following DNS server addresses.
    Use the following DNS server addresses.

  9. Click OK to save the changes.
  10. Reboot your computer and see if this fixes the error.

Temporarily disable the third-party firewall

If you use a third-party firewall, try turning it off to see if the error message goes away. Sometimes, this software mistakes Cloudflare for an attack when it’s not; usually, it’s just a false positive. Therefore, if you’re confident that the site you want to access is safe, give this step a shot and see if it helps.

Erik is a full-time product quality engineer at the IBM who has a passion for teaching others (and always learning) about technology. He has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology. Erik is the chief editor for Windows, Linux and coding tutorials.

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