Your DNS cache stores the locations (IP addresses) of web servers that contain web pages which you have recently viewed. If the location of the webserver changes before the entry in your DNS cache updates, you can no longer access the site.

If you encounter a large number of HTML 404 error codes, you may need to clear your DNS cache. After you clear your DNS cache, your computer will query nameservers for the new DNS information.

How to clear your DNS cache

 

Windows® 8

To clear your DNS cache if you use Windows 8, perform the following steps:

  1. On your keyboard, press Win+X to open the WinX Menu.
  2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
  3. Run the following command: 
    ipconfig /flushdns

If the command succeeds, the system returns the following message:

Windows IP configuration successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.

 

Windows® 7 or 10

To clear your DNS cache if you use Windows 7 or 10, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Start.
  2. Enter cmd in the Start menu search text box.
  3. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
  4. Run the following command: 
    ipconfig /flushdns

If the command succeeds, the system returns the following message:

Windows IP configuration successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.

 

Windows XP®, 2000, or Vista®

To clear your DNS cache if you use Windows XP, 2000, or Vista, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Start.
  2. On the Start menu, click Run.
  3. If you do not see the Run command in Vista, enter run in the Search bar.
  4. Run the following command in the Run text box: 
    ipconfig /flushdns

If the command succeeds, the system returns the following message:

Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.

 

macOS® 10.10.4 and above

To clear your DNS cache if you use macOS X version 10.10.4 or above, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Applications.
  2. Click Utilities.
  3. Click Terminal.
  4. Run the following command: 
    sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

If the command succeeds, the system does not return any output.

Warning:
To run this command, you must know the computer’s administrator account password.
macOS 10.10.1, 10.10.2, and 10.10.3

To clear your DNS cache if you use macOS X version 10.10 through 10.10.3, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Applications.
  2. Click Utilities.
  3. Click Terminal.
  4. Run the following command: 
    sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache

If the command succeeds, the system does not return any output.

Warning:
To run this command, you must know the computer’s administrator account password.
macOS 10.7, 10.8, and 10.9

To clear your DNS cache if you use macOS X version 10.7, 10.8, or 10.9, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Applications.
  2. Click Utilities.
  3. Double-click Terminal.
  4. Run the following command: 
    sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

If the command succeeds, the system does not return any output.

Warning:
To run this command, you must know the computer’s administrator account password.
macOS 10.5 and 10.6

To clear your DNS cache if you use macOS X version 10.5 or 10.6, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Applications.
  2. Click Utilities.
  3. Double-click Terminal.
  4. Run the following command: 
    sudo dscacheutil -flushcache

If the command succeeds, the system does not return any output.

Warning:
To run this command, you must know the computer’s administrator account password.
ChromeOS

To clear your DNS cache if you use ChromeOS, perform the following steps:

  1. Open a new Chrome tab.
  2. Enter the following address 
    chrome://net-internals
  3. Hit the Enter key.
  4. From the menu, select DNS.
  5. Click the Clear host cache button.

If the command succeeds, the system will perform any DNS lookups again.

Ubuntu

To clear your DNS cache if you use Ubuntu, perform the following steps:

  1. Run the following command: 
    sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches
  2. Run the following command: 
    sudo systemd-resolve --statistics

If the command succeeds, it will return results with an empty cache.

Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®, CentOS, and related Linux® releases

To clear your DNS cache if you use CentOS or related Linux releases (for example, CloudLinux™ or AlmaLinux), run the following command:

systemctl restart dnsmasq.service

If the command succeeds, the system does not return any output.

Was this answer helpful? 28 Users Found This Useful (81 Votes)

Most Popular Articles

Where can I download a free FTP client?

Here are some links for some of the more popular free FTP clients available on the...
How do I use cPanel to manage my website?

cPanel is a powerful web based control panel that allows you to manage your website through a...
How do I reset my cPanel/hosting account password?

Resetting your cPanel password can be accomplished following these steps: Log into your cPanel...
How can I configure email on my mobile device?

To configure your email on your phone or other electronic device: Login to Webmail using the...
How do I change my password in Windows Mail?

The following tells you how to change a mail password in Micrsoft Windows Mail. Start your...