A Quick Guide on How to Find DNS Server on Mac [2023 Update]

Ever wonder what DNS servers on your Mac are? Would you want to know when or how this DNS server works? Well, in this article, we are going to know more about the DNS server on your Mac and how you can find them. So if you are one of those people who are actually curious about it, then this is for you.

Before We Find DNS Server on Mac:

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Part 1: What Is A DNS Server?Part 2: When Do We Use DNS Servers?Part 3: How to Find DNS Server on Mac Part 4: How to Flush DNS Cache on Mac – TechyCub Mac Cleaner Part 5: Cleaning DNS Cache Manually on Mac Part 6: Conclusion

Part 1: What Is A DNS Server?

If a certain device such as your Mac does not have a DNS server, then you will not be able to access the internet on your device. This is because a DNS server is one of the most crucial parts of the DNS infrastructure. DNS stands for Domain Name System.

This is where you will be able to find the IP addresses as well as the hostnames and the data that is used for you to fix any problems that the user might encounter on a certain website, a device, or some other network system that is using an IP address. Truly, DNS is very handy.

Find Dns Server On Mac Ip

Part 2: When Do We Use DNS Servers?

Once a user types in a certain host or website or a URL on the address bar on one of their browsers, the DNS resolver will then immediately contact the DNS server for it to be able to find the IP address that is somewhat connected to the website that you are trying to access. And, once the DNS server is not able to locate any information that it needs, then it will move along to the DNS server in the DNS hierarchy until such time that it was able to locate the data that it needs.

How to Find DNS Sever on Mac

Part 3: How to Find DNS Server on Mac

To find and check the DNS server on your Mac, go to the Apple menu > Preferences > Network. Then, select the network that you want on the left. After that, click the “Advanced” button as well as the DNS tab. Remember to unlock the preference panel if there's a lock icon at the bottom.

NOTE: If you were able to enter the setting manually, then the MIT DNS servers will be listed on your screen in black font. If you have this, you can go ahead and click on the minus (-) sign for you to remove it. However, once the DNS server appears grey on your screen, then that means that they were assigned automatically. And once that you have left the MIT campus, then the DNS settings will be updated on your local network provider.

That is how easy to find the DNS server on your Mac if you are wondering about where you can check on it.

Find Dns Server On Mac

Part 4: How to Flush DNS Cache on Mac – TechyCub Mac Cleaner

In this part, we are going to show you the easiest and quickest way for you to be able to clear out the DNS cache on your Mac. All you need to have is the TechyCub Mac Cleaner and rest assured that you will be able to do this task as quickly and easily as possible.

The Flash DNS feature of TechyCub Mac Cleaner will be able to help you in solving any network problems that you are having on your Mac. There are actually three possible situations that you might encounter and that you will be needing to flash your DNS cache from your Mac.

The first one is that if you are actually having the inability to connect to some of the websites on your Mac.
Another thing is that if you are experiencing your network slowing down randomly
And if it is used in any of the related issues.

The good thing about TechyCub Mac Cleaner is that, aside from the fact that you will be able to fix the problem with regards to your DNS server, you will also be able to make your Mac as good as new. Meaning, if you are going to have TechyCub Mac Cleaner, you will be able to do a lot of things with it. It will all depend on what you need. Here are some of the best features of TechyCub Mac Cleaner program.

It can become a Mac Cleaner that will allow you to free up more of your storage space and make the performance of your Mac better.
It can become a Duplicate Finder, which means that it can help you locate and remove all those duplicate files that you have on your Mac.
It can become an App uninstaller as it can do the job better.
You can also use Mac Cleaner for you to be able to secure the privacy of the files that you have on your Mac because you can set up a password so that no one will be able to access it.
It can become a performance monitory wherein you will be able to use it for you to check up on the system status of your Mac.
It can be a file unarchive, and a lot more.

With all the said features, there is still a lot more than TechyCub Mac Cleaner can do and you can find it all out once that you have the program installed on your Mac. Because of this, the TechyCub Mac Cleaner is considered to be an all-in-one Mac application and so far the best one ever.

Now, if you would want to start flushing your DNS cache from your Mac, all you have to do is to follow the steps below.

