The Windows operating system uses a cache for DNS entries. DNS (Domain Name System) is a basic internet technology used to resolve IP addresses based on domain names.
When users type a domain name into the browser (eg iguru.gr), one of the first tasks performed when loading the site is to search for its IP address. The process requires access to DNS servers, that is, servers that have large databases with IP-name matches.
Your ISP's DNS servers are often used on the Internet, but any user can change and request that the ips be resolved on other DNS servers as they may be faster or offer better privacy.
Switching DNS providers can also help to circumvent Internet prohibition or censorship if DNS is used to block access to certain sites.
Windows uses the DNS Solution cache to speed up searches. Each DNS search is added to the cache so that if searched again it finds it ready and eventually speeds up consecutive visits to frequently visited domains. Sometimes, entries may be outdated and show the wrong IP address. Clearing the cache can help in such an incorrect situation, as it removes all the saved data to start from the beginning.
Display all saved DNS entries
The list of saved entries can be useful for various purposes. Webmasters and developers can check if a domain has been assigned the correct IP address and users may be interested in seeing all the listings, e.g. find out which domains have been accessed during a session. See how to display this list:
Step 1: Open a command prompt. If you do not know how, then press Win + R at the same time and in the popup window that appears type cmd and press Enter.
step 2: In the command prompt window type ipconfig / displayDNS and then Enter to execute the command.
Windows returns all stored DNS entries in a long list. You can also redirect the output to a plain text file by running the command ipconfig / displayDNS>% USERPROFILE% \ Desktop \ dns.txt. This saves the list to the dns.txt file on your desktop.
The same command can also be executed using PowerShell:
1. Click Start, type PowerShell, and select it. If you have Terminal installed, enter Terminal and select it.
2. Execute the command powershell “Get-DnsClientCache | Format-Table -AutoSize ” .
The list here uses better formatting, such as the photo at the beginning of the article. You can redirect the list to a text file, also using the command:
powershell “Get-DnsClientCache | Format-Table -AutoSize ”>% USERPROFILE% \ Desktop \ DNS.txt.
Clear all saved DNS entries
To clear the DNS cache, execute the command ipconfig / flushdns.
