About this tool
"DNS propagation" is really cache expiry. When you change a record, the domain's authoritative name servers serve the new value immediately, but recursive resolvers keep answering with the old value until its TTL runs out. This tool queries the authoritative servers directly (the source of truth) and several large public resolvers, and shows where they agree.
How to read the results
Rows marked authoritative come straight from the domain's own name servers — if those show your new value, the change is live. Resolver rows show what visitors using that resolver currently get. A resolver that still shows the old value will switch once its cached TTL expires.
If the authoritative servers disagree with each other, the problem is not propagation: one of your name servers has stale data (for example a failed zone transfer). Compare their SOA serial numbers with the DNS lookup tool.
Limitations
- All queries are sent from one server location. Many of these resolvers are anycast networks with separate caches per site, so a visitor in another country may temporarily see a different answer. This tool does not run probes worldwide.
- Authoritative servers are only queried over direct DNS (UDP/TCP port 53). If the hosting network blocks that, only public resolvers are compared and the page says so.
- Your internet provider's resolver and your own device also cache answers; flush your local DNS cache if you still see the old value.
Frequently asked questions
How long does DNS propagation take?
At most the old record's TTL (plus any negative-caching time if the record did not exist before). With a 1-hour TTL, most resolvers update within an hour. Claims of "up to 48 hours" come from the days of long TTLs.
Can I speed it up?
Only in advance: lower the TTL (for example to 300 seconds) at least one old-TTL period before the change. Some public resolvers offer a cache-purge page (Google, Cloudflare).
Why does one resolver show nothing while others show a record?
It may have cached a "does not exist" answer from before you created the record. That negative answer is cached for the SOA minimum TTL.
I changed my name servers. Why do some resolvers still use the old ones?
Name-server changes are cached at the parent zone (for example .com or .eu) as well, often with a TTL of one to two days. The authoritative rows here come from the name servers currently listed for the domain.
Is DNS propagation real?
It is caching: resolvers keep old answers until the TTL expires.
Which answer is correct?
The authoritative servers' answer is the source of truth.
Can I force propagation?
No, but you can lower the TTL before making a change.