You’ve just added your domain to InfinityFree or changed your nameservers, but when you visit your domain, you’re seeing a “DNS Resolution Error” page, an error message, or your old website instead of your new hosting account. This is completely normal and happens because of something called DNS caching.
How long should I wait?
Most domains start working within 24 hours. However, it can take up to 72 hours for your domain to work for everyone around the world. This timing depends on factors outside of InfinityFree’s control, including your internet provider and location.
InfinityFree configures your domain immediately when you add it to your account. The delay you’re experiencing isn’t on our end, it’s because the internet’s “phone book” (called DNS) takes time to update everywhere.
Why does this happen?
Think of DNS as the internet’s phone book. When someone types your domain name, their computer looks up which server to connect to, just like looking up a phone number. To make websites load faster, computers and internet providers remember these lookups for a while instead of checking every time.
When you change your nameservers or add your domain to InfinityFree, we almost immediately update our records to point your domain to our servers. However, computers and internet providers around the world are still using their “remembered” version of where your domain points, which might be to your old host, a parked page, or nowhere at all.
Eventually, these cached records expire and everyone gets the updated information pointing to InfinityFree. That’s when your domain starts working for everyone.
What can I do right now?
If you don’t want to wait, here are some ways to see your website immediately. Keep in mind these solutions only work on the devices where you apply them, other people will still need to wait for their DNS cache to clear naturally.
Clear your computer’s DNS cache
Your computer might be remembering the old location of your domain. Clearing this cache forces it to look up your domain fresh. This works on Windows, Mac, and most other operating systems.
You can find instructions for your operating system in cPanel’s DNS cache clearing guide.
Use a different DNS server
Your internet provider’s DNS servers might be slow to update. You can switch to faster, more frequently updated DNS servers like:
- Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
- Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
- OpenDNS: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220
Most devices and routers let you change these settings. Cloudflare has simple setup instructions for most devices.
Edit your hosts file (advanced)
If you’re comfortable editing system files, you can tell your computer exactly where your domain should point by editing your hosts file. You’ll need your account’s IP address (found in your client area) and to follow this hosts file editing guide.
Is something actually wrong?
In most cases, nothing is wrong and you just need to wait. However, if it’s been more than 72 hours and your domain still isn’t working, there might be an actual issue to investigate.
Check these common problems:
- Nameservers: Make sure you’ve pointed your domain to InfinityFree’s nameservers (ns1.infinityfree.com and ns2.infinityfree.com)
- Domain status: Verify your domain hasn’t expired or been suspended by your domain registrar
- Account status: Confirm your InfinityFree account is active and the domain is properly added
If everything looks correct but your domain still isn’t working after 72 hours, create a Hosting Support topic for help.
The bottom line
Domain propagation is a normal part of how the internet works. Your website will start working automatically, usually within a few hours. While waiting can be frustrating, especially when you’re excited about your new website, this delay happens with all hosting providers and isn’t something InfinityFree can speed up.
The good news is this only happens when you first set up your domain or make major DNS changes. Once everything is working, your visitors won’t experience these delays for regular website updates.