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Many Netflix errors are a result of internet connection problems. One of these errors is NW-2-5. If you see this code on any of your streaming devices, you have to check that nothing is wrong with your system’s internet connectivity.

The problem happens across the board. It can show up on your Xbox, PlayStation, Roku TV, Fire TV, Blu-Ray Player, and even your PC, to mention but a few. In this article, we’ll show you how to fix the Netflix error NW-2-5 on Windows 10 computers.

You can stream Netflix movies and series on any Windows 10 browser, as well as the dedicated Netflix application, and the error can occur in both. The steps in this guide will show you what to do.

What is the Netflix error NW-2-5?

The code is one of the many indicators that Netflix uses to tell its subscribers that communication with its servers has failed.

What causes the Netflix error NW-2-5?

While the major cause of the error is a faulty internet connection, there are other factors that you shouldn’t rule out, such as corrupt or excess cache, faulty software, antivirus or firewall interference, and even malware infection. These problems are secondary, but many users found them to be the root cause of the issue.

You should also note that some of these factors could affect your system’s or the Netflix application’s access to the Internet.

What to do about the Netflix error NW-2-5?

Whether it’s an application conflict or corrupt cache, you have to get rid of the problem that is preventing Netflix from connecting to its servers.

We’ll be showing you step-by-step guides on how to resolve the issues that are known to trigger the error in question.

Solution 1: Check your internet connection

Sometimes, simple internet connection problems such as a disconnected cable or a turned-off router are easy to miss. So, take the first step of ensuring that things are configured correctly. For example, check that your internet cables are properly connected on both ends, confirm that your subscription is still active, and make sure your router is up and running.

If you’re using a wireless device, make sure your system is properly connected to it, as abrupt Wi-Fi disconnections are a thing.

You should also check to confirm that your network is capable of streaming. Some cellular and satellite networks are too slow to stream videos online. If you’re using such a network, switch to a different one to confirm that it’s not the problem. if you’re using a public connection, such as a school, work, or hotel Wi-Fi, confirm that it allows Netflix, as some of these networks block streaming international videos.

Solution 2: Restart your internet device

If things are set up correctly, then your first troubleshooting step is to power cycle your internet device. In this case, you’re looking at your modem or router. Glitches can occur if the device has been up and running for a long time. Restarting the network device allows it to re-establish a fresh connection to your ISP and your system.

So, shut down your system and unplug it from its power source, then turn off your router or modem completely (don’t press the reset button) and unplug it. After that, wait for a few minutes, and then turn your devices on. Connect them and try connecting to Netflix.

If restarting your network devices doesn’t resolve the problem, move on to the next step.

Solution 3: Use an Ethernet cable

You’ll get the best streaming experience with a wired Ethernet connection. This is because a wired connection does not have the pitfalls of a wireless connection. If your modem is connected to a router, try connecting the modem directly to your computer, and then check for the problem.

However, if you don’t have the option of using an Ethernet cable, try improving your wireless connection by repositioning your router closer to the system, as walls and doors can reduce signal strength. You can also reduce the number of devices connected to the router to improve your bandwidth and speed.

Solution 4: Allow the Netflix application through your firewall

Your firewall application is in charge of regulating the kinds of signals your computer sends out and receives. If it senses foul play from any application, it will block the app’s access to your system’s network infrastructure. In some cases, the firewall app blocks newly installed applications by default until you allow them.

The solution to this problem is opening up the firewall interface and allowing Netflix through it. If you watch Netflix on your browser, you might not need to apply this fix if the browser still works fine.

If you don’t know how to allow Netflix through your firewall program, you can go to the app’s website to find a guide on how to do that. If you use the built-in Windows Defender Firewall, however, the following guide will show you what to do:

  1. Go to the far right of your taskbar and click on the “Show hidden icons” arrow to expand the system tray.
  2. After the hidden icons show up, click on the white shield.
  3. Once you see the Windows Security app, click on Firewall & Network Protection.
  4. On the Firewall & Network Protection interface, click on “Allow an app through firewall.”
  5. Once you see the Allowed Apps dialog window, click on the Change Settings button. Note that you have to be an administrator to click on the button.
  6. After that, go to the “Allowed apps and features” list and locate the Netflix application.
  7. Now check the two boxes to the right of the app, under Public and Private, to grant it access to your public and private networks.
  8. Click on the OK button, and then check for the problem.

Solution 5: Flush your DNS cache

Once your DNS server resolves the IP address of a website, your computer saves those parameters to its DNS cache to make future connections. Sometimes, the cache grows too big or becomes corrupt and begins to cause the kind of problem you’re currently experiencing. Also, if the cache isn’t updated for a while, its records might become obsolete, resulting in connectivity issues.

