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---
title: DNS is not propagating or the record is wrong
panel: cPanel / WHM
symptoms:
  - site points at the old server
  - domain does not resolve
  - a record was changed and nothing happened
  - dns not propagating
  - domain still points at the old ip
  - changes to dns are not showing
  - dns record did not update
  - nslookup returns the old address
  - took hours for the change to take effect
---

# DNS is not propagating or the record is wrong

## 1. Find out which nameservers are actually authoritative

**Why:** most propagation complaints are not propagation at all. The
domain is still delegated to the old host, so the new server's records
are correct and are being ignored. Everything else you do is wasted
effort until the delegation is right, so check it first.

**In the terminal:** `dig +short NS <domain>` gives the authoritative
nameservers. `dig +trace <domain>` shows where the delegation stops and
whether any intermediate server is answering with something stale.

**Care:** this only reads.

## 2. Read the zone the server is actually serving

**Why:** what the registrar says and what the server serves are two
different things, and only one of them is yours. Reading the live zone
tells you whether the record you think you set is the record that exists.
A CNAME cannot exist alongside other records for the same name, which is
a common cause of a zone that looks wrong but is not.

**In cPanel:** Domains > Zone Editor. This is the account's view of the
records.

**In WHM:** DNS Functions > DNS Zone Manager.

**In the terminal:** `dig +short A <domain>` and
`dig +short MX <domain>` for what the internet is actually being told.

**Care:** this only reads.

- https://docs.cpanel.net/cpanel/domains/zone-editor/
- https://docs.cpanel.net/whm/dns-functions/dns-zone-manager/

## 3. Check the zone exists on this server

**Why:** an account with no zone record has nothing to serve, no matter
what the registrar is told. This is quick to check and it explains a
domain that resolves nowhere at all.

**In WHM:** DNS Functions > DNS Zone Manager. The domain has to be in
the list.

**In the terminal:** `ls /var/cpanel/userdata/<user>/main` shows the
zone files. If the domain is missing from the file, there is no zone.

**Care:** this only reads.

- https://docs.cpanel.net/whm/dns-functions/add-a-dns-zone/

## 4. Consider the time to live before you plan another change

**Why:** a record with a long TTL keeps serving the old answer from every
cache out there until it expires. If the customer has just moved and is
waiting, the fix is to lower the TTL and wait, not to change the record
again. Changing a record that is already correct is how you end up with
two problems.

**In WHM:** DNS Functions > DNS Zone Manager. The TTL column on the
record.

**In the terminal:** `dig <domain>` shows the TTL in the answer.

**Care:** lowering the TTL only affects future lookups. It does not clear
what is already cached.

- https://docs.cpanel.net/whm/dns-functions/set-zone-time-to-live/

## 5. Check the customer's own machine last

**Why:** the local resolver cache is often the last thing holding the old
answer, and it is the only part of the chain you cannot see from the
server. Check it once the authoritative answer is right, not before.

**In the terminal:** on the customer's machine, `ipconfig /flushdns` on
Windows or `sudo dscacheutil -flushcache` on macOS. On Linux, restart
the local resolver.

**Care:** this only clears that machine's cache. It does nothing for
anyone else.

- https://docs.cpanel.net/knowledge-base/dns/how-to-clear-your-dns-cache/