How to Clear Your DNS Cache

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Clearing your DNS cache can improve your browsing experience by ensuring that you are accessing the most current versions of websites. This process is a useful troubleshooting step for resolving DNS-related issues. Below, you’ll find detailed instructions on how to clear your DNS cache on various devices.

Understanding DNS Cache

DNS cache stores the IP addresses of web servers that contain recently viewed web pages. This cache speeds up subsequent requests to the same domain as it eliminates the need for repeated DNS lookups. However, sometimes outdated or corrupted information can be stored, necessitating a cache clear.

Why You Should Clear Your DNS Cache

Clearing the DNS cache can resolve connectivity issues and ensure that you are accessing the most up-to-date web pages. It is particularly useful when websites fail to load correctly or if you encounter DNS errors.

Steps to Clear DNS Cache on Windows

  1. Open the Command Prompt by typing “cmd” in the Windows search bar and selecting it.
  2. Type the following command and press Enter: ipconfig /flushdns
  3. A confirmation message will appear: “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.”

Steps to Clear DNS Cache on macOS

  1. Open the Terminal application from the Utilities folder.
  2. Type the following command and press Enter: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
  3. You may be prompted to enter your administrator password.
  4. Once the command is executed, the DNS cache is cleared.

Clearing DNS Cache on Mobile Devices

For iOS Devices: Restarting your iPhone or iPad is the simplest way to clear the DNS cache.

For Android Devices:

  1. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi.
  2. Long press on your current network and select Forget Network.
  3. Reconnect to the network to refresh the DNS cache.