After a DNS or nameserver change, your computer may still use the old address. Flushing the DNS cache makes it look up the new one.
Windows 10 and 11
Click Start, type
cmd, right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.Type this command and press Enter:
ipconfig /flushdnsWindows answers "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache."
The same command works on older Windows versions.
macOS
Open Terminal (in Applications > Utilities, or search for it with Spotlight).
Type this command and press Enter, then type your Mac password (nothing appears while you type) and press Enter again:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
There is no message when it works.
Linux
On most current distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora) run:
sudo resolvectl flush-cachesBrowsers
Browsers keep their own short DNS cache. Close and reopen the browser, or clear it directly:
- Chrome: open
chrome://net-internals/#dnsand click Clear host cache. - Edge: open
edge://net-internals/#dnsand click Clear host cache. - Firefox: open
about:networking#dnsand click Clear DNS Cache. - Safari: flush the macOS cache as above and reopen Safari.
Phones and tablets
Turn flight mode on and off again, or restart the device.
Common problems
The old website still appears after flushing
Your internet provider's DNS servers may still remember the old address until the record's time to live runs out. Check the site on your phone with Wi-Fi turned off: if it shows the new site there, the change is working and your network will catch up.
"The requested operation requires elevation" on Windows
Command Prompt wasn't started as administrator. Close it and open it again with Run as administrator.
Check which address your computer uses
Run nslookup yourdomain.com in Command Prompt or Terminal. It shows the IP address your computer gets for the domain. Compare it with the IP Address on your hosting service (see Find your server name, IP address and nameservers).
Related articles
Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we'll help.
