How long DNS changes take
A changed DNS record is seen everywhere once old copies expire: about 5 minutes for a Cloudflare proxied record, up to its TTL (as long as a day) for others. A nameserver change usually shows within a few hours; providers quote up to 24–48 hours.
On this page
DNS changes aren't instant because computers all over the internet keep copies of DNS answers for a while to save time. A change is seen everywhere once those copies expire. With Cloudflare, a proxied record usually updates within about 5 minutes, and a DNS-only record within its TTL, which can be up to a day. A nameserver change at your registrar is picked up by most networks within a few hours, and providers quote up to 24–48 hours.
Why it takes time
Every DNS record has a TTL (time to live): how long, in seconds, other servers may keep a copy before asking again. If a record has a TTL of one hour and someone's internet provider looked it up a minute before your change, they'll keep seeing the old answer for up to another 59 minutes.
"Propagation" is the name for this period. Nothing is being pushed out; old copies are expiring one by one.
Typical times
| Change | Usually seen everywhere |
|---|---|
| Proxied record at Cloudflare (orange cloud) | About 5 minutes |
| DNS-only record at Cloudflare (grey cloud) | Within its TTL: from 60 seconds up to 1 day |
| Nameservers changed at the registrar | Most within a few hours; up to 24–48 hours |
Proxied records at Cloudflare use an automatic TTL of 300 seconds. DNS-only records can be set anywhere from 60 seconds to a day. Some registrars quote their own times for nameserver changes: GoDaddy, for example, says usually within an hour and up to 48 hours.
Check how far a change has spread
With a web lookup
- Go to Google Public DNS.
- Enter your domain (or the full hostname, such as
www.example.com) and select Resolve. - Choose the record type you changed, such as A, MX or NS, and compare the answer with what you expect.
For nameservers, ICANN Lookup shows what your registrar has published.
With a command
dig ns example.com @1.1.1.1
dig a www.example.com @8.8.8.8Replace the names with your own. The first line asks Cloudflare's public resolver for your nameservers; the second asks Google's resolver for the website address. If both show the new values, most of the internet does too. A number in the answer before IN is the remaining time, in seconds, that copy will be kept.
See the change on your own computer sooner
Your browser and device keep their own copies. To clear them:
- Close and reopen the browser, or open a private window.
- Try a different network, such as your phone on mobile data.
- Restart the device if the old result persists.
You'll know it worked when
The lookups above show the new value from more than one resolver, and the website or email behaves as expected from a device that hadn't visited recently.
Troubleshooting
- Nothing has changed after a day. The change probably didn't save, or was made at a provider your nameservers don't point to. Check your nameservers first: What are nameservers?.
- Some people see the new site and some the old one. Normal during the change. Leave both old and new servers running until the wait is over.
- The domain stopped resolving entirely after a nameserver change. A leftover DNSSEC record is the most likely cause. See DNSSEC basics.
- You need a change to be quick next time. Ask us to lower the record's TTL a day ahead. See Change DNS without taking your website or email offline.
Next steps
- Troubleshoot a domain that isn't working
- How to ask us to change a DNS record
Frequently asked questions
Can propagation be sped up?
Not once the change is made, because other networks keep their copy until it expires. Lowering a record's TTL a day ahead of a planned change shortens the wait next time.
Why does my phone show the new site but my laptop doesn't?
Each device and network may hold an older copy. Try the laptop on another network, or restart the browser. It catches up when its copy expires.
It's been 48 hours and nothing has changed. What now?
That's longer than normal. Check the change was saved, check for typos, and see Troubleshoot a domain that isn't working.