# Temporary failure resolving (DNS errors during updates)
Source: https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/troubleshooting/temporary-failure-resolving
Last reviewed: 2026-07-02
Summary: If apt or other tools fail with "Temporary failure resolving", DNS resolution inside your VPS is broken. Point systemd-resolved at a public resolver (DNS=8.8.8.8 in resolved.conf) and restart it.

## What this is

Running `apt update` (or curl, git, anything that needs a hostname) fails with **"Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'"** or **"Could not resolve host"**. Your VPS's network is fine, but its **DNS resolver** isn't answering, so it can't turn names into IPs.

## The fix

Point systemd-resolved at a public resolver:

1. Edit the resolver config: `nano /etc/systemd/resolved.conf`
2. Find the `#DNS=` line, uncomment it, and set a resolver: `DNS=8.8.8.8`
3. Save (Ctrl+X, then Y) and restart the resolver: `systemctl restart systemd-resolved`

Or as a single command:

```
sed -i 's/#DNS=/DNS=8.8.8.8/' /etc/systemd/resolved.conf && systemctl restart systemd-resolved
```

Then retry the update. `8.8.8.8` is Google's public resolver; `1.1.1.1` (Cloudflare) works just as well.

## If that doesn't do it

- **Check `/etc/resolv.conf`** exists and isn't empty. On systemd-resolved systems it should be a symlink managed for you; on others, a plain `nameserver 8.8.8.8` line in it does the job.
- **Check your own firewall** isn't blocking outbound DNS (UDP/TCP port 53), an overzealous ruleset with a default-deny on output does exactly this.
- Still stuck? [Open a ticket](https://vpsdime.com/open-ticket/) with the exact error and what you've tried.

## Related questions

- "Why does apt update say temporary failure resolving?"
- "My VPS can't resolve any hostnames."
- "How do I fix DNS inside my VPS?"
- "Could not resolve host errors on my VPS."