Down for Everyone, or Just Me?
A
The fastest way to know is to check the site from a connection that is not yours. If it loads from outside your network, the problem is local to you; if it fails there too, you are probably looking at a real outage.
What makes a site look down when it isn't
A stale DNS cache on your computer or router can keep pointing you at an old, dead server address even after the site's DNS has been fixed elsewhere. Your ISP can have a routing problem to one destination while the rest of the internet reaches it fine. A VPN can route your traffic through a location where the site is blocked, slow, or misconfigured. Browser cache, extensions, corporate firewalls, and captive Wi-Fi portals can create the same illusion.
Before declaring an outage, try one local cross-check: a phone on mobile data, a different browser, or a DNS flush. If one of those works, you have narrowed the issue to your device, network, ISP, or VPN rather than the website itself. If every local attempt fails, use an outside-in check next.
How an outside-in check settles it
A check that runs from outside your own network — from probe locations that are not your ISP, your VPN, or your DNS cache — gives a cleaner answer. If it succeeds from there, the site is up and the problem is on your end: try a different network, flush DNS, disable the VPN, or check whether a local firewall is blocking it. If it fails from outside too, the outage is real and not specific to you.
This is also why a single "it works for me" or "it is down for me" report from one person is not enough to confirm an outage either way. You need a check run from somewhere else entirely, and ideally a monitor that keeps checking so the next incident is detected before anyone has to ask.
How do I check if a website is down for everyone?
Run a check from outside your own network — a different connection, a mobile hotspot, or an outside-in scanning tool. If it fails there too, the outage is probably real, not local to you.
Can a VPN make a website look down when it isn't?
Yes. A VPN routes your traffic through a different location, which can hit a blocked, slow, or misconfigured path to the site even while the site is healthy everywhere else.
Why does clearing my DNS cache sometimes fix a "down" site?
Your computer or router can cache an old DNS record pointing at a dead server address. Flushing the cache forces a fresh DNS lookup, which picks up the current, working address.
Is one person saying "it's down" enough to confirm an outage?
No. A single report cannot rule out a local network, DNS cache, VPN, browser, or firewall issue on that person's end. Check from outside their network before calling it a real outage.
Holter watches this for you: outside-in monitors plus dead-man heartbeats for silent failures. Free plan: 5 monitors, 5-minute checks, no credit card.
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