1. Popular Public DNS Providers
Choose one of the following pairs to use in the steps below:
Provider | Primary DNS (IPv4) | Secondary DNS (IPv4) |
Cloudflare |
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Quad9 |
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OpenDNS |
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2. Configuration Steps by Operating System
Windows 11 / 10
Open Settings (Win + I).
Go to Network & internet.
Click on Wi-Fi or Ethernet (depending on your connection).
Click on Hardware properties (or click your network name).
Next to DNS server assignment, click Edit.
Change the dropdown to Manual.
Toggle IPv4 to On.
Enter the Preferred DNS and Alternate DNS from the table above.
Click Save.
macOS (Sonoma / Sequoia)
Click the Apple Menu () > System Settings.
Click Network in the sidebar.
Click on your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and then click the Details... button.
Select the DNS tab in the left sidebar.
In the DNS Servers section, click the plus (+) button.
Enter the Primary DNS address, then click plus (+) again to enter the Secondary DNS.
Click OK.
Linux (Ubuntu / Desktop)
Most modern Linux distributions use NetworkManager:
Open your Settings and go to Network (or Wi-Fi).
Click the Gear icon (⚙️) next to your connected network.
Switch to the IPv4 tab.
Turn off the Automatic toggle next to DNS.
Enter the DNS addresses in the box, separated by a comma (e.g.,
1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1).Click Apply.
Toggle your connection Off and back On to apply the changes.
3. How to Verify the Change
To make sure you are using the new DNS, open your terminal (Command Prompt, Terminal, or PowerShell) and type:
Bash
nslookup google.com
Look at the Server line in the output. It should show the IP address of the DNS provider you just configured (e.g., 1.1.1.1).
Tip: If you want to apply these changes to every device in your home at once, you can usually find these same DNS settings inside your Router's Admin Panel under the "WAN" or "Internet" settings!