DNS Checker

Check DNS propagation and records across 38+ global DNS servers as they update

38 Global Servers
12 Record Types
World Map View
Live Results

DNS CHECK

Refresh: sec.
Resolved DNS: -- Unresolved DNS: --
🇺🇸 San Francisco CA, United States
OpenDNS
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🇺🇸 Mountain View CA, United States
Google
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🇺🇸 Berkeley, US
Quad9
-
🇺🇸 New York, United States
Oracle Corporation
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🇺🇸 Columbia, United States
Neustar
-
🇺🇸 San Francisco, US
Cloudflare
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🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom
Google
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🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Netherlands
OpenDNS
-
🇩🇪 Frankfurt, Germany
Cloudflare
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🇫🇷 Paris, France
Yandex
-
🇸🇬 Singapore
Google
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🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan
Cloudflare
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🇭🇰 Hong Kong
OpenDNS
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🇮🇳 Mumbai, India
Google
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🇦🇺 Sydney, Australia
Cloudflare
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🇦🇺 Melbourne, Australia
Google
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🇧🇷 São Paulo, Brazil
Google
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🇦🇷 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cloudflare
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🇦🇪 Dubai, UAE
Google
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🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, Israel
Cloudflare
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🇿🇦 Johannesburg, South Africa
Google
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🇪🇬 Cairo, Egypt
Cloudflare
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DNS Propagation Map

📍 Server Location
Resolved
Not Resolved

DNS Lists

Continents

Countries

What is DNS Propagation?

DNS propagation is the time it takes for DNS changes to spread across the internet's network of servers. When you update your domain's DNS records—like pointing your website to a new host or changing your email server—those changes don't happen instantly everywhere. Think of it like updating your phone number; it takes time for everyone in your contact list to get the new number.

The delay happens because DNS servers cache your domain information to make the internet faster. Each record has a Time-To-Live (TTL) value that tells servers how long to remember that information before checking for updates. If your TTL is set to 24 hours, some servers might keep showing the old information for a full day before they grab the updated version.

Propagation typically takes anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, though most changes spread within a few hours. During this time, different people around the world might see different versions of your DNS records depending on which server their device is asking. That's why our DNS checker is handy—it lets you see exactly what different DNS servers worldwide are reporting for your domain right now.

How to Use the DNS Checker

1

Enter Your Domain Name

Type your domain name (like example.com) into the search box. You don't need to include "http://" or "www" - just the domain itself. Select the DNS record type you want to check from the dropdown menu next to the domain field.

2

Click Search and Watch Results

Hit the "Search" button and watch as our tool queries DNS servers from over 20 global locations at once. Results pop up as each server responds, showing you DNS propagation status across the world.

3

Analyze and Export Data

Review the results to see which servers have your updated records. Use the continent and country filters to focus on specific regions. Export results as CSV or JSON for documentation, or use the Expected Value feature to highlight matching records.

Why Check DNS Propagation?

Verify Website Migrations

Moving your website to a new hosting provider? A DNS checker shows you when the switchover is complete. Watch as servers worldwide start pointing to your new host's IP address.

Troubleshoot Access Issues

If some users can reach your site but others can't, it's often a DNS issue. Our checker helps identify which regions or servers are still showing old DNS information.

Monitor Email Configuration

Changed your MX records for email delivery? Verify that mail servers globally can find your new email configuration and prevent missed emails during transitions.

Global DNS Visibility

Check DNS records from multiple continents and countries simultaneously. See how your domain resolves in different parts of the world at the same time.

Verify SSL/TLS Changes

After updating CAA records for SSL certificates, confirm they've propagated correctly across DNS servers to avoid certificate issuance problems.

Auto-Refresh Monitoring

Use auto-refresh to monitor DNS changes as they happen. Set an interval and watch as your DNS records propagate across global servers automatically.

Understanding DNS Record Types

A Record

Maps your domain name to an IPv4 address. When someone types your website URL, the A record tells their browser which server to connect to. This is the most fundamental DNS record type.

AAAA Record

Similar to A records but for IPv6 addresses. As the internet transitions to IPv6, these records become increasingly important for ensuring your site is accessible via the newer protocol.

CNAME Record

Creates an alias that points one domain to another. Commonly used for "www" subdomains or when you want multiple names to point to the same location without managing multiple A records.

MX Record

Directs email to the correct mail server. Without proper MX records, emails sent to your domain won't reach their destination. You can have multiple MX records with different priorities for backup servers.

TXT Record

Stores text information for various purposes like domain verification, SPF records for email authentication, DKIM signatures, and site validation. Essential for email security and service verification.

NS Record

Specifies which nameservers are authoritative for your domain. These servers hold the actual DNS records and are queried when someone looks up your domain information.

How to Read DNS Checker Results

Green = Success

When you see a green background with a checkmark, that DNS server successfully resolved your domain and found a record. The displayed value is what that particular server is currently reporting.

Red = No Record

A red background with an X means that server couldn't find a DNS record for your query. This could mean the record doesn't exist, hasn't propagated yet, or there's a configuration issue.

Spinner = Loading

The blue spinning circle means we're still querying that DNS server. Results come in progressively, so you'll see this briefly before each server reports back.

Propagation Progress

The "Resolved DNS" counter shows how many servers successfully found your record. If it's not 100% yet, your changes are still propagating across the global DNS network.

