How to Flush the Caches on a Mac

A simple terminal command flushes DNS caches on a Mac.

Your Mac's Domain Name Server, or DNS, cache houses domain names and host names for previously visited websites. Your cache is useful for quickly resolving and connecting to different websites on your Mac. The cache makes Internet browsing faster and more convenient for many users, but you may need to flush the cache if it becomes corrupt or if you visited a site containing sensitive information.

Instructions

1. Click to open a new "Finder" window.

2. Click "Applications."

3. Click "Utilities."

4. Double-click on the "Terminal" application.

5. Type the following command into the terminal interface: dscacheutil -flushcache

6. Press "Return" on the keyboard. The command executes, completely flushing your cache.

References

• "Enterprise Mac Security: Mac OS X Snow Leopard"; William Barker, et al.; 2010