To resolve the problem with the cache, you have to get rid of its records and allow your system to build a new one. The procedure is simple; all you have to do is run a simple command. The following steps will show you how to do that:

  1. Open the search bar beside the Start button and type “command prompt.”
  2. Once you see Command Prompt in the search results, right-click it and then click on “Run as administrator.”
  3. Click on Yes in the UAC confirmation prompt to grant the Command Prompt administrative privileges.
  4. After the Command Prompt appears, type “Ipconfig /flushdns” (don’t add the quotes) and then press the Enter keyboard button.
  5. Launch the Netflix app or try streaming through your browser to check for the problem.

Move on to the next solution if you still see the error.

Solution 6: Perform a Winsock reset

Winsock (Windows socket) is a component that allows Windows network software to access network services. It determines how your applications can access and use your system’s network infrastructure.

The Winsock component is a DLL file that resides in the Win32 folder. It can suffer damage like any other file. If it has problems, you’ll begin to notice network connection issues. Resetting it is a harmless way to potentially fix the problem.

To reset the program, you only have to run a simple command. The following steps will show you what to do:

  1. Open the search bar beside the Start button and type “command prompt.”
  2. Once you see Command Prompt in the search results, right-click it and then click on “Run as administrator.”
  3. Click on Yes in the UAC confirmation prompt to grant the Command Prompt administrative privileges.
  4. After the Command Prompt appears, type “netsh winsock reset” (don’t add the quotes) and then press the Enter keyboard button.

If the “netsh winsock reset” command doesn’t work, try “IPv4: netsh int ipv4 reset” or

“IPv6: type netsh int ipv6 reset,” depending on the Internet Protocol you’re using.

  1. Launch the Netflix app or try streaming through your browser to check for the problem.

Solution 7: Reset the Hosts file

Every Windows version comes with a Hosts file. The operating system uses the file to match alphanumeric URLs or hostnames to their numeric IP addresses. The file is another system component that addresses network nodes and supports connectivity.

The Hosts file is a text file that contains IP addresses followed by hostnames. If the file contains the wrong parameters, network connection problems can occur. Resetting it can resolve the problem. The file is protected by Windows, so you must be logged in to an administrator account to modify it.

The following steps will show you how to reset your Hosts file:

  1. Open the search text box next to the Start menu, type “notepad”, and then press the Enter keyboard button.
  2. Once Notepad shows up in the search results, right-click it and click on “Run as administrator”.
  3. Click on Yes in the User Account Control dialog window.
  4. After Notepad shows up, copy the text below and paste it into the note:

# Copyright (c) 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp.

#

# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.

#

# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each

# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should

# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.

# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one

# space.

#

# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual

# lines or following the machine name denoted by a ‘#’ symbol.

#

# For example:

#

# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server

# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.

# 127.0.0.1 localhost

# ::1 localhost

  1. Click on File, and then select Save As.
  2. Once the Save dialog window opens, save the file as Hosts to your Documents folder.
  3. Now open File Explorer by using the Windows + E combination or by double-clicking on a folder on your Desktop.
  4. Next, navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, locate the Hosts file in the Etc folder, and then change its name to Hosts.old.
  5. Go to your Documents folder and move the Hosts file you created into the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc directory.
  6. If you’re prompted for an administrator password, provide the details and click on Continue.
  7. Check for the Netflix error.

Solution 8: Release and renew your IP address

Your router assigns IP addresses to devices connected to it. If any device’s address becomes problematic, it automatically loses communication with the router. This could be the reason you see the error code.

Releasing and renewing your IP address will solve this issue. You have to start an IP negotiation process between your DHCP server and DHCP client. Once the process is complete, your router will assign a new IP address to your system.

The procedure involves running two commands. Follow these steps:

  1. Open the search bar beside the Start button and type “command prompt.”
  2. Once you see Command Prompt in the search results, right-click it and then click on “Run as administrator.”
  3. Click on Yes in the UAC confirmation prompt to grant the Command Prompt administrative privileges.
  4. After the Command Prompt appears, type the following lines into the black window and hit the Enter key after typing each:

Ipconfig /release

Ipconfig /renew

  1. After the commands execute successfully, check for the Netflix error.

Solution 9: Use a public DNS resolver

When your computer tries to connect to a website, it relies on a DNS resolver to match the URL you typed to the required IP address. If your DNS fails to do the job, your browser or web application will return an error message. This could very well be the cause of the Netflix error.

ISPs provide DNS servers, but they are not always competent. Sometimes, the servers miss the mark because they are not regularly updated to handle certain queries. They can also be easily attacked by bad actors. This ultimately leads to connection issues with browsers and applications like Netflix.

