Perplexity Network Error – How to Fix

Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1. Understand What a Network Error Means

A Perplexity network error message appears when your browser or app cannot complete a connection to Perplexity's servers. You may see:

• "Network error"
• "Request failed"
• "Failed to fetch"
• "ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED" or "ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED" in Chrome
• A response that loads partially and then cuts off with an error
• The Perplexity search bar spinning indefinitely without returning results

A network error is not the same as a 500 server error — the problem is in the path between you and Perplexity, not on Perplexity's servers. Start by confirming Perplexity's servers are operational at perplexity.ai/status. If the status page shows normal operation, the issue is local to your network.

Step 2. Disconnect Your VPN

VPNs are the single most common cause of Perplexity network errors. This is the first thing to try because it takes 10 seconds and immediately confirms or rules out VPN as the cause.

1. Fully disconnect your VPN — quit the VPN application entirely, do not just toggle it off or switch servers
2. On Windows: check the system tray for VPN icons and right-click to quit
3. On Mac: check the menu bar for VPN icons
4. Reload Perplexity in a new browser tab
5. If the network error disappears: your VPN was the cause

If you need a VPN and cannot disable it permanently, try switching to a different VPN server in a US or European location. Avoid shared or overcrowded VPN servers — their IP addresses are more likely to be blocked.

Step 3. Switch Your DNS to a Public Server

Your ISP's DNS servers may be blocking or failing to resolve Perplexity's domains. Switching to a public DNS server bypasses this filtering.

Windows:

1. Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Change adapter options
2. Right-click your active connection → Properties
3. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Properties
4. Select Use the following DNS server addresses
5. Preferred DNS: 8.8.8.8 | Alternate DNS: 8.8.4.4
6. Click OK and reload Perplexity

Mac:

1. Go to System Settings → Network
2. Select your active connection → click Details (or Advanced on older macOS)
3. Click the DNS tab
4. Click the + button and add 8.8.8.8, then add 1.1.1.1
5. Click OK, then Apply, and reload Perplexity

On your router (affects all devices): Log into your router's admin panel (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1), find the DNS settings under WAN or Internet settings, and replace the DNS with 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Changes apply to all devices on your network.

Step 4. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies

Corrupted cache files can cause the browser to make requests with outdated endpoint information, resulting in connection failures that look like network errors.

Chrome / Edge:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac)
2. Set time range to All time
3. Check Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data
4. Click Clear data
5. Close and reopen the browser, then try Perplexity

Firefox:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete
2. Select Everything for time range
3. Check Cache and Cookies
4. Click Clear Now

After clearing, open Perplexity in a fresh tab before testing.

Step 5. Switch to a Different Network

Testing on a completely different network is the definitive way to determine whether the problem is your network or your device/account.

1. Enable your phone's mobile hotspot (Settings → Personal Hotspot on iPhone; Settings → Hotspot on Android)
2. Connect your computer to the phone hotspot
3. Reload Perplexity

Results tell you:

• Works on hotspot: Your main network (Wi-Fi router, ISP, or corporate firewall) is blocking Perplexity
• Still fails on hotspot: The issue is on your device — browser extension, local firewall software, or VPN client running in the background

If your main network is the cause, see the router and ISP troubleshooting steps below.

Step 6. Check Your Local Firewall and Router Settings

If Perplexity works on mobile data but not your home or office network:

Home router:

1. Restart your router by unplugging it for 30 seconds and plugging back in
2. After reconnecting, test Perplexity before any VPN or other apps are running
3. If your router has parental controls or content filtering enabled, check if AI services are in a blocked category

Corporate or school network:

• Perplexity uses WebSocket connections for streaming — these are frequently blocked by enterprise firewalls
• Contact your IT department and ask whether perplexity.ai is blocked, and whether WebSocket traffic to *.perplexity.ai can be whitelisted
• If you cannot get it whitelisted, using Perplexity's mobile app on cellular data (not Wi-Fi) is the most practical workaround

Step 7. Disable Browser Extensions

Extensions that modify network requests or headers can interrupt Perplexity's WebSocket connections:

1. Open an incognito/private window (extensions are typically disabled here)
2. Try Perplexity in incognito — if it works, an extension is the cause
3. Return to your normal browser, disable all extensions, and test
4. Re-enable extensions one at a time to identify the culprit
5. Common offenders: uBlock Origin (if configured with aggressive filter lists), Privacy Badger, Ghostery, HTTPS Everywhere

Why This Happens

A network error occurs when the connection between your browser and Perplexity's servers breaks down at some point in the chain. Perplexity relies on several types of connections simultaneously:

• WebSocket connections for streaming AI responses in real time — these are persistent connections that many firewalls, proxies, and VPNs struggle with
• HTTPS requests to Perplexity's search API for live web results — these can be blocked by DNS filtering or deep-packet inspection
• Standard HTTP/2 requests to the Perplexity web app itself

Any interruption in these connections — from a VPN with routing problems, a DNS server returning NXDOMAIN for perplexity.ai, a corporate proxy that terminates WebSocket connections, or an ISP that throttles AI service traffic — results in a network error message. Because the error happens before the request even reaches Perplexity's servers, no server-side change or Perplexity support action can fix it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Pausing the VPN instead of fully disconnecting it — some VPN clients maintain background connections even when "paused." Fully quit the VPN application before testing, then check whether any VPN processes are still running.
• Testing with the same network after adding the hotspot — make sure your computer is actually connected to the phone hotspot, not still on your home Wi-Fi. Check your network connection settings to confirm.
• Changing DNS and not flushing the cache — after changing DNS servers, your operating system may still use cached old DNS responses. On Windows, run ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt. On Mac, run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache in Terminal.
• Assuming it is Perplexity's fault without checking the status page — true server outages cause 500 errors, not network errors. A network error is always between you and Perplexity. Check perplexity.ai/status first to rule out a server issue.
• Not trying incognito mode — incognito mode tests your network without extensions interference. If it works in incognito, the issue is an extension, not your network.
• Forgetting that VPN apps run even when you think they are off — many VPN apps have a "kill switch" or always-on feature that keeps connections active in the background. Check your system processes to ensure the VPN is fully stopped.

View all Perplexity guides