Step 1: Download, Install and Launch Mac Cleaner

First is that you will be needing to download the Mac Cleaner from our official website. And once that you are done, you can go ahead and install it on your Mac. Once you are done with the installation process of the program, go ahead and simply launch it on your Mac.

Step 2: Click Optimization

In the interface of the software, select Optimization first, then click Scan to let it scan your Mac and find out those items that can be optimized.

Select Optimization to Find DNS Cache

Step 3: Choose Clean DNS Cache

Under the Optimization menu, there are 5 specific functions to solve kinds of problems. Then, select Clean DNS Cache and hit the RUN button.

Clean DNS Cache on Mac

So that is how easy and quick to flush your DNS cache from your Mac using the most powerful tool today – TechyCub Mac Cleaner.

Part 5: Cleaning DNS Cache Manually on Mac

Before we go ahead and proceed with the cleaning of your DNS cache on your Mac, we have to warn you that doing this will interrupt any active web. That is why it is better for you to close any browsers first before doing this.

The methods that we are going to show you will depend on what type of Mac you are using. So, just go through the methods and look for the one that has the type of Mac you are using.

Method #1: Flushing DNS Cache on macOS High Sierra

Go ahead and launch Finder on your Mac.
And then, choose Applications, then click on Utilities, and then Terminal.
After that, go ahead and enter these commands: sudo killall -HUP mDNSRespoder; sleep 2; echo macOS DNS Cache Reset | say
After entering the command, go ahead and press the Return button and then enter your password. And once again, press the Return button.
Then, you will be able to see a message on your screen that says “macOS DNS cache reset”.
Then once you are done, go ahead and exit the Terminal.

Method #2: Flushing DNS Cache on macOS Sierra

This method is actually a little similar to flushing DNS on a High Sierra Mac. However, only the syntax for this one is different. Here is what you need to do.

Go ahead and launch the Finder on your Mac.
And then, go ahead and choose Applications and then choose Utilities and then choose Terminal.
After that, go ahead and this command: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder; say DNS cache has been flushed
After entering the command, go ahead and press the Return button and then key in your password. Once done with the password, press the Enter command again.
And then lastly, listen to the audio alert. Once you hear that alert, then that means that the DNS cache was successfully removed from your Mac.

NOTE: If the command that we have provided above does not work for you, then you can go ahead and use this alternative syntax.

sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder;sudo killall mDNSResponderHelper;sudo dscacheutil -flushed cache; say Mac DNS cache has been cleared.

Find Dns Server On Mac Dns

Method #3: Flushing DNS Cache on Mac OS El Capitan and Yosemite

This method can be applied to the El Capitan and Yosemite versions of Mac. So here is how to do this.

Go ahead and launch Finder on your Mac.
After that, go ahead and click on the Applications and then choose Utilities and then click Terminal.
Once you are in the Terminal, go ahead and enter the following command:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder; say cache flushed
And then, go ahead and press on the Return button and then key in your password. Once done, press the Return button again.
After that, wait for the alert tone which means that the process is successful.
Then once you are done, go ahead and exit the Terminal.

TIP: If you are using the OS X Yosemite version 10.10, 10.1, 10.10.2, and the 10.10.3, then the process of these is a bit different. For you to be able to completely flush your DNS cache, you have to clear out the Multicast DNS as well as the Unicast DNS.

For you to clear the MDNS cache, all you have to do is to enter these commands in the Terminal:

sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache

And then, for you to be able to clear the UDNS cache, just do the same process above but enter this syntax on Terminal:

sudo discoveryutil ednsfushcaches

And then, for you to be able to clear both the MDNS and UDNS cache at once, go ahead and do the same steps but enter these command lines:

sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache;sudo discoveryutiludnsflushcaches;say flushed

Part 6: Conclusion

Now, you already know how you can find the DNS server on your Mac both manually and in the easiest way. Now, if you are actually facing some problems with the websites that you are trying to visit, then it is a great idea that you clear out your DNS cache on your Mac. This way, your problem will be resolved quickly.

And in doing this, we highly recommend that you use the most powerful program for your Mac. And that is the TechyCub Mac Cleaner. Every task will be as quick as possible.