Common DNS Problems and Solutions

DNS Not Propagating

If your DNS changes aren't showing up anywhere after several hours, double-check that you actually saved the changes at your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider. Sometimes changes get entered but not saved. Also verify you're checking the correct domain name.

Mixed Old and New Results

Seeing some servers with old data and some with new? That's normal during propagation. The servers showing old data will eventually refresh based on your TTL settings. Lower TTL values speed up future propagation but cause more DNS queries.

All Servers Show Errors

If every single DNS server returns an error, your domain might not be properly configured. Check that your nameservers are set correctly at your registrar, and that your DNS hosting provider has the records you think they do.

Local Cache Issues

Your computer caches DNS responses too. Even if our checker shows new DNS records everywhere, your local cache might still have old data. Flush your DNS cache (ipconfig /flushdns on Windows, sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder on Mac) to force your computer to fetch fresh DNS data.

Very Slow Propagation

If propagation is taking longer than 48 hours, check your TTL settings. Some providers set very high TTL values (like 86400 seconds, which is 24 hours). Servers will cache your old records for that entire period before checking for updates.

Frequently Asked Questions About DNS Checking

What is a DNS checker and how does it work?
A DNS checker queries multiple DNS servers around the world to see what information they have for your domain. When you enter a domain name, our checker sends requests to over 20 different global DNS servers at once. Each server responds with whatever DNS records it has cached right now. You can see the current state of DNS propagation and verify that your DNS changes have spread across the internet.
How long does DNS propagation typically take?
DNS propagation usually takes anywhere from 5 minutes to 48 hours, though most changes complete within a few hours. The actual time depends on your TTL (Time-To-Live) settings—lower TTL values mean faster propagation because DNS servers refresh their cache more frequently. If your TTL was set to 3600 seconds (1 hour) when you made changes, servers that cached your old records might take up to an hour before they check for updates and start showing new data.
Why do different DNS servers show different results?
DNS servers cache responses to make the internet faster, and they update their cache at different times based on TTL values. When you change your DNS records, servers that recently cached your old information won't check for updates until their cache expires. This creates a period where some servers show old data while others have already updated to new data. It's completely normal during DNS propagation and doesn't indicate a problem.
What's the difference between A and CNAME records?
An A record points your domain directly to an IP address, like mapping example.com to 192.0.2.1. A CNAME record creates an alias that points to another domain name, like making www.example.com point to example.com. The key difference is A records point to IP addresses while CNAMEs point to other domain names. You can't use a CNAME for your root domain (example.com without www), but you can use it for subdomains. When the target domain's IP changes, CNAMEs automatically follow the change without needing updates.
How do I check if my DNS has fully propagated?
Use our DNS checker tool to query servers worldwide. If all (or nearly all) servers return the same new value, your DNS has fully propagated. Look at the "Resolved DNS" counter—when it matches the total number of servers and they're all showing your new records, propagation is complete. A few stragglers showing old data isn't unusual and will correct themselves as their cache expires.
What is the CD Flag option for?
The CD (Checking Disabled) flag is used when querying DNSSEC-enabled domains. DNSSEC adds security to DNS by digitally signing records, but sometimes you want to see the DNS data even if the signature validation fails. Enabling the CD flag tells the DNS server to return the records without performing DNSSEC validation. Most users don't need this unless they're troubleshooting DNSSEC configuration issues.
Can I check DNS for any domain, not just mine?
Yes, our DNS checker works with any publicly accessible domain name. You can check google.com, facebook.com, or any other website to see their DNS configuration. This is useful for learning how major sites configure their DNS, troubleshooting connection issues to third-party services, or verifying that external services you depend on are properly configured.
What does "Expected Value" matching do?
The Expected Value feature lets you specify what DNS result you're expecting to see. If you just changed your A record to point to 192.0.2.1, enter that IP as the expected value. Our checker will then highlight which servers match your expectation and which don't. You can use Exact Match for perfect matches, Contains for partial matches, or RegExp for advanced pattern matching. This makes it easy to spot which servers have updated to your new records.
Why is my website still showing old content after DNS changes?
If DNS has propagated but you're still seeing old content, the issue isn't DNS—it's caching. Your browser, ISP, or a CDN might be caching the old website content. Try clearing your browser cache, using private/incognito mode, or flushing your computer's DNS cache. If you're using a CDN like Cloudflare, you might need to purge their cache separately. DNS only controls where requests go, not what content gets served.
How do I flush my DNS cache?
On Windows, open Command Prompt and run "ipconfig /flushdns". On Mac, open Terminal and run "sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder" (you'll need to enter your password). On Linux, the command varies by distribution, but "sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches" works on many modern systems. After flushing, your computer will fetch fresh DNS data on the next request instead of using cached values.
What are the best public DNS servers?
Popular public DNS servers include Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4), Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1), Quad9 (9.9.9.9), and OpenDNS (208.67.222.222). Each has different features—Cloudflare emphasizes privacy and speed, Quad9 focuses on security and blocking malicious domains, Google DNS offers reliability and fast global coverage, and OpenDNS provides content filtering options. Our checker uses all of these to give you a complete view of global DNS propagation.
Is it safe to use a DNS checker with my domain?
Yes, DNS checkers are completely safe. They simply query public DNS servers the same way any internet user's device would when visiting your website. DNS records are public information by design—they have to be for the internet to work. Our checker doesn't access your domain registrar account, doesn't make changes to your DNS records, and doesn't store your queries. We're just reading publicly available DNS data.