How to Flush or Reset Your DNS Cache on Windows 11 – Guide

If you are experiencing connectivity issues, try flushing the DNS resolver cache in Windows 11 using any of the following methods. If you are experiencing connectivity issues, problems accessing a certain webpage, DNS cache corrupt, or receiving a ‘DNS server unavailable’ error, then the problem could be due to an outdated or corrupt local DNS cache. Most of these issues can be resolved by manually clearing or relaxing the DNS cache in Windows 11. This process is called ‘DNS clearing’. There are four different methods to flush DNS cache in Windows 11, command prompt, powershell, run command and in browser. Flushing DNS cache in Windows 11 is quite an easy process and you don’t need any technical knowledge to do it. This tutorial will walk you through the detailed steps on how to flush DNS cache in Windows 11 using various methods.

What is DNS?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. Converts the website name to an IP address that the computer can understand. This will happen with any website you want to visit. Whenever a user visits a website via its hostname, the web browser initiates an internet search, but this search cannot be completed until the website name is “translated” into an IP address. To enhance your browsing experience, Windows provides an option to store the specified DNS server address. The TCP/IP stack uses the IP address and refers to that specific gateway user or service specific DNS to resolve the website’s domain name to its IP address and upload it to your web server.

What is DNS Cache?

DNS caching refers to the temporary storage of information about previous DNS lookups in the machine’s operating system or web browser. Keeping a local copy of the DNS lookup helps your operating system or browser easily retrieve it, making it easier to resolve a website’s URL to its corresponding IP. The basic functions of all types of caches are similar. DNS caching doesn’t just happen at the OS and device level. In fact, DNS lookup involves the various steps described above. In the new DNS lookup process, the lookup goes through the resolver, root server, and TLD server. Collect information at each stage and save it for later use. So even if the local DNS cache is empty, the solver can access the cached copy of the necessary information, thus avoiding the need to go through the entire DNS lookup phase.

How to See DNS cache

If you’re the curious type and want to know what’s currently stored in your DNS cache, here’s How to view it:

3 Methods to Reset Your DNS Cache in Windows 11

There are typically three types of caches in Windows that you can easily flush: Clearing the memory cache will free up up some system memory while clearing the Thumbnail Cache will make your hard disk space safe. Clearing the DNS cache will fix problems with your internet access. So without further ado, here how to reset DNS cache in Windows 11.

Flush DNS Cache in Windows 11 via Command Prompt (CMD)

Reset Your DNS Cache in Windows 11 via PowerShell

In addition to the command prompt, you can also use PowerShell to flush or reset the DNS cache on a Windows 11 PC or laptop. Here’s how you do it:

Clear DNS cache on Windows 11 using RUN

You can also flush DNS cache directly from the RUN window without opening any command terminal. Many people find this method much more convenient than the first two methods we explained above. Here it is how to do it:

Final note

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