By Nathan E. Malpass, Last updated: August 27, 2019
Jan 05, 2021 Mac OS X 10.6: Snow Leopard and older versions To flush DNS on MacOS X Lion, follow these steps. Open Terminal (Application › Utilities › Terminal or click Go Utilities Terminal). Type sudo lookupd -flushcache and press Enter to run the command. Aug 27, 2020 MacOS users may occasionally need to flush DNS cache on their Macs in order to access certain websites, domains, or for troubleshooting purposes. Flushing DNS cache is particularly common with web developers and network admins, but it’s used with some regularity by other advanced users too. If your Mac is running on Yosemite. Open Terminal, and in the Terminal window, enter the command line: sudo discoveryutil udnsflushcaches 2. Enter your admin password. The password characters will not be shown in the Terminal window. If your Mac is running on Lion, Mountain Lion, or Maverick.
We know, most of the time only network administrators, web developers, and system administrators usually need to know how to flush DNS on Mac but since a lot of users are just using their Macs at home, there are some good things to flushing DNS once in a while.
Let’s start off with, what exactly is DNS?
Part 1. What is DNS?
Get a quick and clear definition
DNS is an actual protocol on the internet that helps translate what we know in alphabetical knowledge, which is way easier to remember and change it to IP addresses which the computer knows.
So when you try to visit a website such as fonedog.com the computer won’t really understand that as the computer only speaks numbers, so it needs the DNS protocol to change it into a language that it can understand.
Part 2. How does the DNS that affect me?
Why do you need to care about DNS and how it affects you? Well, there are times when a site has changed its DNS settings and since it has been saved in your Mac, it could lead to confusion and could make it difficult to access said site. Ever notice those warnings check DNS settings and such? That could be one of the main reasons.
So now you know why you need to keep reading the how to flush DNS on Mac.
Part 3. How to flush DNS on Mac?
Here is the how-to that you’ve been looking for Flushing DNS on Macs is a little different from doing it on computers and the method is also different depending on the OS that you are currently using. To be honest, it makes more sense why a techy person such as a network administrator or web developer or such are usually in charge of doing those tasks. However, perhaps this guide about how to flush DNS on Mac can help you figure things out.
How to flush the DNS cache in macOS High Sierra
1. Open the Finder and go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Enter the following syntax at the command line:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder; sleep 2; echo macOS DNS Cache Reset say3. Press Return, enter your password, and press Return again.
4. You should now see a message saying “macOS DNS cache reset.”
5. Exit the Terminal.
How to flush the DNS cache in macOS Sierra
Refreshing the DNS cache on macOS Sierra is a little difference in syntax from refreshing the cache on High Sierra.
1. Open the Finder and go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Enter (or copy-and-paste if it’s easier) the following syntax at the command line:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder;say DNS cache has been flushed
3. Press Return, enter your password, and press Return again.
4. Listen out for the audio alert to signal that the cache has been successfully cleared.
If for some reason the above syntax doesn’t work, you can use the following syntax in the Terminal instead:
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder;sudo killall mDNSResponderHelper;sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;say MacOS DNS cache has been cleared
How to flush the DNS cache in Mac OS X El Capitan and Yosemite
Both systems can flush the DNS cache in the following ways.
1. Open the Finder and go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Enter the following syntax at the command line:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder;say cache flushed
3. Press Return, enter your password, and press Return again.
4. Wait for the audio alert to signal a successful flush.
5. Exit the Terminal.
For OS X Yosemite versions 10.10, 10.10.1, 10.10.2, and 10.10.3 the process is slightly different. To fully flush all DNS caches, you’ll need to clear both the Multicast DNS (MDNS) and Unicast DNS (UDNS).
Part 4. The easiest way to flush DNS on your Mac
Mac Os High Sierra
Is it complicated to use the terminal to flush the DNS cache? It's ok! We find a way to get your DNS flushed the easier way which is using a third party program and we strongly suggest using PowerMyMac to help you with your DNS and much more.
PowerMyMac provides you with a one-stop flush DNS operation! Using PowerMyMac, you no longer have to flush your DNS using the terminal and it’s a pretty simple process without having to type in commands or such.
How do you do it?
1. Download PoweMyMac software and open it
2. You can see the Toolkit options and click on it
3. Click on Maintenance and you can see that there is a “view button” and a “scan button”. Click the “scan button” to scan and delete some features on your Mac. But here we save the time, just click the “View button”.
4. When you come in, you can see the option to “Flush DNS” at the bottom of the list window on the left. Yes, that's right! It is the goal of our operation! Click on the “Clean” button to flush the DNS! Is it very simple?
There you will see the many benefits of flushing your DNS such as:
1. Inability to connect to some websites.
2. Network slows down randomly.
3. Use if any of the related issues occur.
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Part 5. Conclusion
So far, flush the DNS cache on the Mac, are you willing to do it manually? Or let the software help you with one click? This depends on your personal choice. But for those who don't like to use the terminal, we strongly recommend that you use PowerMyMac, which will make your life easier.
Dns Flush Mac Os X
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