The DNS client on your computer will typically cache domain name resolutions for 24 hours. This speeds up web browsing on the site’s you visit frequently.

Sometimes this can cause problems when a website moves server or changes IP address and the old DNS entries are still cached on your computer. You can either ‘flush’ your DNS cache or wait 24 hours for it to automatically refresh.

How to flush the DNS cache

To flush the DNS cache in Windows:

Simply open Start > Accessories > Command Prompt and use the command:

ipconfig /flushdns
To flush the DNS cache in Linux:

Simply restart the nscd daemon with the command:

/etc/init.d/nscd restart
To flush the DNS cache in Mac OS X:

Simply open a terminal and use the command:

dscacheutil -flushcache

In OS X versions 10.5.1 or earlier use the command:

lookupd -flushcache

Updated by SP on 24/11/2022

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