How to Troubleshoot DNS Problems

Issues with DNS can be caused by how DNS records or domain name servers are configured. You may be experiencing a problem with your domain, website, or email caused by a DNS issue. Learn how to troubleshoot DNS problems if your DNS isn’t working properly. Below are some symptoms of DNS issues you may see:

• Your website isn’t loading
• Error messages on your website
• You have trouble sending or receiving email

Below are some examples of common DNS error messages you may encounter:

• DNS resolution failure
• DNS server not responding
• High TTL values
• Incorrect DNS configuration

How to Troubleshoot DNS Problems

Follow the steps below to troubleshoot your DNS issue.  

1. Are we your DNS provider? DNS is commonly with your domain name registrar. Be sure we are your DNS provider, and you do not have DNS set up with anyone else. You can find the name of your DNS provider by visiting https://who.is/.
   1. Yes – Proceed to step 2.  
   2. No – Contact your DNS provider for help troubleshooting DNS-related issues.   
       
2. Are the domain, email, and hosting products active? Check the Renewal Center in your Account Manager to ensure none of your services have expired. 
   1. Yes – Proceed to step 3. 
   2. No – If any connected services have expired, renew these services as soon as possible to avoid further interruptions. To make a payment, visit How Do I Manage the Renewal Center?  
       
3. Were the DNS/ADNS records changed more than 24 hours ago? Check to ensure your DNS records were not updated within the last 24 hours. DNS updates may cause interruptions while the changes update throughout the internet.
   1. Yes – Proceed to step 4. 
   2. No – If updates were made to your DNS settings within the last 24 hours, the updates could still be propagating throughout the internet. DNS changes may take 24-48 hours to update throughout the internet, also called propagation. Advanced DNS updates will take up to 2 hours to take effect.
       
4. Are the DNS records (including A records/IP Addresses) correctly configured? Check all your DNS and Advanced DNS (ADNS) settings, especially A records/IP Addresses, to ensure they are correct and have no misspellings. Also, remember that your Host Name should not have consecutive periods or any spaces, start or end with a dash, or contain a numeric IP Address. Additionally, make sure to add your numeric IP Address in the Points to field.
   1. Yes – Proceed to step 5 if this does not resolve your issue.
   2. No – You can visit http://leafdns.com/ or https://who.is/ to view your DNS settings. If your DNS/ADNS settings are incorrect, you must update them to avoid further interruptions. Visit How Do I Manage DNS and Advanced DNS Records for instructions on updating your DNS settings. If you log in at support.web.com, visit How Do I Manage DNS and Advanced DNS Records in support.web.com.
       
5. Did you clear your cache and cookies? Clear your internet browser’s cache and cookies. Your internet browser saves information from websites you visit, which can occasionally cause trouble when you need updated website information showing in your internet browser.
   1. Yes – Proceed to step 6 if this does not resolve your issue.
   2. No – Try clearing your cache and cookies before proceeding.
       
6. Can you recreate the issue on a different device? Try again using a different computer and mobile device to see if you can replicate this issue on a different device or internet.
   1. Yes – Proceed to step 7 if this does not resolve your issue.
   2. No – Reach out to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to resolve the issue.
       
7. Is there a domain transfer in progress? If you have a domain transfer in progress, some of your products or services could be impacted.
   1. Yes – Check the status of your domain transfer.
   2. No – Proceed to step 8.
       
8. Flush the DNS Cache. Sometimes, the DNS cache (temporary storage of previous DNS lookups) will store a bad entry. When this happens, you need to clear the DNS cache, which is flushing the DNS cache. If that is the issue, your issue will be resolved. You can also wait 24 hours, and the DNS cache entry will be automatically removed. Click on the Flush DNS Cache tab to find instructions on how to do this.

Flush DNS Cache on Different Devices

If you can't wait 24 hours for the DNS cache entry to be automatically dropped, you can use the following instructions to flush it. Below are steps for troubleshooting DNS problems on Mac or Windows.

Mac

1. Click on the Search icon on your desktop or the Command + Space keys on your keyboard.
   
    
2. Type Terminal in the search bar and hit enter.
   
    
3. You will see "Terminal" with a black icon next to "Top Hit". Double-click on this result.
4. In Mac OSX Leopard, use the command below to flush the DNS resolver cache:
   dscacheutil -flushcache
5. In Mac OSX versions 10.5.1 and before, use the command below to perform the same task:
   lookupd -flushcache

You have successfully flushed your DNS cache.

Windows

1. Right-click on the Start icon. A menu will open.
2. Select Run from the menu.
   
    
3. Make sure the Open field shows cmd, then click OK. A new box will open.
   
    
4. You will see a line that says something like C:\Users\jdoe>. On that line, type (or copy and paste) ipconfig /flushdns.
5. The command you typed will run. You will see a message like the image below when it is complete.
   
    
6. Type exit to close the prompt or click X on the window.
   

You have successfully flushed your DNS cache.

Review

DNS problems can happen due to incorrect configurations of DNS records or domain name servers, leading to issues with domains, websites, or emails. Symptoms include website loading errors, error messages, and email delivery problems. Common DNS error messages are DNS resolution failure, server not responding, high TTL values, and incorrect DNS configuration. Steps to fix DNS problems involve:

1. Confirming your DNS provider.
2. Checking if your domain, email, and web hosting services are active and not expired.
3. Ensuring DNS/ADNS records weren't changed within the last 24 hours.
4. Verifying the correct configuration of DNS records, including A records/IP Addresses.
5. Clearing your browser's cache and cookies to ensure updated website information is displayed.
6. Attempting to recreate the issue on a different device or network to rule out device-specific problems.
7. Checking for any domain transfers in progress that might affect services.
8. Flushing the DNS cache to remove bad entries and resolve issues.

Instructions for flushing the DNS cache are provided for both Mac (using Terminal commands) and Windows (using the Command Prompt).