DNS/Domain Name System cache is a collection of addresses that you have recently visited from your smartphone or computer browser. The DNS mechanism is in place so that you can access frequently visited web pages in a much faster fashion.
In other words, the DNS is analogous to an address book, the computer looks up the record of DNS entries in order to communicate with the webserver and eventually fetch the IP addresses. However, sometimes a faulty DNS entry causes peculiar problems.
The Problem
Ever encountered a browser error that says “DNS server not responding.” Well, this particular issue is caused due to faulty DNS settings.
As explained earlier the computer makes use of the DNS cache and uses it like an address book to fetch the IP address. Sometimes things go awry and this is when the DNS errors raise their ugly head.
That being said, sometimes the DNS caching doesn’t work as intended and one of the main reasons behind this is DNS poisoning. The poisoning or the pollution occurs when the DNS cache is inserted with unauthorized domain names and IP addresses.
This problem is referred to as DNS Cache poisoning and is caused by viruses, redirects to malicious websites. DNS Flushing is one of the most effective manners by which we can handle the DNS errors.
Let us take a closer look at how to flush DNS across several computing platforms,
FlushDNS on Windows PC (ipconfig method)
Windows is arguably one of the most used operating systems worldwide. So let us begin this mini tutorial by understanding how to Flush DNS on Windows PC.
Open the Start Menu by pressing the Windows logo or directly clicking on the Start Icon
Type “command prompt” in the search bar
Click on Command Prompt as shown in the screenshot above
Now just type or copy paste the command below and press Enter
“ipconfig /flushdns”
If you have performed all the steps listed above then your DNS is flushed on Windows PC and you should be good to go.
FlushDNS on Mac
Well many of us are sort of stuck when it comes to flushing DNS on Mac. Well, fret not we are here to help and yes like always we will keep it simple.
Open the Spotlight by clicking on the Spotlight Icon as shown in the above image
Alternatively, you can also press Command+Space to open Spotlight
Type “terminal” into the Spotlight
Generally, the first option is the “Terminal” click on it
Now type or enter the following code into the Terminal and press “Return”
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder;say DNS cache has been flushed
In some cases, the Terminal asks for your Mac password and you are required to enter the same. As a final step restart your browser and you should be good to go.
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