DNS propagation checker: has your DNS change reached every resolver?
A DNS propagation checker asks many public resolvers for the same record to see which already return your new value. Enter a domain and record type, and optionally the value you set: this tool queries Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, OpenDNS and eight more over DNS-over-HTTPS, compares each answer with your name server's, and shows each cache's remaining TTL.
Sample result
acme.example's A record is still spreading; Quad9 shows the old address.
- A record
- acme.example
- Authoritative
- 192.0.2.10
- Quad9
- Old answer, 1,180 s left
What this means for you
Wait before testing again: that cache drops its old answer in about 20 minutes.
- Asks 12 public resolvers and the zone's own
- A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SOA and CAA
- Shows how long each cache keeps its answer
- Compare with the value you expect
- Propagation
- TTL
- DoH
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated
How do I check DNS propagation?
- Enter the domain or host you changed, such as example.com, www.example.com or _dmarc.example.com, and pick the record type.
- Optionally paste the value you just set, such as the new IP address or part of a TXT record. Each resolver is then checked for that value.
- Press Check propagation. Each resolver's answer is listed with a status, the TTL its cache has left and the CNAMEs it followed.
- If some still show the old answer, wait for the longest TTL shown and press Check again.
Example
- You enter
- The A record of
acme.example, with the new value192.0.2.10. - You get
- Still propagating: the zone's own name server and Google Public DNS return
192.0.2.10, while Quad9 still returns the old192.0.2.9with 1,180 seconds left on its cache. - Limits
- One record per check and 10 checks a minute per connection.
What is DNS propagation?
DNS propagation is the time it takes for resolvers to stop serving their cached copy of a record and fetch your new one. Nothing is pushed out: your DNS host's name servers have the new value as soon as you save it, but every resolver that looked the name up before keeps its copy until the record's TTL (time to live) runs out, as RFC 1035 defines.
That's why the change appears on some resolvers and not others: each one cached the old answer at a different moment. This checker asks the zone's own name server too, so you can see the new value is live at the source even while resolvers still disagree.
How long does DNS propagation take?
At most the old record's TTL, for an ordinary record change. If the record had a TTL of 3,600 seconds, every resolver has the new value within an hour of the change. Each resolver's remaining time is shown under its answer here, so the longest one is how long the slowest has left.
Changing name servers takes longer, because the delegation lives in the parent zone: the .com servers give NS records a 172,800-second TTL, which is 48 hours. A name that didn't exist before is cached as missing for the zone's negative TTL, set in its SOA record, under RFC 2308; for .com that's 900 seconds.
Can I speed up DNS propagation?
Partly. Before a planned change, lower the record's TTL to 300 seconds and wait out the old TTL, so caches expire quickly when you switch. After the change, you can ask some public resolvers to drop their cached copy: Google Public DNS and Cloudflare both have a flush page.
You can't force every resolver on the internet to refresh, and your own computer and browser keep caches of their own. Restarting the browser or flushing the operating system's DNS cache clears those.
Why do resolvers show different IP addresses for the same domain?
Often because the site is behind a load balancer or CDN that hands out different addresses on purpose, not because a change is still spreading. Hosts such as Vercel, GitHub and Cloudflare return a different set of IPs from their pool to each resolver. When an address is from the same /24 network as the name server's answer, this tool marks it Same network, other address.
To check that your own change is out, paste the value you set into Value you just set. Each resolver is then marked by whether its answer contains that value, which is the question you actually have.
DNS propagation checker or DNS lookup: which do I need?
| Propagation checker (this tool) | DNS lookup | |
|---|---|---|
| Resolvers asked | 12 public resolvers + the zone's name server | One |
| Shows | One record type, side by side, with each cache's TTL | Every record type for a name |
| Best for | Right after a change | Auditing what a domain publishes |
| Tool | This page | DNS lookup |
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- Email senders
- Confirm a new SPF, DKIM or DMARC TXT record is visible before turning on a sending tool, so its own check doesn't fail on a stale cache.
- Developers
- Move a site to a new host and watch the A or CNAME record switch over resolver by resolver, with the TTL each has left.
- Agencies
- Show a client that a record is live at their name server and only waiting on caches, with the time it will take.
- IT admins
- After switching name servers or mail providers, check the NS and MX records from resolvers on several continents.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- Each resolver answers from its server nearest to ours, so a resolver's other locations can still hold an older copy for a while.
- Your ISP's resolver, your office network and your own computer have caches this tool can't see.
- Load-balanced hosts give different addresses to different resolvers; that is shown, but it can look like an unfinished change.
- It reads the zone's own name server for the reference answer; if that server doesn't respond, the most common answer is used instead.
Common questions
- What is DNS propagation?
- The delay between changing a DNS record and every resolver returning the new value. Resolvers keep cached answers until the record's TTL expires, so they switch at different times.
- How long does DNS propagation take?
- Up to the old record's TTL for a normal record change; the check above shows how long each resolver has left. Name server changes can take up to 48 hours, because .com and similar parent zones give NS records a 48-hour TTL.
- Can I force DNS propagation?
- Not everywhere. You can flush Google Public DNS and Cloudflare's caches from their purge pages, and lower the TTL before a change next time, but other resolvers refresh on their own schedule.
- How do I know when DNS propagation is done?
- When every resolver here returns your new value. Paste the value in Value you just set, run the check, and wait for the longest TTL shown if any are still behind.
- Why does DNS propagation take so long?
- Because resolvers cache answers for the full TTL and don't recheck early. A long TTL, such as a day, means a resolver that cached the old value just before your change keeps it for a day.
- What does waiting for DNS propagation mean?
- That a service, such as a host or an email provider, can't see your new record yet because the resolver it uses still has the old answer cached. It clears once that cache expires.
Sources
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