KES
NGN - Nigeria
ZAR - South Africa
USD - International
All domain guides
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 providers, 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.co.keto see the address your network gets. - Try your site on mobile data instead of 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 with the domain name: we’ll check the DNS for you, 24/7.