Free DNS Propagation Checker
Changed a DNS record? See which public resolvers already show the new value and which are still serving the old one. No account needed.
Free, with no sign-up. Fair-use limits apply. To enforce them we keep the domain you enter and a scrambled form of your IP address for 30 days, as described in our privacy policy.
What DNS propagation really is
When you change a DNS record, nothing is pushed out across the internet. Your change takes effect immediately on your authoritative nameservers, and every other network learns about it only when its cached copy of the old answer runs out. Each cached answer carries a time to live, the TTL, set by whoever created the record. Until that time is up, a resolver keeps serving the old value. That gap is what people call propagation, and it is why a change can appear to work for you and not for a colleague.
This free tool shows the current state. It asks sixteen well-known public resolvers what they return for your record, asks the domain’s own nameservers for the correct answer, and compares them.
How to use it
Enter your domain, choose the record type you changed and press Check propagation. The results table lists each resolver with the value it returned and whether it matches the authoritative answer. Resolvers that agree are marked as up to date, and any that differ are flagged so you can see at a glance how far the change has travelled.
Reading the results
If every resolver matches, the change has propagated as far as public resolvers are concerned, and any remaining problems are more likely to sit on a device or a local network than in DNS. If most match and a few do not, wait: the stragglers are simply holding a cached copy that has not expired yet. Where the results show a remaining lifetime, that tells you roughly how long it will be before they refresh.
If none of them match the answer you expected, the problem is probably not propagation at all. Check that the record was saved on the right zone, that the domain is using the nameservers you think it is, and that the value has no typing errors. The DNS lookup tool is the quickest way to see what is actually published.
One caution: the resolvers are anycast services, so each answer comes from the operator’s server nearest to ours. The tool compares operators and caches, not physical countries.
Common myths about propagation
Propagation is often described as taking up to 48 hours, but that is a worst case and depends entirely on the TTL that was set, not on any fixed rule. It is also not a process that you can watch move around the world like a wave. Each resolver simply expires its own copy on its own schedule, which is why results can look uneven. Clearing your own browser cache will not help if the resolver you use still holds the old answer.
Planning changes to shorten the wait
The best way to make propagation painless is to plan ahead. A day or two before a migration, lower the TTL on the records you are about to change to five minutes or so. Once the old, longer TTL has expired everywhere, make the change, and it will spread in minutes rather than hours. When everything is confirmed, raise the TTL again to cut unnecessary lookups.
- Lower the TTL well before the change, not at the same moment.
- Keep the old server running until propagation is complete.
- Check every record type you changed, not just the address.
- Verify email records separately, using the MX lookup.
Go further with an account
In an SEO Web Data account the propagation checker supports more record types, and it sits alongside a nameserver consistency check that compares the registry’s delegation with the nameservers in the zone, checks that they agree and that they sit on separate networks. A watchlist re-checks your domains every week and alerts you when nameservers or mail records change. More than seventy domain tools live next to your site audits and rank tracking, and every plan starts with a free trial.
Frequently asked questions
How long does DNS propagation take?
It depends on the TTL of the old record. Often minutes, sometimes up to a day or two when the TTL was long.
Why can I see the new site but my colleague cannot?
Your resolver has already refreshed its copy and theirs has not. Devices and browsers also cache DNS answers of their own.
Can I speed propagation up?
You cannot force other networks to refresh. You can lower the TTL before you make a change, so the wait afterwards is short.
Does it check nameserver changes at the registrar?
The NS record type shows what resolvers currently return for your nameservers, which helps you follow a change of DNS host.
More free tools
See all free domain tools, or read how the DNS lookup and propagation tools work inside the dashboard.