How to fix fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/': Could not resolve host: github.com in Git

What this error means

The "fatal: unable to access - Could not resolve host" error indicates that Git's attempt to connect to a remote repository failed at the most fundamental network level: DNS resolution. Before Git can establish a connection to github.com (or any remote host), your system must first translate that hostname into an IP address using the Domain Name System (DNS). When this lookup fails, Git cannot even begin the actual clone, push, or pull operation. The error is not specific to Git itself - it reflects a broader networking issue on your system that would affect any application trying to reach that hostname. This error commonly appears in several scenarios: - **Intermittent network issues**: Temporary network outages or unstable WiFi connections - **Corporate networks**: Proxy servers or firewalls blocking DNS traffic - **VPN interference**: VPN clients that override DNS settings or create routing conflicts - **WSL environments**: Windows Subsystem for Linux DNS configuration problems - **Docker containers**: Missing or incorrect DNS configuration inside containers - **Misconfigured /etc/resolv.conf**: Missing or incorrect nameserver entries on Linux systems

Typical symptoms

• Git clone, push, pull, or fetch commands fail with 'Could not resolve host'
• Error occurs consistently for all remote Git operations
• Other applications may also fail to connect to internet services
• ping github.com fails with 'unknown host' or similar error
• The error appears immediately without any timeout delay
• WSL commands fail to resolve hostnames while Windows works fine

Common causes

1. No active internet connection or network adapter is disconnected
2. DNS server is unreachable or not responding
3. Proxy settings in Git or environment variables are misconfigured
4. VPN client is interfering with DNS resolution
5. Firewall blocking DNS traffic on port 53
6. /etc/resolv.conf is empty, corrupt, or points to a non-working nameserver
7. Corporate proxy requires authentication
8. WSL2 DNS auto-generation created invalid configuration
9. Hosts file contains incorrect entry for the domain
10. Router DNS is malfunctioning

How to fix "fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/': Could not resolve host: github.com"

# Test if you can reach the internet at all (uses IP, no DNS needed)
ping -c 4 8.8.8.8

# Test if DNS is working
host github.com
# or
nslookup github.com
# or
dig github.com

ping -c 4 github.com

git config --global --get http.proxy
git config --global --get https.proxy

git config --global --unset http.proxy
git config --global --unset https.proxy

env | grep -i proxy

unset HTTP_PROXY
unset HTTPS_PROXY
unset http_proxy
unset https_proxy

cat /etc/resolv.conf

# Backup the existing file
sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf.backup

# Add working nameservers
echo "nameserver 8.8.8.8" | sudo tee /etc/resolv.conf
echo "nameserver 1.1.1.1" | sudo tee -a /etc/resolv.conf

sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
# or
sudo service network-manager restart

sudo tee /etc/wsl.conf << EOF
[network]
generateResolvConf = false
EOF

# Run in Windows PowerShell or CMD
wsl --shutdown

# Remove the old symlink
sudo rm /etc/resolv.conf

# Create a new file with working DNS
sudo tee /etc/resolv.conf << EOF
nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 1.1.1.1
EOF

ping github.com
git clone https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World.git

# Check firewall status
sudo ufw status

# Ensure DNS is allowed (should be by default)
sudo ufw allow out 53

sudo firewall-cmd --list-all
sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=dns --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

# Try using a specific DNS server directly
nslookup github.com 8.8.8.8

# Check if VPN is overriding DNS
cat /etc/resolv.conf
# If it shows VPN DNS, you may need to manually add public DNS

# View DNS servers for all adapters
Get-DnsClientServerAddress

cat /etc/hosts | grep -i github

Get-Content C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts | Select-String github

sudo nano /etc/hosts
# Comment out or delete any github.com lines

# Reset TCP/IP stack
netsh int ip reset

# Reset Winsock
netsh winsock reset

# Flush DNS cache
ipconfig /flushdns

# Release and renew IP
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

# Flush DNS cache
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

# Flush DNS cache (systemd-resolved)
sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

# Or restart the network
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

# Copy the public key
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

ssh -T git@github.com

git clone git@github.com:username/repository.git

# View current remote
git remote -v

# Change from HTTPS to SSH
git remote set-url origin git@github.com:username/repository.git

Advanced notes

# See detailed DNS resolution
dig github.com +trace

# Check which DNS server is being used
dig github.com

# Test against a specific DNS server
dig @8.8.8.8 github.com
dig @1.1.1.1 github.com

# Edit /etc/systemd/resolved.conf
[Resolve]
DNS=8.8.8.8 1.1.1.1
FallbackDNS=8.8.4.4 1.0.0.1

# Restart the service
sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved

# Edit the connection
nmcli con mod "Connection Name" ipv4.dns "8.8.8.8 1.1.1.1"
nmcli con up "Connection Name"

docker run --dns 8.8.8.8 your-image

services:
  app:
    dns:
      - 8.8.8.8
      - 1.1.1.1

{
  "dns": ["8.8.8.8", "1.1.1.1"]
}

# Force Git to use IPv4
git config --global http.version HTTP/1.1
# Or set in environment
export GIT_CURL_VERBOSE=1

Frequently asked questions

What does "fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/': Could not resolve host:" mean?

The "fatal: unable to access - Could not resolve host" error indicates that Git's attempt to connect to a remote repository failed at the most fundamental network level: DNS resolution. com (or any remote host), your system must first translate that hostname into an IP address using the Domain Name System (DNS). When this lookup fails, Git cannot even begin the actual clone, push, or pull operation.

How do I fix "fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/': Could not resolve host:"?

This DNS resolution error occurs when Git cannot translate a hostname like github.com into an IP address. The issue is typically caused by network connectivity problems, misconfigured DNS settings, proxy interference, or firewall blocks on DNS traffic.

What causes "fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/': Could not resolve host:"?

No active internet connection or network adapter is disconnected DNS server is unreachable or not responding Proxy settings in Git or environment variables are misconfigured

Is the "fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/': Could not resolve host:" error serious?

It is a medium-severity error — more of a blocker than a risk. The steps above resolve it.

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Official resources & further reading

• 📚Git Official Documentation
• 💬
  Git: Could not resolve host github.com error - Stack Overflow(Stack Overflow)
• 💬
  Fatal Error: Can't resolve host github.com - Stack Overflow(Stack Overflow)
• 💬
  SSH: Could not resolve hostname github.com - Stack Overflow(Stack Overflow)
• 💬
  Unable to access Could not resolve host - Stack Overflow(Stack Overflow)
• 💬
  git push: could not resolve host: github.com - GitHub Community(Stack Overflow)
• 🐙
  Could not resolve host: github.com - GitHub Desktop Issue(GitHub)
• 📖
  Configuring Git - GitHub Docs(Official Docs)
• 📖
  Could Not Resolve Host Github Com: Solved - Position Is Everything(Official Docs)