The solution, in this case, is switching to Google’s or Cloudflare’s static DNS server. Google has a database of updated IP addresses and domain names because it constantly crawls almost every website on the internet. Its DNS server is more efficient and secure than regular ISP-provided resolvers, as it regularly finds and gets rid of glitches and incorrect parameters.

Follow these steps to change your DNS resolver:

  1. Right-click on the Start button and select Run or press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut.
  2. Once you see the Run dialog window, type “control panel” (no quotes) and hit the Enter keyboard button.
  3. Click on Network and Internet on the home page of the Control Panel.
  4. Click on Network and Sharing Center once you see the Network and Internet interface.
  5. Go to the left pane of the Network and Sharing Center interface and click on “Change adapter settings.”
  6. After you get to the Network Connections page, right-click on your current connection and then click on Properties.
  7. Once the Properties dialog box opens, go to the Networking tab and click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
  8. Next, click on the Properties button under the list.
  9. Once you see the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties dialog window, check the box beside “Use the following DNS server addresses.”
  10. Now go to the “Preferred DNS server address” box and enter 8.8.8.8.
  11. Go to the “Alternate DNS server” box and enter 8.8.4.4.
  12. Click on the OK buttons in every open dialog box.
  13. Check for the error.

Solution 10: Reset the Netflix app

The Netflix application on your Windows 10 PC could be the problem. Its files might be corrupt or badly damaged. You can reset it to allow Windows to refresh its files. The following steps will show you how to do that:

  1. Launch the Settings application by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Settings. You can also use the Win + I keyboard shortcut to open the application.
  2. When you see the home page of Settings, click on the Apps icon.
  3. Once you get to the Apps interface, use the search function to find Netflix.
  4. Click on Netflix, then click on Advanced Options.
  5. On the Netflix page, scroll down and click on the Reset button.
  6. A message will pop up, warning you that the app’s data on your system will be permanently deleted. Click on Reset in the pop-up.
  7. Allow Windows to reinstall the app.
  8. Once the process is complete, run the program and check for the error.

Solution 11: Clear your browser’s cache

If you’re streaming Netflix videos on your web browser, consider clearing the cache. When you load a website, your web browser stores things like JavaScript scripts, CSS files, and multimedia content so that it can load them easily the next time you visit the same website. Changes are regularly made to certain websites, which could result in problems if the web browser chooses to load stuff from its cache rather than the updated content.

The cache could also become too large or corrupt and begin to malfunction. Clearing it is the best course of action in this case. The steps below will show you how to do that:

  1. Open Google Chrome.
  2. Once the browser launches, go to the top-right corner and click on the three dots.
  3. After the menu drops down, place your mouse cursor over “More Tools,” and then click on “Clear browsing data.” You can also tap the Ctrl, Shift, and Delete keys together once you open the browser.
  4. Check the box for “Cached images and files” and click on Clear Data.

Solution 12: Terminate conflicting programs

Certain programs can drag your bandwidth to the point that other applications can’t connect to the internet. In other similar cases, some apps interfere with others and cause problems. You can resolve the problem in any of these situations by shutting down the responsible program. To do that, head to the Task Manager, check for processes with high network usage, and shut them down. You can then check for the error after that.

If the problem doesn’t go away, try performing a clean boot. By restarting your system in a clean boot environment, you prevent certain apps from starting when your system boots up. Once you perform a clean boot, you’ll be able to find the real culprit.

The following steps will show you what to do:

  1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows and R keyboard buttons together.
  2. After Run opens, type “msconfig,” and then click on OK.
  3. Once the System Configuration dialog window opens, head to the Services tab.
  4. Check the “Hide all Microsoft services” box in the bottom-left corner of the Services tab.
  5. Deselect services that are essential to internet connectivity, such as networking services.
  6. After that, click on the Disable All button located in the bottom-right corner of the Services tab.
  7. Next, head to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
  8. Under the Startup tab of the Task Manager, select each program and click on Disable.
  9. Once you’ve disabled every program under the Startup tab of the Task Manager, go back to the System Configuration dialog and click on OK.
  10. Restart your system and check for the error.

If you can now stream videos on the Netflix app or your browser without seeing the error, then the issue is connected to one of the startup applications or services you just disabled. Your next step should be finding the culprit. To do that, you have to enable the startup apps one after the other and restart your system to check for the problem after enabling each item. Take note of every service and application you enable. The last item to be enabled before the error appears again is what you’re looking for.

While the process of going through individual programs and services can be lengthy, it will be worth it when you realize you won’t have to go through the ordeal of dealing with Error NW-2-5 again.

Conclusion

Now that you’re done with the problem, we recommend that you download and install Auslogics BoostSpeed. The program is packed with features that will help enhance your system’s performance and prevent a large number of software-related problems in the future. It clears out junk files that could clog your hard disk and system memory and removes broken registry keys that can cause system instability.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments section below.