How to Flush DNS Cache on Windows 11 (CMD, PowerShell, Browser)

TL;DR: To flush DNS cache on Windows 11, open Command Prompt or Windows Terminal and run ipconfig /flushdns. You should see a success message. The PowerShell equivalent is Clear-DnsClientCache. If only the browser is broken, also clear the browser host cache. Flushing DNS does not change your DNS server; it only clears locally stored lookups.

When a site loads on your phone but not on your PC, or ping shows a weird IP, Windows may be serving a stale or negative DNS answer from its resolver cache. Learning how to flush DNS cache Windows 11 is a two-minute fix that Microsoft documents as part of normal DNS troubleshooting. This guide sticks to commands and browser steps you can verify in Microsoft Learn and mainstream Windows how-tos.

What the DNS cache actually stores

Windows keeps recent domain-to-IP results (and some failures) so it does not ask your DNS server every time. That speed-up helps until a site moves, a CDN shifts, or a bad answer gets stuck. Microsoft’s ipconfig documentation describes /flushdns as flushing and resetting the DNS client resolver cache, including negative cache entries. The PowerShell twin is documented as Clear-DnsClientCache, which Microsoft says is equivalent to ipconfig /flushdns.

Method 1: Flush DNS with Command Prompt

1. Press Start, type Command Prompt or Terminal.
2. Open it. For stubborn network issues, right-click and choose Run as administrator (Windows Central’s guide recommends elevation).
3. Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
4. Look for a message that the DNS Resolver Cache was successfully flushed.
5. Optional: run ipconfig /displaydns to confirm the list is short or reset.

That is the same command Microsoft shows in its ipconfig examples for DNS troubleshooting.

Method 2: Flush DNS with PowerShell

1. Open Windows PowerShell or Terminal (Admin if needed).
2. Run Clear-DnsClientCache.
3. Optional: run Get-DnsClientCache to inspect what is stored afterward.

Use this if you already live in PowerShell scripts or remote sessions. Functionally it matches ipconfig /flushdns.

Method 3: Clear the browser’s own DNS cache

Browsers keep a separate host cache. Windows Central’s Windows 11 guide documents these paths:

• Edge or Chrome: open chrome://net-internals/#dns (works in Edge too) and click Clear host cache.
• Firefox: open about:networking#dns and click Clear DNS cache.

Do this when Windows flush succeeded but one browser still hits the wrong host.

When flushing DNS helps—and when it does not

• Helps: site recently changed IP; VPN or DNS provider switched; “server not found” after a bad lookup; nslookup shows an old address.
• Does not help: Wi-Fi is down, wrong proxy, hosts file overrides, TLS/certificate errors, or the remote site is actually offline.
• Next steps if flush fails: try ipconfig /renew on DHCP adapters, test nslookup example.com, or temporarily try another DNS server in Settings → Network → DNS. Changing servers is separate from flushing cache.

Verify the problem before you flush

Spend thirty seconds confirming you actually have a DNS symptom. Open Command Prompt and run nslookup against the failing hostname (for example nslookup bing.com, which Microsoft uses in its DNS client troubleshooting docs). Compare the IP you get with what your phone sees on cellular. If both fail, the site or your upstream DNS may be the issue—not a sticky local cache. Microsoft’s DNS client troubleshooting guide also notes that a cached “Name does not exist” answer is a classic reason to flush.

Other quick checks:

• Try the site in a private window (rules out some extensions, not DNS).
• Try ping by IP if you know a working address—if IP works but the name fails, DNS is the prime suspect.
• Disable VPN briefly; many VPNs inject their own resolvers and caches.
• Check C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts for manual overrides someone added during a debug session.

Optional: register DNS and renew DHCP after a flush

If you just changed domains on a machine that registers itself in corporate DNS, Microsoft documents ipconfig /registerdns to force a fresh dynamic registration without rebooting. On home DHCP connections that feel “half connected,” a flush plus ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew (IPv4) or the /release6 and /renew6 pair for IPv6 can clear both address and name confusion. Only use release/renew on adapters that obtain addresses automatically, and expect a brief disconnect.

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Run those one at a time so you can see which step errors. On Wi-Fi, releasing DHCP will drop you offline for a moment—that is expected.

Flushing DNS on work laptops and VMs

Managed PCs may rebuild cache entries from group policy, always-on VPN, or secure DNS features in Edge immediately after you flush. That does not mean the command failed. It means your company stack is assertive. If a single internal hostname keeps breaking, talk to IT before you keep fighting the resolver—there may be a split-tunnel or conditional forwarder involved that a local flush cannot fix.

Inside Windows Sandbox or local Hyper-V VMs, flush DNS inside the guest that has the problem. Flushing on the host does not clear the guest’s resolver cache.

A simple repeatable checklist

1. Confirm the symptom with nslookup or a second device.
2. Run ipconfig /flushdns (or Clear-DnsClientCache).
3. Clear the browser host cache.
4. Retry the site; if needed, renew DHCP.
5. Only then change DNS servers or reset the network stack.

Working in that order keeps you from “fixing” things that were never broken.

Related Windows 11 fixes worth knowing

DNS flushes sit next to other everyday Windows repairs. If Explorer itself is flaky, you may need different steps than networking. For UI issues we have covered recently, see how to fix the Windows 11 right-click menu and how to fix Windows 11 freezing randomly. Those are unrelated to DNS, but they are the same class of “quick verified fix” articles.

Safety notes

Flushing DNS is safe and reversible. You are not deleting files or resetting your PC. Corporate laptops may reinject DNS settings via policy after you flush; that is normal. Avoid random “.bat” download sites that bundle flush commands with unrelated registry edits.

Bottom line

To flush DNS cache Windows 11, run ipconfig /flushdns or Clear-DnsClientCache, then clear the browser host cache if needed. Microsoft documents both system commands. It is one of the highest-value, lowest-risk networking fixes you can learn—just do not expect it to repair a dead Wi-Fi radio or a site that is actually down.

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