GHS
KES - Kenya
NGN - Nigeria
ZAR - South Africa
USD - International
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In short
DNS propagation is the time it takes for a DNS change (new nameservers or records) to reach every network. Because DNS answers are cached, some visitors see the old settings for a while. It usually takes minutes to a few hours and at most about 48 hours.
Why it isn’t instant
DNS answers are cached by internet and mobile data providers, office routers and devices to keep the web fast. Each record has a TTL (time to live) saying how long it may be cached, often 1 to 4 hours. Until the cache expires, that network keeps using the old answer.
Nameserver changes take longest because the registry’s own records are cached too.
How long to expect
| Change | Usually | At most |
|---|---|---|
| A, CNAME, MX or TXT record | Minutes to 1 hour | The old record’s TTL |
| Nameservers | A few hours | About 48 hours |
How to check
- Use an online DNS checker (“DNS propagation checker”) to see what servers around the world return for your domain.
- On a computer, run
nslookup yourbusiness.comto see the address your network gets. - Try your site on mobile data instead of the office Wi-Fi: a different network may already see the change.
Speed it up (and avoid downtime)
- Lower the TTL of records you plan to change to 300 seconds a day before the change.
- Keep the old hosting running until propagation is done, so visitors who still see the old address get a working site.
- Clear your own cache: restart the browser, or flush DNS on your computer.
While you wait
- Some visitors see the old site, some the new one. That’s normal.
- Email may arrive at the old or new server for a few hours. If you are moving email, keep both mailboxes until the switch is complete. We migrate websites and email for free.
- Free SSL is issued once the domain points to the new server, so https may show a warning for a short while.
Still not working after 48 hours?
Check that the nameservers or records are spelled correctly, then contact our team by live chat or ticket with the domain name: we’ll check the DNS for you, 24/7.