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Registered a domain or changed a record, but the site still won’t open? Most likely DNS propagation is underway — a normal delay, not a malfunction. It usually finishes within 10–30 minutes, and in rare cases takes up to 24–48 hours. Below is how to check that it’s moving.

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What DNS propagation is

DNS translates the name example.com into a server’s IP address. When you change something (register a domain, edit a record, switch NS), the new data spreads across DNS servers worldwide not instantly. Each server keeps the answer in its cache for a time set by the TTL value. Until the old answer expires, the server hands back the previous value — that’s why for some people the site already opens at the new address while for others it’s still at the old one. That’s propagation.
You can’t skip propagation or turn it off — you can only wait. Any service that promises “instant propagation” is misleading you.

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How long it usually takes

ActionUsuallyMaximum
New domain registration10–30 min24 h
Changing NS servers30 min – 4 h24–48 h
Adding or changing a DNS record5–30 min24 h
Enabling Cloudflare30 min – 1 h24 h
Changing the IP in an A recorddepends on TTLsee below
The numbers are approximate: in practice almost everything finishes within the usual time, and it rarely reaches the maximum.

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Changing the IP in an A record — a special case

When you change the IP in an A record that already exists, the speed depends on that record’s TTL: servers worldwide hold the old IP for exactly as long as the TTL specifies. So here’s the rule: if you know in advance that you’ll be changing the IP, lower the TTL to 300 (5 minutes) a day before the change. Then on moving day the old address expires in minutes rather than hours. After the move, you can set the TTL back.
TTL is edited in the same place as the records themselves: “My Domains → domain → DNS settings”. For more, see the DNS records page.

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How to check propagation worldwide

These sites show what answer your domain returns from various points around the planet:

whatsmydns.net

A map of DNS propagation worldwide.

dnschecker.org

Checks from various servers, with a forced refresh.
Enter the domain, pick the record type (A, for example) — and you’ll see a map.
This is normal; propagation is underway. Wait — different servers update at different speeds depending on the TTL.
That means the change didn’t apply. Check that you edited DNS in the right place: if the domain is delegated to someone else’s NS (Cloudflare or a hosting provider, for example), the records need to be changed there, not in the Lumi bot.

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Checking via the console

If you prefer the command line, query the domain directly: 
# what your current resolver returns
dig example.com A

# what a specific server returns (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1)
dig @1.1.1.1 example.com A
The ANSWER SECTION block will have the current IP. Compare the answer from different servers — if they disagree, propagation is still underway.

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When to worry

1

More than 24 hours have passed

This is no longer an ordinary delay — time to look into it.
2

Take a screenshot

Open dnschecker.org and save a screenshot — it shows that the servers are still returning the old value.
3

Message support

@lumisup_robot — include the domain and the screenshot. That way the specialist immediately gets the picture and can check what’s happening on the registry’s side.

Connect to a site

How to point a domain at a server — via NS or an A record.

DNS records

Record types, TTL, and common setup mistakes.