DNS or Domain Name System is basically what resolves website names to their respective IP addresses. So, if you’re having an issue on your Mac where the name server isn’t being resolved properly, or if you want a DNS change to be noticed by your system, you may need to reset and clear the DNS cache in macOS Sierra. This can also be useful if you have made changes to your /etc/hosts file and want the changes to be saved without restarting your Mac. Well, If you want to reset and clear the DNS cache on your Mac, here’s how to do it:
Reset and Flush/Clear DNS Cache on macOS Sierra
The procedure to reset and clear DNS cache on macOS is actually very easy. All it takes is a command into Terminal and you’re done. Technically, two commands on one line. If you want to clear DNS cache on Mac, just follow these steps:
1. Start terminal and type “sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder“.
2. You will be prompted to enter a password. Enter your Mac login password here and press Enter.
Great, you have successfully reset and cleared the DNS cache on macOS Sierra. If you are experiencing any issues with nameservers, these should be resolved now. You can try and a “dig“or a”nslookup” on a website you want, To see if your DNS issues have been resolved.
Using Dig to Control Query Times
Often times, you may be wondering what’s going on if your DNS settings are broken or you have a very slow DNS. You can use the “dig” command in Terminal to check if your DNS is working properly:
1. Start terminal and type “goose beebom.com“. You can use any website name instead of beebom.com.
2. In the results, “Query time“. If you find that the query time for the website is too long, you should change the DNS settings of macOS and set up a DNS server such as Google DNS.
After changing the DNS server, you can run the dig command again to check for any improvement. Unless it’s an issue with your ISP, changing the DNS to Google DNS or OpenDNS would really help.
SEE ALSO: How to Change Icons on Mac Without Third-Party Apps
Reset and Clear DNS Cache to Fix DNS Issues
You can reset and clear the DNS cache in macOS Sierra to fix most DNS issues you may encounter. The method mentioned in the article works on Mac OS X 10.10.4+ and even macOS Sierra. If you run into any issues with the commands I mentioned, feel free to let me know in the comments section below.
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