How to Fix the Netflix Site Error (We were unable to process your request)

The Netflix streaming service is available to all platforms. Nevertheless, users sometimes have trouble watching their favorite movies and TV shows on the website due to the Netflix site error. It looks like this:

Fortunately, Netflix has some helpful instructions in the Help Center that you can check out. They aren’t complete, though, so you can follow the easy steps below to get rid of the Netflix site error and get back to your media content in no time.

How to fix the Netflix site error

Check out the next simple instructions to discover how to repair Netlfix access problems.

1. Try to connect using another device

There might be something wrong with the computer, smartphone or tablet you’re using to sign in to the Netflix website. If you have multiple devices in your household, try another one but make sure to connect to the same network.

On the other hand, if you have only one device and can’t get hold of another, sign out of the streaming service, and then sign back in to see if this resolved the Netflix site error.

2. Restart your web browser

Your web browser might need a little nudge to fix any page loading issues it might be experiencing. It’s usually enough to restart Chrome or whatever application you’re using, but make sure to properly close all its processes first.

How to restart your web browser correctly on Windows 10:

Right-click the taskbar and go to Task Manager
Find all processes that belong to your browser
Select each process and click End task
Relaunch your browser and sign in to Netflix

If you can’t access the Task Manager, you can resort to Command Prompt to close all processes of your web browser.

Press Win key + R, type CMD, and press Enter
Type tasklist and press Enter to list all currently running tasks
Locate the task associated with your web browser (e.g. for Google Chrome, it’s chrome.exe)
Type taskkill /f /im task_name.exe /t, and replace task_name with the process name of your web browser. Press Enter
Relaunch your web browser and log in to Netflix

How to restart your web browser correctly on Mac:

Select your web browser window, open the Apple menu, and select Force Quit
Alternatively, press Option + Command + Esc, select the web browser from the list and click Force Quit
Relaunch your browser and try to log in to Netflix

3. Restart the Netflix app

If you’re using the Netflix app for Windows 10, Android, or iOS, it’s a good idea to restart it, too. When it comes to Windows 10, you just have to exit the Store window and then relaunch the Netflix app.

How to restart the Netflix app on Android:

Open the Settings menu and go to Apps
Find and tap the Netflix app
Tap Force stop
Relaunch the Netflix app

How to restart the Netflix app on iOS:

On the Home screen, swipe up and stop in the middle of the screen
Swipe left or right to locate the Netflix app
Swipe up on the app’s preview to close Netflix
Relaunch the Netflix app

4. Clear browser cache and cookies

If your web browser is experiencing the Netflix site error due to page loading issues, then you should empty browsing data to resolve this problem.

For example, you can hard refresh your web browser to stop loading cache on the Netflix website. To do this, make sure you’re in the Netflix tab, then press Ctrl + Shift + R, Ctrl + F5, or Shift + F5 for Windows, or Shift + Command + R for Mac.

But a long-term solution is to clear your browser’s entire cache and cookies.

How to clear Chrome cache on Windows and Mac:

Open Chrome and go to the More menu
Select Settings
Scroll down to Privacy and security, then click Clear browsing data (or visit the chrome://settings/clearBrowserData address)
In the Basic tab, set Time range to All time
Check Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files
Uncheck everything else
Click Clear data
Relaunch Chrome and try to log in to Netflix

How to clear Firefox cache on Windows and Mac:

Open Firefox, click the ≡ hamburger button and choose Options
Go to Privacy & Security and click Clear Data…
Enable the Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content settings
Click Clear
Restart Firefox and try to access Netflix

How to clear Microsoft Edge cache:

Fire up Edge and click the More button on the top-right corner
Go to Settings
Select Privacy, search, and services (or visit the edge://settings/privacy address)
At Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear
Set Time range to All time
Enable the Browsing history, Download history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files settings
Click Clear now
Restart Edge and try to use Netflix

5. Restart your device

When dealing with the Netflix site error, it sometimes helps to restart your Windows PC, Mac, smartphone, or tablet. Doing so will restart all processes, services, and drivers that affect your web browser or the Netflix app.

Once the device is booted up again, try to access Netflix as usual.

6. Update your web browser

An outdated browser could have a negative impact on the streaming service. So, instead of signing in, you view the Netflix site error with the We were unable to process your request message. But you can quickly resolve this matter by updating your web browser to the latest version.

How to update Chrome on Windows and Mac:

Launch Chrome and open the More menu
Go to Help and click About Google Chrome (or type chrome://settings/help in your address bar)
The tool finds and downloads any updates automatically
Once the update is complete, click Relaunch and try to use Netflix

How to update Firefox on Windows and Mac:

Open Firefox and click the ≡ hamburger button to open a menu
Go to Help and select About Firefox
The tool searches for updates and downloads them on its own
When the update is done, restart Firefox and try to access Netflix

How to update Microsoft Edge:

Fire up Edge and click the More button to open a menu
Go to Help & feedback and click About Microsoft Edge (or visit the edge://settings/help address)
The program will search for, download, and install newer versions right away
Click Restart and try to use Netflix now

7. Update the Netflix app

Similarly, if you prefer the Netflix app to the web browser, you should update it, too.

