Microsoft has developed Windows 10 like a Swiss army knife. Considerably, it’s the most stable version of Windows after Windows 7.
Many IT personnel and Windows users skipped Windows 8 because they didn’t like its touch-centric user interface. Windows 10 on the other hand focused on providing the traditional experience that users are fond of.
Do you know?
Windows stores vital domain name resolution data in a temporary file to improve your internet speed. This file is known as DNS cache.
Normally, this helps you to quickly navigate to your desired destination on the internet. This cache bypasses internet requests from the DNS server for quick browsing. The purpose of the DNS cache is actually to help you.
However, these files can get corrupted with faulty information over time. In that case, Windows 10 requests a DNS server when it finds the files corrupted, causing a notable waste of time. This can slow down your — internet speed.
How to flush and reset Windows DNS cache?
In this article, we will present 3 vital methods to show you how to clear DNS cache on Windows 10. All 3 methods will work on the older versions of — Windows operating systems.
Method 1: How to clear DNS cache with Windows Command?
This method demonstrates how you can flush DNS cache with Windows command. Follow these steps carefully to clear the DNS cache in this method –
- Hold down Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type the following line and hit ‘Enter’.
ipconfig /flushdns
- Once you hit the ‘Enter’ button, you will notice a flash on your PC screen. This means the DNS resolver cache is now cleared.
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Method 2: How to clear DNS cache using Command prompt?
This method shows how you can clear the DNS cache using Windows Command Prompt. Just go through these steps –
- Type ‘cmd’ in the search bar.
- You will notice the Command Prompt in the results. Right click on it and select “Run as administrator”.
Type the following like and press ‘Enter’.
ipconfig /flushdns
This method works almost the same way as method 1.
Method 3: How to clear DNS cache on Windows 10 with PowerShell?
If you are not satisfied with the above 2 methods, then try this method with Windows PowerShell –
- Type ‘PowerShell’ in the search bar beside the Windows logo.
- Press ‘Enter’ to select Windows PowerShell.
- Type the following line and hit the ‘Enter’ button for the final time.
Clear-DnsClientCache
— This will flush and reset the DNS cache. Enjoy!
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How to see the DNS cache on Windows 10?
Follow these steps accordingly to see the current DNS cache on Windows 10 –
- Type ‘cmd’ in the search bar to open a new elevated command prompt (make sure you are running it as administrator).
- Inside the command prompt, type the following code.
ipconfig /displaydns
When you hit the ‘Enter’ button, you will see a very long output like the above image. Now, you can check the entries.
ipconfig /displaydns >%USERPROFILE%Desktopdns.txt
— Once you press ‘Enter’, you will find a dns.txt file on your browser within a moment.
— You can open this text file using any editor and see the existing DNS cache.
Verdict: How clearing Windows DNS can help you?
Sometimes, bad or faulty results are being stored in the DNS cache. Spoofing or Poisoning might be the reasons for caching bad results. The DNS cache can either be broken or corrupted for this. As a result, you may not be able to browse an existing website on the Internet.
— Aside from this, the IP address of a website may change. You may not find that particular website on the internet as your DNS cache saved the old IP address. So, it is essential to flush and reset the DNS cache when you can’t access a website that you have previously visited.
WordPress 404 error if you are unlucky. So, it is essential to flush and reset the DNS cache when you can’t access a website that you have previously visited.
People asked these questions about DNS cache from time to time
1. What is the DNS Cache in Windows 10?
Ans: While you are visiting a website typing its domain, your browser knows the IP address of that particular website from a DNS server. Even though there are plenty of public DNS servers, Windows stores a local copy of that website.
This local copy is stored temporarily, which is called DNS cache. So when you visit the website again, it takes significantly less time. Because the information can be accessed quickly.
2. Where is the DNS cache stored?
Ans: Typically, existing entries are wiped out when the DNS service is stopped or restarted. This proves the entries are only stored as cache memories. However, the persistent ipconfig DNS entries stored by local DNS via ping can be found at –
c:windowssystem32driversetchosts.
3. Is it safe to flush DNS cache?
Ans: Yes there are a few reasons to flush DNS cache. Like we have explained earlier in this article, there are 2 reasons to clear DNS cache –
- When the DNS cache gets corrupted or broken for Spoofing or Poisoning.
- When outdated information is saved in a DNS cache that causes difficulty in accessing previously visited websites.
4. How to see DNS cache in Windows PowerShell?
Ans: The method is pretty much the same as seeing DNS cache in the command prompt. Once you are inside Windows PowerShell, type the following lines –
Clear-DnsClientCache
Ipconfig /displaydns
Although the first line (Clear-DnsClientCache) is not always necessary, it helps in clearing the previous records so that you can get an accurate view of the current entries.
5. What is the DNS Resolver Cache in Windows 10?
Ans: Actually, DNS cache can also be referred to as DNS Resolver cache. Therefore, it also does the same thing, which is to store a local copy of a website when it is visited.