Clear Browser Cache & Understand DNS Propagation

You've pointed your domain to Hoststack, updated a DNS record, or gone live with a new design — but your browser still shows the old site, or an error page. In almost every case this is either a stale browser cache or DNS propagation still in progress, not a problem with your hosting. Here's how to tell the difference and fix it.

Clear your browser cache first

Browsers store a local copy of pages, images and DNS lookups to load sites faster. This is the most common reason a site "still looks old" right after a change.

• Chrome/Edge: Ctrl+Shift+Delete → select "Cached images and files" → Clear data
• Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+Delete → Cache → Clear Now
• Quick test: Press Ctrl+F5 (hard refresh) or open the site in an incognito/private window
• Mobile: clear the browser app's cache in phone Settings, or try a different network (Wi-Fi vs mobile data)

What DNS propagation actually means

DNS records aren't updated everywhere instantly. Every DNS record has a TTL (Time To Live) — a number in seconds telling other servers how long to cache it before checking again. When you change a nameserver, A record, or MX record, ISPs and DNS resolvers around the world are still holding the old answer until their cached copy expires.

• Nameserver changes: typically 2–24 hours, occasionally up to 48 hours worldwide
• A, CNAME, MX, TXT record edits: usually within the TTL value set on that record (often 1–4 hours)
• Different networks and countries update at different speeds — a colleague abroad may see the new site before you do
• Use whatsmydns.net to check propagation status across dozens of global locations in real time

Speed things up next time

If you're planning a migration or DNS change in advance, lower the TTL on the record (e.g. to 300 seconds) a day or two beforehand. Once the low TTL has propagated, your actual change will spread much faster because caches expire sooner. After the change is stable, you can raise the TTL again.