How to update the Netflix app on Windows 10:

Press the Win key, type Microsoft Store, and open this app
Open the More button on the top-right corner
Select Download and updates
Locate the Netflix app and press the download button next to it
Wait until the update is complete
Launch the app and try to use Netflix

How to update the Netflix app on Android:

Open Play Store
Select your Google account and go to My apps & Games
Find the Netflix app in the Updates area and click Update
If you can’t locate it, it means that it’s already updated
Launch the app and try to use Netflix

How to update the Netflix app on iOS:

Launch the App Store
Go to Updates
Locate the Netflix app and click Update
If it shows the Open button instead, it means that it’s already updated

8. Update your GPU and network drivers

Netflix might be experiencing issues with the GPU or network devices, or both. For instance, if the drivers are outdated, then you should update them to the latest version in order to get rid of the Netflix site error.

How to update the GPU and network drivers on Windows 10:

Right-click the Start menu and go to Device Manager
Expand the Network adapters group
Right-click your network device and select Update driver
Click Search automatically for updated driver software
If the search results don’t return anything, click Search for updated drivers on Windows Update
Do the same for your GPU driver in the Display adapters category
Restart your computer and try to access Netflix

How to update the GPU and network drivers on Mac:

Open the Apple menu
Go to Software Update
Wait until Mac finds and downloads any new updates
Reboot the computer and try to sign in to Netflix

9. Use custom DNS servers

Perhaps your DNS servers are doing a poor job at translating domain names into IP addresses, resulting in a poor page loading speed and the Netflix site error. However, you can easily fix this problem by changing your DNS servers to speed up your Internet connection.

How to set custom DNS servers on Windows 10:

Make sure you’re signed in to Windows 10 as the computer administrator
Right-click the Start button and select Network Connections
Click Change adapter options
Right-click your Internet connection and choose Properties
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties
Remain in the General tab and pick Use the following DNS server addresses
Set Preferred DNS server to 8.8.8.8
Set Alternate DNS server to 8.8.4.4
Click OK
Try to access Netflix now

How to set custom DNS servers on Mac:

Go to the Apple menu and select System Preferences
Click Network
Click Advanced and select the DNS tab
Click the + sign to add a new DNS server address
Enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
Click OK to confirm
Try to use Netflix now

How to set custom DNS servers on Android:

Visit the Settings area and tap Network & Internet
Tap Advanced and then Private DNS
Select Configure Private DNS and type dns.google
Save the current configuration and exit to the Home screen
Open the Netflix app and try to connect

How to set custom DNS servers on iOS:

Open the Settings section and select Wi-Fi
Tap the i icon next to your Wi-Fi connection
Tap DNS and enter 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4
Save options and quit to the Home screen
Relaunch the Netflix app and try to use it

10. Use the Internet Connections troubleshooter on Windows 10

If your Internet connection is not working properly, this could affect the Netflix loading screen and cause the notorious site error. However, you can turn to the Internet Connections troubleshooter to find and fix common network problems on a Windows 10 PC. Here’s what you need to do:

Right-click the Start button and select Settings
Go to Update & Security
Press Troubleshoot on the left
Pick Internet Connections and click Run the troubleshooter
Follow the wizard steps and restart your PC
Try to use Netflix now

11. Flush your DNS servers

If the Netflix site error is caused by network connectivity problems, you can swiftly resolve them by flushing your DNS servers, whether you have a Windows 10 PC or a Mac. It’s not necessary to install any third-party programs because you can resort to the console environment: Command Prompt on Windows 10 and Terminal on Mac.

How to flush DNS servers on Windows:

Press Win key + R, type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt with elevation rights

Run the following code and press Enter after each line:

```
ipconfig /flushdns
```
```
ipconfig /registerdns
```
```
ipconfig /release
```
```
ipconfig /renew
```
```
netsh winsock reset
```

Restart your computer and try to use Netflix

How to flush DNS servers on Mac:

Launch the Terminal app
Type sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder and press Return
Enter your admin username and password to confirm, then press Return
Restart your Mac and try to access Netflix

12. Check your Internet connection

You can take additional steps to ensure that your Internet connection is functioning normally. Here are a few things you can try:

Reboot your router
Make an exception for the Netflix app in the firewall
Switch from wireless to wired (cable) mode
Try connecting to another Wi-Fi network
Turn on your mobile data plan
Check your Internet speed
Turn off Airplane mode

The Netflix site error can be fixed

To review, the Netflix site error is pretty common in the Netflix community and can occur on all platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. It can be caused by various issues with your device or network connection.

To fix it, you can try to connect using another device, restart your web browser, the Netflix app or your device, clear browser cache and cookies, update your browser or Netflix app to the latest version, as well as update your graphics and network drivers.

It’s also a good idea to set custom DNS servers, run the Internet Connections troubleshooter built into Windows 10, flush your DNS servers, and check your Internet connection. If everything fails, there might be a problem with the Netflix servers, which will likely get resolved quickly, so you just have to wait.

How did you get rid of the Netflix site error? Did we miss any important steps? Let us know in the comment area below.

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Elena Constantinescu

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