TTL: how to make the switch faster

Every DNS record has a TTL (time to live). This is the time in seconds that other computers may remember the answer. If the TTL is one day, it can take a day after a change before everyone gets the new address. With a low TTL, the switch is much faster.

How to use the TTL when moving

1. Check at your old provider what TTL the records you are going to change have, especially the A record, www and the MX records.
2. Can you change the TTL there? Then set it at least a day in advance to, for example, 300 seconds (5 minutes). After that, wait at least as long as the old TTL before you switch.
3. Switch the records or nameservers.
4. Is everything working? At WebOké, records have a TTL of one hour by default. If you set a record lower with us, set it back again.

Good to know

• Not every provider lets you change the TTL. If you can't, plan the switch for a quiet moment and allow for a few hours of transition time.
• With a nameserver change or a domain transfer, a low TTL on your records only helps partly: the registry decides how long the old nameservers are remembered. Expect a few hours, up to 24 hours at most.
• Your own computer and browser also remember DNS. Still seeing the old site? Try a private window or your phone on 4G or 5G.

Read more about TTL and cache in TTL and cache and When does a change take effect? Waiting time and TTL.