Flushing your DNS cache can be beneficial for several reasons, particularly when dealing with network or connectivity issues. For PhotoBiz clients, you may see a message on your control panel that says "an unexpected error occurred, please check your network connection and try again." Many times, flushing your DNS will help resolve this.
Here's other reasons why you might want to do it:
- Resolve outdated or incorrect DNS data: Sometimes, the DNS cache stores outdated information, which can cause issues like loading an old version of a website or failing to reach a website that has recently changed its IP address.
- Fix connectivity issues: Flushing the DNS can help resolve problems where your computer is unable to connect to websites due to stale or corrupted DNS records.
- Improve security and privacy: Old DNS records might include data that could be targeted by hackers to spoof or redirect traffic to malicious sites. Clearing the cache ensures that your computer requests updated DNS information.
- Ensure proper website updates: If a website has moved to a new server or had changes to its DNS configuration, flushing the DNS ensures that you access the latest version of the site.
- Troubleshoot slow browsing: If your web browser is slow or not loading pages correctly, clearing the DNS cache can sometimes speed up the process by ensuring that you’re using the most accurate route to the website.
Regularly flushing your DNS is especially helpful when you notice browsing issues or after making network or DNS changes. Flushing your DNS cache varies between Windows/PC users and Mac/Apple users, we have instructions for both platforms below.
Windows (Microsoft/PC Users)
Open Command Prompt: Press Windows Key + R, type cmd, and hit Enter.
In the Command Prompt window, type the following command:
ipconfig/flushdns
Press Enter on your keyboard to flush your DNS cache.
You should see a message saying, "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache." after you've pressed enter.
macOS (Apple users)
Open Terminal: You can find it by searching for "Terminal" in Spotlight (Command + Space).
Type the following command based on your macOS version:
For macOS Big Sur, Monterey, or Ventura:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
You might be prompted to enter your admin password. Once done, the DNS cache will be flushed without any additional output.
After flushing, your computer will request new DNS information the next time you visit a website.
