This article provides a guide for how to clear your DNS cache for various operating system types.

Overview

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 web server 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

The following methods allow you to remove old and inaccurate DNS information that may result in 404 errors.

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

To clear your DNS cache if you use Windows 7, 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

5. 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....
   • If you do not see the Run command in Vista, enter run in the Search bar.

3. Run the following command in the Run text box:

   ipconfig /flushdns

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

   Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.

MacOS® 10.10

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

1. Click Applications.
2. Click Utilities.
3. Click Terminal.

4. Run the following command:

   sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion

You now know how to clear your DNS cache for various types of operating systems.