What do I do if my website is down?
Objective
Several error returns may appear on your browser if your website becomes inaccessible. The examples below show an incorrect configuration of your DNS servers, your DNS zone or a suspended domain (if your website does not display one of the error messages described here, see the Go further section):
| Browser | Error Message |
|---|---|
| Chrome: "This site can't be reached" |  |
| Firefox: "Hmm. We're having trouble finding that site." |  |
| Edge: "Hmmm... can't reach this page" |  |
| Safari: "Safari Can't Find the Server" |  |
This guide explains how to resolve common "This site can't be reached" type errors.
OVHcloud is providing you with services for which you are responsible, with regard to their configuration and management. You are therefore responsible for ensuring they function correctly.
This guide is designed to assist you in common tasks as much as possible. Nevertheless, we recommend that you contact a specialist service provider and/or discuss the issue with our community on if you have difficulties or doubts. You can find more information in the Go further section of this guide.
Requirements
- Administrative access to your domain name in order to change the DNS servers and edit the DNS zone
- No outstanding payments and renewals of related services (domain name and web hosting plan)
OVHcloud Control Panel Access
- Direct link: Hosting plans
- Navigation path:
Web Cloud>Hosting plans> Select your web hosting plan
Instructions
1: Check the validity of your domain name subscription
You are solely responsible for renewing your web services.
As a hosting provider, OVHcloud is required to permanently delete any web services (domain names, hosting plans, email accounts, etc.) that have not been renewed in time, as well as all of the data they store.
As a result, we strongly recommend that you enable automatic renewal for all of your OVHcloud subscriptions.
To ensure that your domain name subscription is valid, click on your name at the top right-hand corner of your OVHcloud Control Panel, then click on My offers and services within the right-hand menu.
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Renew your domain if necessary by clicking on the ... button, then select Renew service.
After the renewal of your offer is completed, your website will be available within a maximum of 48 hours.
2: Check the DNS servers
To check that your DNS servers are valid, click on Domain names in your OVHcloud Control Panel, then on your domain name.
Scenario 1: No anomalies appear on the DNS servers
Check the servers listed in the DNS servers tab:
If they are identical to the targets of the NS type entries in the DNS zone, go to step 3:
Scenario 2: A warning appears above the DNS zone
A warning in the DNS zone tab indicates that the DNS servers used by your domain name are not the ones indicated in your DNS zone. Two scenarios are possible:
- Under the sentence "You currently use the following DNS servers", the servers listed are "ns ? .ovh.net" and "dns ? .ovh.net" (in which "?" stands for a double-digit number):
Modify the DNS servers as described in this guide, so that they are identical to the targets of the NS type records in your DNS zone.
Your website will then be available within a maximum of 48 hours.
- Under the sentence "You currently use the following DNS servers", the servers listed are not "ns ? .ovh.net" and "dns ? .ovh.net".
In this situation, please contact your DNS Zone provider, your webmaster or a OVHcloud partner before making any changes.
The DNS servers used by your domain name may be functional and the problem accessing your website be linked to a missing or incorrect entry in the active DNS zone. Changing the DNS servers in this situation might make your email addresses or other online applications related to your domain name unavailable.
Scenario 3: No NS-type entries appear in the DNS zone
Your domain’s DNS zone does not contain any NS record:
Back up the current zone by clicking on the Change in text format button:
Then copy and paste the content of your DNS zone into a text document on your computer.
Then click on Reset my DNS zone and select No, but I want to reset my DNS zone. Select your email and hosting servers and click on Confirm.
Your website will then be available again within a maximum of 24 hours.
3: Check the DNS zone
In this step, you will find your hosting plan’s IP address, then add it to your DNS zone.
If your site is not hosted on the OVHcloud infrastructure or is managed by another provider, please contact the concerned support service.
If your site is hosted on one of our Web Hosting offers, click on the tabs below to view each of the 2 steps.
Go to the Hosting plans page, then select the web hosting plan concerned.
Then refer to it in your domain’s DNS zone, by modifying or creating one or more A entries.
Your website will then be available within a maximum of 24 hours.
Go further
Resolving a “Site not installed” error
Fixing the 500 Internal Server Error
Resolving the most common 1-click module errors
For specialised services (SEO, development, etc.), contact OVHcloud partners.
If you would like assistance using and configuring your OVHcloud solutions, please refer to our support offers.
Join our community of users.