Clear the DNS Cache on a Windows or Mac Computer or from Your Web Browser

Overview

This article details the steps to clear/flush the DNS cache on a Windows or Mac computer or from your Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Mozilla Firefox web browser.

Windows

  1. Enter Command Prompt in the search box on your Windows system tray.

  1. Right-click on Command Prompt and then select Run as administrator.

  1. Click the Yes button in the User Account Control dialog box.

  1. Type ipconfig /flushdns in the Command Prompt and then press the Enter key.

A message displays confirming that the DNS Resolver Cache has been cleared/flushed.

  1. Close the Command Prompt.

Mac

  1. Open the Terminal using Spotlight Search or by pressing Command + Space and then typing Terminal.

OR

Navigate to Go > Utilities > Terminal.

  1. Type (or copy and paste) sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder and then press Return.

  1. Type your Mac password and then press Return. The password will not display in the Terminal when you type it.

The DNS cache will be cleared/flushed but you will not see any message confirming it. When a new line displays, it indicates the command was successfully executed.

Google Chrome

  1. Open the Google Chrome web browser.

  1. Enter chrome://net-internals/#dns in the address bar (URL) and then press the Enter key.

  1. Click the Clear host cache button under DNS lookup.

  1. Close the Google Chrome web browser (including all tabs and windows) and open it again.

Microsoft Edge

  1. Open the Microsoft Edge web browser.

  1. Enter edge://net-internals/#dns in the address bar (URL) and then press the Enter key.

  1. Click the Clear host cache button under DNS lookup.

  1. Close the Microsoft Edge web browser (including all tabs and windows) and open it again.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Open the Mozilla Firefox web browser.

  1. Enter about:networking#dns in the address bar (URL) and then press the Enter key.

  1. Click the Clear DNS Cache button under DNS.

  1. Close the Mozilla Firefox web browser (including all tabs and windows) and open it again.

Additional Resources

N/A

Contact Information

If you experience any issues following these steps, please contact the IT Help Desk by phone at 703-426-4141 or through the IT Help Desk Web Page.

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