How to check if a website is down
- Type the website address, such as example.com, and press Check now.
- Read the verdict at the top. It combines three checks.
- Open the three cards to see details: our server, the DNS lookup and your own browser.
- Tick Keep watching to test every 30 seconds and see response times as bars.
What the verdict means
| Verdict | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| It is up | The site answered normally. |
| Reachable, but the page was not found | The server works. This address returns 404 or 410. |
| Reachable, but it refuses automated checks | Status 401, 403 or 429. The site often works fine for people. |
| The server is having problems | Status 5xx. The site is on but cannot serve the page. |
| Up from our server, but your browser could not reach it | The problem may be your network, firewall or ISP. |
| This website does not exist | The domain has no DNS record. Check spelling or expiry. |
| SSL certificate problem | The certificate is expired, wrong or untrusted. |
Tips for better results
- Check both the www and the non-www address, and use https.
- If only you cannot reach a site, try mobile data or another device.
- Use watch mode to catch short outages while you work on a fix.
- For alerts when a site goes down, use a dedicated uptime service. This tool does not send alerts.
- Check the details of an error with the HTTP Status Code Checker.
Limits to know about
- Our check runs from one server location. A site can be down in one country and up in another.
- Some sites block checks from data centres and answer 403. That does not always mean the site is down.
- Your browser cannot read the status code of another site. It can only tell whether a reply arrived.
- Watch mode works only while this page stays open, runs every 30 seconds, stores nothing and sends no alerts. Background tabs may slow the timer.
- The server check is limited to 30 checks every 10 minutes for each visitor address.
- A secure page cannot test a plain http:// address from your browser, so that test is skipped.
Privacy
The address is sent to our server so it can load the page, and the domain name is looked up through Google and Cloudflare public DNS from your browser. The browser test and watch mode connect from your device directly to the site. Nothing is saved to an account, and no sign up is needed.
Frequently asked questions
Is the site down for everyone or just me?
If our server and your browser both fail, it is likely down for everyone. If our server gets an answer and your browser does not, the problem is probably on your side.
Why do I see status 403?
The site refused an automated visitor. Many sites do this for security. Open the site in your browser to see if it works for you.
What does DNS not found mean?
The domain name has no address record. The name may be mistyped or expired.
What is the response time?
It is how long our server waited to get the answer, in milliseconds.
Can I get an alert when my site goes down?
No. This tool checks on demand and while you watch. Use an uptime monitoring service for alerts.
Can it check any website?
Public websites only. Private and local addresses are refused.
About this tool
ToolsRiver Website Availability Checker is free and needs no sign up. It combines a server check, a public DNS lookup and a browser test to give a more honest answer than any single test.