How to check DNS propagation and diagnose a domain that does not load

After a DNS change, different networks can temporarily return different answers. DNS caches keep previous answers according to their time to live, or TTL. Lowering a TTL after a change does not remove copies already cached under the old TTL. See Cloudflare's TTL explanation.

Record what changed and when: nameservers, an A or AAAA address, an MX record, or another value.
Reopen the active DNS editor and confirm the saved value. Check that you edited the authoritative provider rather than an unused copy of the zone.
Compare the root domain with www and any affected subdomain. They can have different records and different results.
Test from another network, such as mobile data, to see whether the result is limited to your local resolver or device.
If comfortable using a terminal, run the read-only commands below, replacing example.com with your domain. These use your current DNS resolver and do not change any settings.

nslookup -type=NS example.com
nslookup -type=A example.com
nslookup -type=AAAA example.com
nslookup -type=MX example.com

Compare the answers with the provider-supplied values. In hosting setup, use Check DNS records for external DNS, Check nameservers for a new Lucid delegation, or Recheck hosting records after delegation is confirmed.

If hosting is active but the domain is not connected: Account creation and DNS readiness are separate. Complete the selected DNS method. For external DNS, verify the displayed @ and www addresses and temporarily disable the Cloudflare web proxy during initial DNS and SSL setup. For Lucid DNS, confirmed nameservers still require correct hosting records.

If a DNS lookup succeeds but the website fails: Check hosting activation, the configured hostname, HTTPS, and the application. DNS cannot correct a missing website or application error.

If there is no answer or an NXDOMAIN response: Confirm spelling, domain status, delegation, and that the requested hostname exists. Newly added names can also be affected by cached negative responses.

If the response is SERVFAIL: Ask support to investigate authoritative DNS and DNSSEC, especially after a nameserver change. Do not assume that more waiting will fix a mismatched DNSSEC configuration.

When to escalate: Send the domain, exact record type, expected value, lookup result, change time, and whether another network behaves differently. Avoid repeated DNS edits while comparing results. There is no single propagation deadline that applies to every cache and provider.

Related: Nameservers, Website records, DNSSEC.