dnsdots

Free DNS propagation checker

Is your DNS live everywhere?

Type a domain. DNS Dots asks 13 public DNS resolvers on four continents what they see right now, and shows when every old answer runs out.

Runs in your browser over encrypted DNS. No sign-up, no cookies, no tracking.

8 fixed resolver locations, plus 5 anycast networks that answer from the location nearest to you

How it works

Three steps, a few seconds

  1. Ask the resolvers

    Your browser sends one encrypted DNS-over-HTTPS query to each of the 13 resolvers, straight from your device.

  2. Compare the answers

    Resolvers that still serve an old answer stand out at once, grouped by what they return.

  3. Know when it's done

    Every cached answer has a countdown. Pick the new value and DNS Dots tells you when the last old answer expires.

Why it takes time

Why do some people still see the old website?

DNS answers are cached on purpose. Every record carries a TTL: how many seconds a resolver may reuse it. Until that runs out, the resolver keeps serving what it saw last, even after you changed the record.

  1. The registry

    After a nameserver change, the registry of the domain ending (.com, .io, .de…) publishes it on its own schedule, from seconds to about an hour.

  2. DNS resolvers

    Public and internet-provider resolvers keep each answer for its TTL. Registrar parking pages often use 24 hours.

  3. Your device

    Browsers and operating systems keep a short cache of their own. Restarting the browser clears most of it.

Tip: lower the TTL a day before a planned change, and switch a new domain's nameservers before anyone looks it up.

FAQ

Questions about DNS propagation

What is DNS propagation?

DNS propagation is the time it takes for a change to a domain's DNS records to reach everyone. Nothing is pushed around the world: DNS resolvers keep the old answer in their cache until the record's TTL runs out, then ask again and get the new one.

How long does DNS propagation take?

As long as the TTL of the old record: usually minutes to a few hours. A nameserver change can take up to 48 hours, because the registry and resolvers cache nameserver records for longer. DNS Dots shows the exact remaining time for every resolver it checks.

Why do I still see my old website?

The resolver you use, or your browser, still has the old answer cached. DNS Dots shows which resolvers still return the old value and when their cache expires. Google Public DNS and Cloudflare also let you flush a domain from their cache.

What is TTL?

TTL (time to live) is the number of seconds a resolver may keep a DNS answer before it has to ask again. A record with a TTL of 3600 can be served from cache for up to one hour.

Can I make DNS propagation faster?

Lower the record's TTL, for example to 300 seconds, a day before you change it. After the change, flush the domain at Google Public DNS and Cloudflare. For a new domain, switch the nameservers before anyone looks it up, so no resolver caches the registrar's parking page, which is often kept for 24 hours.

Which DNS resolvers does DNS Dots check?

Google Public DNS, Cloudflare, Control D, DNS.SB and IIJ, which answer from their location nearest to you, plus DNS.SB in Düsseldorf, London, Chicago, Bengaluru, Tokyo and Sydney, CZ.NIC in Prague and Tiar in Singapore.

Is DNS Dots private?

Yes. DNS Dots has no server, no cookies and no tracking. Your browser sends the domain you check straight to the resolvers over encrypted DNS-over-HTTPS, and nothing is stored.