How to Flush DNS on Windows 11 (ipconfig /flushdns)

A website works on your phone but not your PC. A site moved to a new server and you still land on the old one. Your browser shows DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN. Often the cause is an outdated entry in Windows' DNS cache, and the fix takes one command. This guide shows how to flush DNS on Windows 11, what it does, and what to try when it is not enough.

What Is the DNS Cache?

DNS turns names like netspeedm.com into IP addresses. To save time, Windows remembers recent answers in the DNS resolver cache. Usually that makes browsing faster. But if a site changes its address, or a wrong answer gets cached during an outage, Windows keeps using the bad entry until it expires. Flushing deletes the cache, so Windows asks again and gets a fresh answer.

Method 1: Command Prompt or Terminal

1. Open Terminal as administrator

   Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin). Command Prompt works too.

2. Run the command

   Command

   ipconfig /flushdns

   You should see "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache."

3. Restart the browser

   Close every browser window and open it again, then reload the site.

Method 2: PowerShell

Clear-DnsClientCache

It prints nothing when it succeeds. To see what is in the cache first, run Get-DnsClientCache, or ipconfig /displaydns in Command Prompt.

Method 3: Flush the Browser's DNS Cache

Chrome and Edge keep their own cache. Type chrome://net-internals/#dns (or edge://net-internals/#dns) in the address bar and select Clear host cache. Firefox clears its cache when you restart it.

Full Refresh: Flush, Release and Renew

If flushing alone does not help, refresh the whole connection. In Terminal as administrator:

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
netsh winsock reset

Restart the PC after netsh winsock reset.

When Flushing DNS Helps (and When It Does Not)

If websites fail across the board, see connected but no internet on Windows 11. If DNS keeps failing, your ISP's DNS servers may be unreliable: change your DNS server to a public one.

DNS Cache vs Hosts File vs Router Cache

Three places can hold a stale address, and flushing Windows only clears one of them:

• Windows DNS cache: cleared by ipconfig /flushdns. Entries expire on their own after minutes to hours, depending on the site's settings.
• The hosts file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts): manual entries here always win over DNS. Developers and some software add lines to it; open it in Notepad as administrator and remove any line that points the problem site to the wrong address.
• The router's cache: many routers cache DNS for every device. If several devices see the old address, restart the router.

Browsers add a fourth layer, covered in Method 3. Clearing all four guarantees a fresh lookup.

Check Which DNS Server You Use

Run ipconfig /all and look for DNS Servers under your adapter. Or open IP Address App: its dashboard shows your DNS servers, gateway and IP, and its DNS Lookup tool queries any domain over DNS-over-HTTPS so you can see whether the name resolves correctly.

Troubleshooting

• "The requested operation requires elevation." Open Terminal as administrator.
• "Could not flush the DNS Resolver Cache: Function failed during execution." The DNS Client service is not running. Restart the PC.
• The site still does not load. Clear the browser cache too, try another browser, and check that the site works on mobile data.
• The problem returns. The router may cache bad entries. Restart it, or set a public DNS server.

Still seeing errors after flushing? See DNS server not responding and how to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.

FAQ

Conclusion

One command, ipconfig /flushdns, clears Windows' DNS cache and fixes most "works everywhere but here" website problems. Restart the browser after, clear its own cache if needed, and switch DNS servers if the problem keeps coming back. For more tools, see all network apps for Windows.

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