How to Flush DNS on Windows Mac Android and iPhone

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How to Flush DNS on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone

Every time you visit a website, your device looks up its address and keeps a copy for a while so the next visit is faster. That saved list is the DNS cache. When a website moves to a new server, or a saved entry goes bad, the old copy can stop the site loading on your device while it works everywhere else. Flushing the DNS cache throws the saved copies away so fresh ones are looked up.

When Flushing DNS Helps (and When It Does Not)

It is worth trying when:

one website will not load on your device but opens on other devices or on mobile data;
you have just changed your DNS server (for example to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8);
a browser shows errors such as DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN or "server IP address could not be found".

It will not fix a connection that is down altogether. If no website loads on any device, see router connected but no internet. If one device says it is connected but has no internet, start with Wi-Fi connected but no internet.

Windows 10 and 11

Open the Start menu, type cmd, and open Command Prompt.
Run:

ipconfig /flushdns

You should see "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache."

If you get an access error instead, right-click Command Prompt in the Start menu, choose Run as administrator, and run the command again. The same command works in PowerShell and Windows Terminal.

To see what was cached before you flush it, run ipconfig /displaydns.

Mac

Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities, or search with Spotlight).
Run this line, then type your Mac password when asked (nothing appears while you type):

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

There is no confirmation message - if no error appears, the cache has been cleared. This works on current macOS versions.

Chrome and Other Chromium Browsers

Chrome keeps its own small DNS cache, separate from the system's. If one site still fails in Chrome after flushing the system cache:

Type chrome://net-internals/#dns in the address bar and press Enter.
Click Clear host cache.

In Microsoft Edge the address is edge://net-internals/#dns. Close and reopen the tab afterwards.

Android

Android has no flush command, but any of these clears the DNS cache:

Turn Airplane mode on, wait ten seconds, and turn it off again.
Restart the phone.
In Chrome for Android, open chrome://net-internals/#dns and tap Clear host cache.

If sites still fail on every network, check Private DNS: on Pixel and most phones it is under Settings > Network & internet > Private DNS (Samsung: Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Private DNS). Set it to Automatic to rule it out.

iPhone and iPad

iOS also has no command for this. Turn Airplane mode on and off from Control Centre, or restart the device. If a VPN or DNS app is installed, turn it off and test again, because those apps provide their own DNS.

Still Not Working?

If flushing the cache did not help, the DNS server itself may be the problem: switch to a public DNS server or follow DNS server not responding: how to fix it. Restarting the router also clears the DNS cache it keeps for the whole network.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What does flushing DNS do?

It deletes the list of website addresses your device has remembered, so the next visit looks each address up again. That fixes problems caused by an old or wrong saved address.

Is it safe to flush DNS?

Yes. Nothing is deleted except the saved lookups, which are rebuilt automatically. The first visit to each site may take a fraction of a second longer.

Do I need administrator rights to run ipconfig /flushdns?

Usually not, but if Windows shows an access error, open Command Prompt as administrator and run the command again.

How do I flush DNS on an iPhone or Android phone?

Phones have no flush command. Turning Airplane mode on and off, or restarting the phone, clears the DNS cache. Chrome on Android also has its own cache you can clear at chrome://net-internals/#dns.