How to Flush the DNS Cache on Windows 10

“DNS” is one of those terms you’ve most likely heard a few times, and you’re probably aware it’s something to do with the Internet, but possibly don’t know more than that. Essentially, DNS (or Domain Name System) is your PC’s way of translating website names (that people understand) into IP addresses (that computers understand). Your Windows 10 PC stores DNS data locally to speed up browsing, but there may come a time when you want to flush the DNS cache.

Why Would I Want to Flush My DNS Cache?

One of the main reasons is that when websites update their IP addresses, there’s a delay between that and the new IP address getting saved to your cache which means there can be times when sites don’t work because your cache hasn’t yet adapted to the changes online. So if you find a website not working, it’s a good idea to splash the cache, or rather flush the cache, but the other aquatic phrase sounds a bit better, and I think you’ll agree.

Also, if you want to hide your browsing habits online, it’s a good idea to flush your DNS because it stores the addresses to every site you visit. (That’s its entire purpose!) So if you’ve any confidential or naughty secrets in your browsing history, read on.

How to Flush the DNS on Windows 10

So after all that preamble, how do you go about it? It’s really quite simple.

Press Win + R to open the Run box, then type ipconfig /flushdns and hit Enter. Job done!

Alternatively, you can enter the same command in the Command Prompt in Windows 10.

Disable DNS Caching

If, for a particular browsing session, you don’t want your PC to store the DNS info about the sites you visit, you can disable it. Press Ctrl + Shift + Escape to open the Task Manager, “More details” at the bottom left corner, then click the Services tab, right-click “Dnscache” and click “Stop.”