🔍 Why Your Domain Isn't Showing Yet
After you publish your Website Studio site and connect a custom domain, there is a waiting period before the domain becomes visible in browsers. This is called DNS propagation — the process by which your domain settings spread across servers worldwide. It typically takes 24 to 48 hours to complete, though it often resolves sooner.
During this window, your site is live on our end, but your domain may not yet resolve correctly in all browsers or locations. This is normal and expected behavior.
✅ How to Check Your DNS Propagation Status
You can verify whether your domain has propagated successfully without waiting or guessing:
- Use a free external DNS lookup tool (such as dnschecker.org or whatsmydns.net) to confirm whether your domain is resolving correctly from different global locations.
- Enter your custom domain into the tool and review the results. If propagation is still in progress, allow more time before troubleshooting further.
- If the external check confirms your domain is resolving correctly, proceed to the browser cache steps below.
🗑️ Clear Your Browser Cache
Even after DNS propagation completes, your browser may still show an old or blank version of your site because it has cached the previous DNS response. Clearing your cache forces your browser to fetch the latest information.
Google Chrome:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac).
- Set the time range to All time.
- Check Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data.
- Click Clear data, then reload your domain.
Mozilla Firefox:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac).
- Select Everything from the time range dropdown.
- Check Cache and Cookies, then click Clear Now.
Safari:
- Go to Safari > Settings > Privacy.
- Click Manage Website Data, then Remove All.
- Reload your domain.
You can also test your domain in a private or incognito window to bypass cached data instantly, without clearing your entire browser history.
🛠️ Flush Your Local DNS Cache
Your operating system stores its own DNS cache separately from your browser. If clearing your browser cache doesn't help, flush your system's DNS cache as well.
Windows:
- Open the Start menu, search for Command Prompt, and run it as Administrator.
- Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
- Reload your domain in the browser.
Mac:
- Open Terminal (found in Applications > Utilities).
- Type sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder and press Enter.
- Enter your Mac password if prompted, then reload your domain.
If your domain is still not resolving after completing all of the steps above and 48 hours have passed, please escalate. When reaching out, have the following ready: your custom domain name, the exact error message or behavior you see in the browser, and the timestamp of when you first published your site.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.