A DNS cache is a storage location used to store records of the recent visits and attempted visits to websites on the internet. The operating system maintains a temporary database (the DNS cache) to store these so it can refer to them quickly and check how to load a site correctly. This guide shows how to access the DNS cache to view these records on three of the most popular operating systems.
Windows
- Press/hold the keys ⊞ Win + R together
- Type in cmd and hit enter
- Type ipconfig /displaydns in the command line and hit enter once you have done so.
- Scroll up/down to find the record you’re wishing to view in the DNS cache.
Mac
OS X Yosemite
- Open up a command terminal.
- sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache
OS X Mavericks, Mountain Lion, and Lion
- Open up a command terminal.
- sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Mac OS X v10.6
- Open up a command terminal.
- Type dscacheutil -cachedump -entries
Linux (requires NSCD daemon)
- Open up a command terminal (either as root or run step 2 with sudo)
- Run the command service nscd status or sudo service nscd status
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Last saved: 2019/11/27 at 16:03 by Jamie