How to Flush DNS

The process for flushing DNS varies depending on your computer’s operating system. Let’s go over the process for the major systems below.

How to Flush DNS Windows 10

Here’s the processing for flushing your DNS cache on Windows 10. These steps should also work for Windows 8.1

1. Click the Start button. It’s the Windows logo in the bottom left corner.

2. Select Command Prompt.

3. To open the command prompt console, you could also simply press the Windows and R keys at the same time and enter cmd.

4. You may see a popup asking if you want to allow Command Prompt to make changes to your computer. If you do, select Yes.

5. If you are asked for an administrative login at this point, then you’ll need to contact your system administrator to proceed.

6. In the command prompt window, type ipconfig /flushdns.

7. Press Enter.

8. You should see a message confirming that the DNS Resolver Cache was successfully flushed.

How to Flush DNS Windows 7

The process for flushing your DNS cache on Window 7 is nearly identical to that of later versions.

1. Click the Start button. It’s the Windows logo in the bottom left corner.

2. Click All Programs > Accessories.

3. Find Command Prompt. Right-click it, and choose Run as administrator.

4. You may see a popup asking if you want to allow Command Prompt to make changes to your computer. If you do, select Yes.

5. If you are asked for an administrative login at this point, then you’ll need to contact your system administrator to proceed.

6. In the command prompt window, type ipconfig /flushdns.

7. Press Enter.

8. You should see a message confirming that the DNS Resolver Cache was successfully flushed.

How to Flush DNS Windows XP and Vista

The process for flushing your DNS cache on Windows XP and Vista is nearly identical to that of Windows 7. However, the message at the end varies and may require admin intervention.

1. Click the Start button. It’s the Windows logo in the bottom left corner.

2. Click All Programs > Accessories.

3. Select Command Prompt.

4. In the command prompt window, type ipconfig /flushdns.

5. Press Enter.

6. You should see a message confirming that the DNS Resolver Cache was successfully flushed. If you receive a message that says “Action Requires Elevation” instead, then you need to contact the admin of your computer to complete the steps above.

How to Flush DNS Mac OS X

The process for flushing your DNS cache on a Mac computer is similar, no matter what software version it’s running. But you will need to know what version for step 6 since the command prompt varies.

1. Open Finder.

2. Click Applications.

3. Scroll down to the Utilities folder and click it.

4. Open Terminal.

5. To open Terminal, you could also simply open Launchpad and type in “Terminal” in the search bar.

6. In the Terminal window, type in the one of the following commands based on your software version:

• 10.7-10.9, 10.11-10.14 (Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave): sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
• 10.10 (Yosemite): sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache.
• 10.5-10.6 (Leopard, Snow Leopard): sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
• 10.4 (Tiger): lookupd -flushcache

7. Enter your password and press Enter again.

8. You should see a message confirming that the DNS cache has been reset.

Note: The screenshots in this section are my own.

How to Flush DNS Google Chrome

Google Chrome is not an operating system of course, but it does keep a DNS cache of its own. This is separate from your operating system’s cache and from Chrome’s browser cache. If Chrome is set as your default web browser, then you’ll need to clear Chrome’s DNS cache as well as your operating system’s DNS cache. Here’s the process.

1. Type in the following address into your browser’s address bar: chrome://net-internals/#dns

2. Click the Clear host cache button.

Note: The screenshot in this section is my own.

How to Flush DNS Linux

Unlike Windows and Mac computers, Linux systems don’t have a DNS cache by default. However, each distribution might use a different DNS service to store DNS records locally. Depending on the service, you can either clear the cache or restart the service.

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to launch a terminal window.

2. In the Terminal window, type in the one of the following commands based on the service your Linux system is running.

• NCSD: sudo /etc/init.d/nscd restart
• Dnsmasq: sudo /etc/init.d/dnsmasq restart
• BIND: You may have to try multiple commands:
  • sudo /etc/init.d/named restart
  • sudo rndc restart
  • sudo rndc exec

3. You may be asked to enter your password.

4. The service might stop, then start again before sending a confirmation message that the cache was successfully reset.

Flushing Your DNS Cache

There’s a lot of reasons to regularly flush your DNS cache. It can help prevent phishing schemes or other attacks on your computer, direct you to the most up-to-date versions of your most frequently visited sites, restore your internet connection, and keep your data private.

The best part is how easy the process is. Following the steps above can help you perform a DNS flush quickly and easily, no matter what operating system your computer has. That way, you can move onto your other website development tasks.