When a certain website on Windows 11 fails to load, a programme that needs internet connection stops operating, or networking tools like “ping” or “nslookup” return the incorrect destination IP address, there is likely a problem with the local Domain Name System (DNS) cache. You may find instructions on how to solve this issue in this guide.
The Windows 11 networking stack stores a copy of each domain name to an IP address translation from the DNS feature in the local resolver cache when accessing the internet or running an app that requires an internet connection to speed up subsequent connections.
The drawback to this method is that occasionally the DNS cache may stop functioning for a variety of reasons, preventing websites and apps from loading properly. In these cases, flushing the DNS cache records from the system can help because you will be essentially clearing the cache and starting over with a new database.
Windows 11 comes with at least two ways to clear the cache using Command Prompt and PowerShell if you’re having DNS-related problems. Additionally, programmes like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox offer facilities to flush these networking records in order to fix the issue.
You may clear the DNS cache on Windows 11 using a variety of methods, which are all explained in this how-to.
Using Windows 11, How can I clear the DNS cache?
- Launch Start.
- Click the top search result to open the Run as administrator menu, then search for Command Prompt.
- To clear the DNS cache on Windows 11, enter the command below and then type flushdns. /flushdns in IP configuration
- (Optional) To view the cached entries from the neighbourhood DNS, enter the command after you type it: /displaydns ipconfig
After you finish the steps, a new DNS lookup procedure will start the next time the system or an application tries to access the network in order to cache the data once more.
Powershell on Windows 11: DNS Cache Flushing Guide
Follow these procedures to utilise PowerShell commands to flush the DNS records:
- Click on Start.
- Run PowerShell as administrator by selecting it from the context menu when you right-click the top result of your search for it.
- To clear the DNS cache on Windows 11, use the following command and hit Enter: Clear-DnsClientCache
- (Optional) To view the local DNS cached records, use the command after typing it: Get-DnsClientCache
- The PowerShell command will reset and delete the device’s cached DNS records when you finish the procedures.
- Using Windows 11, how do I clear the DNS cache from the browser?
Popular browsers including Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox all have the ability to delete the DNS cache on Windows 11.
Chrome or Edge
Use these steps to clear Chrome or Edge’s DNS cache:
- Activate Chrome or Edge.
- In the address bar, enter the following path by typing it in: chrome //net-internals/#dns and for mobile chrome //net-internals/#dns Mobile
- Select the “Host resolver cache” setting on the “DNS” screen, then click the “Clear host cache” button.
Firefox
Follow these instructions to delete the DNS cache in Firefox:
- Launch Firefox.
- In the address bar, enter the following path by typing it in: about:networking#dns
- Select “Clear DNS cache” from the menu on the “DNS” page.
The web browser will clear the DNS cache after you’ve finished, just like with Command Prompt and PowerShell, enabling webpages and other services to resume functioning normally.
