When you type a website address into Google Chrome, the browser must convert that human-readable URL (like digitash.com) into a machine-readable IP address using the Domain Name System (DNS). To speed up your web browsing, Chrome maintains its own internal, hidden DNS cache, completely separate from your computer’s operating system cache.
If a website recently changed its server IP address, or if you are a web developer testing new DNS records, you might find that Chrome stubbornly refuses to load the new site, displaying an older version or a “Site cannot be reached” error. Because Chrome uses its own cache, flushing your Windows or Mac DNS will not fix the problem. You must clear Chrome’s internal cache directly.
How to Flush the Chrome DNS Cache
You cannot access this cache from the standard Chrome Settings menu. You must use the browser’s hidden network internals page.
- Open the Google Chrome browser.
- Click on the address bar at the top of the screen.
- Type the following exact command into the address bar and press Enter:
chrome://net-internals/#dns - You will be taken to a plain, technical-looking page with a sidebar on the left. Ensure that DNS is selected in that sidebar.
- Look at the main window. You will see a section labelled “Host resolver cache.”
- Click the button labelled Clear host cache.
There will be no pop-up confirmation or loading bar; the button click is instantaneous. The internal cache has been entirely wiped.
Clear the Socket Pools (Optional but Recommended)
Sometimes, clearing the DNS cache isn’t enough because Chrome holds onto active connection “sockets” to the old IP address. It is best practice to flush these as well.
- Look at the left-hand sidebar on the same page and click on Sockets.
- In the main window, click the button labelled Flush socket pools.
Your browser is now completely refreshed. You can open a new tab and navigate to the problematic website; Chrome will be forced to perform a brand-new DNS lookup and fetch the most recent data.