DNS Propagation Checker - Global DNS Lookup Tool

A DNS propagation checker asks DNS resolvers in different countries for the same record and shows what each one returns. Use it after you change a record (moving a website to a new server, switching email provider, changing name servers or adding a verification TXT record) to see where the new value is already live and where the old one is still cached.

How to check DNS propagation

1. Enter the domain or hostname you changed, such as example.com or www.example.com. For a PTR check, enter the IP address.
2. Pick the record type you edited: A for a website's IPv4 address, MX for mail servers, NS after moving to a new DNS provider, TXT for SPF, DKIM, DMARC or verification records.
3. Click Search. Each of the 30 resolvers is queried separately, and the list and map fill in as the answers arrive.

Understanding your results

• Tick with a value: the resolver returned this answer. If it is the old value, that resolver still has the previous record cached.
• "No records": the resolver answered but has no record of that type for the name. For a record you only just created, this can be a cached "does not exist" answer, which expires according to the negative-caching time in the zone's SOA record.
• Cross: the resolver timed out or returned an error. One or two failures usually mean a resolver problem; failures everywhere point to the domain's name servers.
• A mix of old and new values: propagation is still in progress. Each resolver cached the old record at a different moment, so each one expires it at a different time.

How long does DNS propagation take?

Strictly speaking nothing is pushed out. Your DNS provider updates its own servers almost immediately; every resolver that cached the old answer keeps serving it until the record's TTL (time to live) runs out. A record with a TTL of 3600 seconds can be stale for up to an hour, and one with a TTL of 86400 for up to a day.

Name server changes are the slowest. The delegation to your name servers is published by the top-level domain's registry (for .com with a 48-hour TTL), so some resolvers keep asking the old name servers for up to two days. That is where the familiar "allow up to 48 hours" advice comes from.

How to make DNS changes take effect faster

1. Lower the TTL in advance. At least one full TTL period before the change, set the record's TTL to something short such as 300 seconds. When you then make the change, caches expire within minutes. Raise the TTL again once everything has settled.
2. Keep the old server or mailbox running until this checker shows the new value everywhere, so visitors still on the old record aren't cut off.
3. Flush the caches you control. Windows: ipconfig /flushdns. macOS: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Linux with systemd-resolved: resolvectl flush-caches. Google Public DNS and Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 also offer public cache-purge pages for individual names.

What to check for each record type

Common problems

• Every resolver still shows the old value long after the TTL. The change was probably made at a DNS provider that isn't authoritative for the domain. Run an NS Lookup and edit the records at the provider it lists.
• The new value shows everywhere, but your browser still reaches the old server. Your computer or browser has the old answer cached. Flush it as above, or test over a mobile connection.
• MX or TXT checks on www return nothing. Mail and SPF records normally sit on the bare domain, not on www.
• Results differ between record types. Each record has its own TTL and cache entry, so an A record can update before the MX record you changed at the same time.

Frequently asked questions

What does DNS propagation mean?

Why do some locations show the new IP and others the old one?

Can I force DNS to propagate?

Which DNS servers does this tool check?

Is a DNS propagation check the same as a DNS lookup?