When you change DNS for a domain — pointing it at new hosting, switching nameservers, or updating a record — the change has to spread across the internet's DNS resolvers before everyone sees it. That's "propagation."
The short answer
For domains using our nameservers (ns1.flashcloud.com and ns2.flashcloud.com), most changes are visible within a minute or two. We use Cloudflare's anycast network with short TTLs.
For changes at other registrars or DNS providers, expect 1–4 hours in the typical case, up to 24–48 hours in the worst case.
What's actually happening
DNS isn't one server — it's a hierarchy of caches. When you change a record:
- Our authoritative nameserver gets the new value (instant).
- Resolvers around the world that have a cached copy of the old value keep returning it until that cache expires.
- The cache expiry is governed by the TTL (time-to-live) on the record — typically 1–60 minutes on our system, but historical records may have been set to 24 hours.
Once a resolver's cache expires, it asks our nameserver again and gets the new value. Repeat across thousands of ISPs, mobile carriers, corporate networks, and home routers.
Why the same site loads differently on different devices
During propagation, your phone might already see the new site while your laptop still sees the old one. That's normal — they're hitting different resolvers with different cache states. Wait it out, or:
- Flush DNS on your computer to drop the local cache.
- Try a different DNS resolver (e.g.,
1.1.1.1or8.8.8.8) to see if the new value has propagated to a major resolver yet. - Use a propagation checker like
dnschecker.orgto see what resolvers around the world currently return.
How to flush DNS
- macOS:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder - Windows:
ipconfig /flushdns - Linux (systemd-resolved):
sudo resolvectl flush-caches - Browser (Chrome): visit
chrome://net-internals/#dnsand click "Clear host cache"
Speeding things up before a big change
If you know you'll be changing DNS soon (a hosting migration, switching providers), lower the TTL on the affected records 24 hours in advance. When the change happens, resolvers will have already learned the short TTL and will pick up the new value within minutes.
You can edit TTLs from your domain detail page in Domains → click the domain → DNS.
Power-user note
DNS propagation has nothing to do with us, your browser, or your computer specifically — it's a property of the global DNS system. The only knobs anyone has to influence it are:
- TTL settings on the records (controlled by the authoritative nameserver).
- Which resolver you query (your ISP's vs
1.1.1.1vs8.8.8.8).
There's no way to "force" propagation faster than the TTL allows. If something promises that, it's lying.