If you are trying to retrieve the newest version of a specific website, you will have to consider going for a DNS flush. This is where you will start wondering how to flush your DNS.
DNS provides the web browser with information on where to locate a specific website. The computer keeps all that information within its cache.
Hence, it can always direct your website in the correct direction. Continue to read this article, and we will share the steps with you on how to clean your DNS cache.
What is DNS cache?
Before learning How to clear DNS cache in Windows, you must understand what it is all about. A DNS cache is pretty much similar to an address book that you have saved within the computer. It has your Domain Name Server or DNS details of each website you visit.
What exactly is DNS? The technology allows your computer to understand the IP address linked with a specific domain. If you want to know What does DNS do , click here.
By saving DNS records within the local DNS cache, your web browser can go ahead and locate a website within a short period.
When you enter the domain address on your website, it will first go ahead and search for DNS information within the local cache. Then it will look up for the same in your DNS cache.
You can load the website with the minimum hassle if the information is available within the DNS cache. Your web browser usually takes the shortest route to get hold of DNS information.
How to flush DNS on Mac?
If you are using a Mac computer, you will need to understand How to clear DNS cache in Mac. Make sure you follow these steps on How to clear the DNS cache on Mac, and you will be able to get the job done within a few minutes.
- As the very first thing, you will need to open up the Terminal app within your Mac computer. It is possible to access the Terminal via Launchpad, which you can find under the Folder named Other.
It is also possible for you to launch the Terminal by directly going to Applications and then selecting Utilities.
- Once you are in the Terminal, you will need to enter the following command:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
- Now, you will be asked to enter the password of your Mac OS account. You should be entering the same password that you are using when you log into your computer.
Once you enter the correct password, you can get your Mac OS computer to flush its DNS cache. As a result, you can go to any website and get hold of the latest DNS information on it.
How to clear DNS cache in Windows
The steps you should follow to clear the DNS cache on a Windows computer are pretty much the same. Here is a detailed overview of the specific actions you will need to follow to get the job done.
- As the very first thing, you will need to open the Command Prompt (CMD) on your Windows computer. You can hit the Start button and enter CMD to locate Command Prompt.
- Once you are in the Command Prompt, you will need to enter the following term:
ipconfig /flushdns
- After entering this command, you must hit the enter button on the keyboard. It will execute the command and flush the DNS cache within the Windows computer.
After you clean the DNS cache, you will be able to visit any website on any preferred browser. Then your computer will fetch new DNS information from the website accordingly.
How to clear Chrome DNS cache
If you are using Google Chrome as your web browser, you will come across the need to understand how to clear Chrome’s DNS cache as well. This process is relatively straightforward as well.
Below are the steps you need to follow when you want to learn how to clear the DNS cache in Chrome.
- You should first open up the Google Chrome web browser.
- Next, you will need to enter the following command under the Address Bar of your Chrome web browser:
chrome://net-internals/#dns
- Now, you can enter the net internal settings page of the Google Chrome web browser. This is where you can find a “Clear Host Cache” button. Once you click that button, you can get your Google Chrome web browser to clear the DNS cache.
It is important to understand that DNS and browser cache are different things. Your web browser is saving a lot of details related to the websites you visit into the browser cache.
This is done to get the web pages to load as fast as possible. If you are having issues loading a specific web page correctly, you should first think about cleaning your browser cache.
If that doesn’t work, you may go ahead and clean the DNS cache as well. However, clearing the browser cache will help you to overcome the problem in most instances.
Conclusion
From this article, you can get a solid understanding of what DNS cache is all about. On top of that, you could figure out how to clear DNS cache in different ways, such as from your Windows computer, Mac OS computer, and the Google Chrome web browser.
Pick the most convenient and appropriate method to clear the DNS cache accordingly. Then you will be able to proceed with getting the job done without encountering any issues at all.