How-To: NSLookup (Windows)

Windows has a command-line tool for performing a DNS query and it is called “nslookup.“

To perform a DNS query on a Windows computer, open a command prompt. The easiest way to do that is to go to Start->Run and type in “cmd” then click “OK.”

Note: This is universal on all recent Windows versions.

Type in `nslookup .`

Enter the IP address or name of the site you wish to reach. For example, to lookup to www.casbay.com you would enter `nslookup www.casbay.com` and then press enter.

Copying data from the command prompt window slightly different than most other Windows interfaces and here is how:

Right-click in the window to get the context menu.
Select the “Mark” option, highlight the part of the window you want to copy.
Press “Enter” to copy the selection to your clipboard.
Paste the selected text somewhere else, such as in an email or document.
When you finished, close the command-line window by typing `exit` and hitting Enter.

A manual DNS query can be useful in helping us to verify the name resolution system is working on your computer. Whether the issue is reaching all resources or specific resources, identifying how the client computer is handling this first crucial step which is translating a DNS name into an IP address. It can help to diagnose the problem.