Windows 10: How to display all cached DNS entries on Windows

The Windows operating system uses a cache for DNS entries. DNS (Domain Name System) is a core technology of the Internet that is being used for communication. In particular, it is used to lookup IP addresses of domain names.



When users type a domain name in the browser, one of the first tasks that is executed when the site is loaded is to look up its IP address. The process requires access to DNS servers. Often, DNS servers of the Internet Service Provider are used automatically, but administrators may switch to other DNS servers, as these may be faster or offer better privacy.

Switching DNS providers may also help bypass Internet censorship, if DNS is used to block access to certain sites.

Windows uses the DNS resolver cache to speed up lookups. Each DNS lookup is added to the cache to speed up consecutive visits to the domains. Sometimes, entries may become old and may point to the wrong IP address. Our guide on fixing resolving host issues in browsers is still valid up to this day. Flushing the cache may help with that, as it removes all cached items to start from scratch.

Tip: you may use the free software DNSLookupView to log all DNS activity on Windows.

Display all cached DNS entries




The list of cached entries can be useful for a number of purposes. Webmasters and developers may check if the correct IP address is assigned to a property, and users may be interested in seeing all entries, e.g., to find out which domains have been accessed during a session.

1. Open the run box with the shortcut Windows-R.
2. Type cmd.exe and hit the Enter-key.
3. Type ipconfig /displayDNS to run the command.

Windows returns all cached DNS entries in a long list. You may also redirect the output to a plain text file by running the command ipconfig /displayDNS > %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\dns.txt. This saves the output to the file dns.txt on the desktop.

The very same command can also be run using PowerShell:

1. Open Start, type PowerShell and select the result. If you have Terminal installed, type Terminal instead and select that result.
2. Run the command powershell "Get-DnsClientCache | Format-Table -AutoSize".

The output uses better formatting. You may redirect the output to a text file as well using the command powershell "Get-DnsClientCache | Format-Table -AutoSize" >%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\DNS.txt.

To flush the DNS cache, run the command ipconfig /flushdns. Check out this guide if you are getting the error Could not flush the DNS Resolver.

Now You: which DNS provider do you use? (via Eleven Forum)

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DNS Cache Suspicious Entries

Thank you very much for your quick help, I was able to locate it and modify the 'Hosts' file and flushed the DNS cache and it was no longer present. I will heed your advice and leave that entry as it was.

Cheers!

 

DNS SERVER NOT RESONDING

Hi Rita French,

This issue often occurs when the DNS settings are incorrect. I suggest you to perform the following methods to troubleshoot the issue.

Method 1:

I would recommend you to change the Preferred DNS server and check if it helps.

• Press Windows + R keys to open Run window, type
  ncpa.cpl and press Enter.
• Right-click on the connection that you use for the local connection, and then click
  Properties.
• Click to select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click
  Properties.
• In the Internet Protocol window, let's change the Preferred DNS server to
  208.67.222.222
• Click OK twice to complete the modification.

Note: If the issue persists, please repeat the steps and change the "Preferred DNS server" to 208.67.220.220.

Method 2:

If that does not help, try to flush the DNS. Follow these steps below.

• From Start screen, type Command Prompt.
• Right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator.
• Type: ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.

Note: The ipconfig /flushdns command provides you with a means to flush and reset the contents of the DNS client resolver cache. During DNS troubleshooting, if necessary, you can use this procedure to discard negative cache entries from the cache, as well
as, any other dynamically added entries.

Hope any of these methods help!

Kind regards,

Leon

 

Display DNS Resolver Cache in Windows


Good one, Shawn.

404 errors are a good reason to take a look-see at the DNS. In addition, rogue sites and malware could inject a re-direct of say BANANAS.COM to ROTTENEGGS.COM. If a query to a site is obviously going somewhere else, one of the reasons may be this, along with things like infected hosts file and a hijacked site. If things look strange, the sister tutorial for flushing the DNS should be used. A little explanation about the TTL. The DNS is never automatically erased/flushed. Each entry remains for the duration of it's Time to Live (TTL).

Default max is 1 day (86400 secs), unless specified in the DNS record. Bad responses are kept for a default of 5 minutes. That can explained what some experience...."It wasn't working yesterday, but today it's fine!".

http://windowsitpro.com/networking/h...tive-responses

windows 7 - How often does the DNS cache clear? - Super User