Why Lower TTL?
DNS propagation delay equals the TTL of your current record. With a 24-hour TTL, some users will see your old IP for up to 24 hours after you make a change. Lower the TTL to 300 seconds first, and that window shrinks to 5 minutes.
The Exact Process
Find your current TTL
Do a DNS lookup on your domain. The TTL column shows the current value. Common values: 3600 (1 hour), 86400 (24 hours).
Lower TTL to 300
In your DNS provider's dashboard, edit the record(s) you plan to change and set TTL to 300 seconds. Save the change.
Wait for the old TTL to expire
You must wait one full cycle of the old TTL. If your old TTL was 3600, wait 1 hour. If it was 86400, wait 24 hours. This ensures all cached resolvers have fetched the new low TTL.
Make your DNS change
Now update the actual record — the new IP, new MX server, etc. With TTL at 300, this change propagates globally within 5 minutes.
Verify propagation
Use the DNS Propagation Checker to confirm your change is visible globally.
Raise TTL back up
Once the migration is confirmed, set TTL back to 3600. Low TTL increases DNS query load on your nameserver.
Generate your exact timeline: The DNS TTL Migration Planner calculates timestamps for every phase based on your current TTL and planned cutover date.
What About Nameserver Migrations?
If you're changing your domain's nameservers (moving DNS providers), you can't lower the NS record TTL — that's controlled by the TLD registry. Nameserver changes always take 24–48 hours regardless. The solution is to set up all your records at the new provider before making the NS change.
Lower to 300 seconds (5 minutes) before the migration. This is short enough for fast propagation but not so short it hammers your nameserver.
Only the records you plan to change. If you're migrating your website but not email, lower TTL on A and CNAME records but leave MX alone.
Make the change anyway — propagation will just take longer (up to the old TTL). Lower TTL after the change and propagation will complete faster for anyone not yet updated.