Clearing DNS Cache

If you have made DNS changes (like updating nameservers or A records) but your computer still loads the old version of your site, your local DNS cache may be holding onto the old records. Flushing your DNS cache forces your computer to look up the fresh records.

01. Windows

1. Open Command Prompt - Search "cmd" in the Start menu, right-click, and select "Run as administrator"
2. Run: ipconfig /flushdns
3. You should see: "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache"

02. macOS

1. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal)
2. Run: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
3. Enter your Mac password when prompted

03. Linux

The command depends on your DNS resolver:

• systemd-resolved (Ubuntu 18+, Fedora): sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches
• nscd: sudo service nscd restart
• dnsmasq: sudo service dnsmasq restart

04. Browser DNS Cache

Browsers maintain their own DNS cache separate from the operating system. Even after flushing the OS cache, your browser may still use cached DNS entries.

• Chrome: Navigate to chrome://net-internals/#dns and click "Clear host cache"
• Firefox: Navigate to about:networking#dns and click "Clear DNS Cache"
• All browsers: Close and reopen the browser completely, or use an incognito/private window

05. Still Seeing the Old Site?

If flushing the cache does not help, the DNS change may not have fully propagated yet. DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours worldwide. Check the current propagation status with our DNS Lookup tool.

For a deeper explanation of DNS propagation, see DNS Changed But Site Not Showing.

Quick Recap

1. Windows: ipconfig /flushdns in admin Command Prompt
2. macOS: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
3. Linux: sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches
4. Clear browser DNS cache too - Chrome and Firefox have their own caches
5. Allow 48 hours for full DNS propagation worldwide

DNS troubleshooting · Last updated March 2026 · Browse all DNS articles