Introduction
This tutorial will show how to flush DNS using various platforms. By the end, you’ll be able to clear DNS cache on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines.
Bad or outdated DNS resolver cache will display incorrect information or an error when you access websites. The following can occur due to recent DNS changes. Therefore, it is important to know how to flush DNS cache and tackle this issue with ease.
How to Flush DNS on Windows
Firstly, lets check how we can flush DNS on Windows machines. The following method will let you clear DNS cache on Windows XP; Vista; 7; 8; 8.1; 10.
Step 1 — Launching Windows command prompt console
Press the Windows+R key combination in order to open the Run dialog box. Type the following command and click the OK button:
cmd
This will open a command prompt window.
Step 2 — Flushing DNS
Use this command to clear DNS resolver cache on your computer:
ipconfig /flushdns
Wait a few moments and you’ll see a confirmation that DNS resolver cache has been flushed.
How to Flush DNS on Linux
Clearing DNS cache or Linux is a pretty straightforward process. The syntax to flush DNS may vary depending on what OS you’re running.
Ubuntu Linux
Open up your terminal and execute the following command:
sudo service network-manager restart
Other Linux Distributions
If you’re any other linux distribution, this command will do the trick:
sudo /etc/init.d/nscd restart
How to Flush DNS on Mac
Lets see how we can flush DNS on Apple OS. The command to clear DNS cache will differ depending on your OS version.
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Mac OS Sierra
To flush DNS on this Apple OS version, navigate Application › Utilities › Terminal and enter this command:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Mac OS X El Capitan
If you’re a user of this OS, the same process will work. Open Application › Utilities › Terminal and enter:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Mac OS X Yosemite
Clear DNS cache on this OS by going to Application › Utilities › Terminal and input:
sudo discoveryutil udnsflushcaches
Mac OS X Mavericks
To erase outdated DNS cache, go to Application › Utilities › Terminal and execute:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Mac OS X Mountain Lion
The users of this Mac OS version can proceed to Application › Utilities › Terminal and flush DNS with this command:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Mac OS X Lion
Head over to Application › Utilities › Terminal use the following syntax:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Mac OS X Snow Leopard
If you are running this version, jump to Application › Utilities › Terminal and input:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
Mac OS X Leopard and below
You may clear DNS resolver cache on this OS by going to Application › Utilities › Terminal and entering:
sudo lookupd -flushcache
Conclusion
Congratulations! By completing this tutorial you have learned how to flush DNS on Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms. You may now clear DNS resolver cache by using flush DNS commands and ensure that you get the latest entries. Keep in mind that browser cache may also be the cause of incorrectly displayed web pages. Check out this tutorial on how to clear it!
Have any tips, tricks, or ideas to share? Let us know in the comments below!
To check DNS and IP addresses accessed by Chrome, you can go to:
chrome://net-internals/#dns
Hello, Cesar
I appreciate your input. I was not aware of the provided tool and it seems really useful!