DNS Propagation Checker
Changed a DNS record and want to know if the world can see it yet? We ask the domain's own nameservers what the record should be, then ask 16 public resolvers what they are handing out right now.
What "propagation" really means
DNS changes do not travel outward like a wave. The moment you save a record at your DNS provider, its nameservers start giving out the new answer. What takes time is the caches: every resolver that looked up your domain recently keeps the old answer until its TTL runs out, and only then asks again.
So the useful question is not "has it spread?" but "which resolvers still hold the old answer, and for how long?" This tool answers both. The top of the result shows what your nameservers say. The table shows what each public resolver returns and the TTL it has left.
Reading the result
- Matches: the resolver returns the same answer as your nameservers (or contains the expected value you entered).
- Different: the resolver is still serving an older answer. The TTL column tells you roughly how long until it asks again.
- No answer: the resolver did not reply in time. Some resolvers, especially in China, can be slow or block queries from abroad. This does not mean your record is wrong.
If your nameservers themselves still show the old value, waiting will not help. Check that you edited the record at the DNS provider your domain actually uses: the nameservers listed in the result are the ones that count.
About the resolvers we ask
We query 16 well-known public resolvers run by different companies. Most of them are anycast, which means the same IP address is served from many data centres, and our query reaches the one nearest our server. Each provider keeps its own cache, so comparing them shows you how far the change has got. We do not claim to test from 16 countries, because with anycast that would not be true.
Limitations
- Your own computer, router and internet provider keep their own caches. If everything here matches but your browser still shows the old site, clear your local DNS cache or try another network.
- Some providers use geographic DNS, which deliberately gives different answers in different regions. In that case "Different" is expected.
Questions
How can I make future changes faster?
A day or two before a planned change, lower the record's TTL to 300 seconds. Wait for the old TTL to expire, make the change, confirm it here, then raise the TTL again.
I changed my nameservers. Why is it taking so long?
Nameserver changes go through your registrar and the registry for your domain ending, and the NS records of most endings have a TTL of one or two days. Check the current nameservers with the WHOIS Lookup.
Why do two resolvers from the same company disagree?
Large resolvers run many separate caches. Your query can land on a cache that refreshed a minute ago or one that refreshed an hour ago. It settles once the TTL has passed everywhere.