Most devices automatically use the DNS servers provided by your Internet provider or network. For many people, that works perfectly well and there is no reason to touch the settings.
There are situations, however, when changing the DNS server can be useful. You may want to troubleshoot a slow or unreliable resolver, improve privacy, test another DNS service, or simply find out whether DNS is behind a connection problem.
The good news is that changing DNS is fairly simple once you know where the setting is hiding.
What Does Changing Your DNS Server Actually Do?
When you open a website, your device normally sends a DNS query to a resolver. That resolver finds the IP address connected to the domain so your browser knows where to connect.
Changing your DNS server tells the device to send those queries to a different resolver.
For example, instead of using the DNS service automatically provided by your ISP, you can configure another public, private, corporate, or encrypted DNS resolver.
This does not change your Internet provider, website hosting, or the DNS records of the domain itself. You are only changing which resolver your device asks for DNS information.
That distinction is useful when troubleshooting. If a different resolver suddenly fixes a problem, the original DNS service may have been unavailable, slow, or returning an unexpected answer.
If DNS has stopped answering altogether, our guide to DNS Server Not Responding: Causes and Fixes covers the wider troubleshooting process.
Why Would You Change Your DNS Server?
People change DNS servers for several reasons.
Sometimes the current resolver is simply slow. DNS lookups happen before websites can begin loading, so a sluggish resolver can make the Internet feel slower even when the connection itself is fine.
If that sounds familiar, our guide to Slow DNS Resolution explains what can cause delayed DNS lookups and how to troubleshoot them.
Privacy is another reason. Different DNS providers have different logging, filtering, security, and encryption policies. Some users also choose encrypted DNS methods rather than sending traditional DNS queries in plain text.
Changing DNS can also be useful when:
- Your ISP’s resolver is temporarily unavailable
- A particular domain does not resolve correctly
- You want malware or content filtering
- You are testing network configuration
- You want to use a resolver provided by your company or organization
- You need to compare results between different DNS services
A new resolver will not magically make every connection faster or more private, but it gives you another part of the network that you can control.
Before You Change Your DNS Settings
It is worth noting your current configuration before changing anything.
If the device is set to obtain DNS automatically, remember that setting. It gives you an easy way back if the new resolver causes problems.
If custom DNS addresses are already configured, write them down before replacing them.
You should also know whether the DNS provider expects an IP address, a provider hostname, or an encrypted DNS configuration. This becomes particularly important on Android because its Private DNS feature works differently from simply entering an IPv4 address into a traditional DNS field.
And if you are using a VPN, check whether the VPN is designed to manage DNS itself. Changing the system resolver while a VPN is active can produce unexpected results. Our guide to DNS leaks explains why DNS and VPN settings need to work together.
How to Change DNS Server on Windows 11
Windows 11 lets you change DNS directly from the Network & Internet settings.
Open:
Settings → Network & internet
Choose the connection you are currently using, such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
Find DNS server assignment and select Edit.
Change the setting from Automatic to Manual, then enable IPv4 or IPv6 depending on the DNS server you want to configure.
You can then enter:
Preferred DNS: your primary DNS resolver
Alternate DNS: another resolver that can be used when needed
Save the settings when you are finished.
Windows 11 also supports encrypted DNS options for compatible resolvers, so you may see additional DNS over HTTPS settings depending on the addresses you enter.
You normally do not need to restart the entire computer. Try reconnecting to the network or reopening your browser first.
If Windows continues using an old DNS answer, open Command Prompt and run:
ipconfig /flushdns
This clears the local DNS resolver cache and forces Windows to request fresh information.
How to Check Your DNS Server on Windows
Before and after changing the setting, you can check which DNS resolver Windows is using.
Open Command Prompt and run:
nslookup example.com
Near the beginning of the result, you should see information about the DNS server that answered the query.
You can also run:
ipconfig /all
and look for DNS Servers under your active network adapter.
If you want to explore the command in more detail, our NSlookup command guide covers common DNS checks and examples.
How to Change DNS Server on Mac
On macOS, DNS settings are part of the configuration for your active network connection.
Open:
Apple menu → System Settings → Network
Choose the connection you are using, such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and select Details.
Then open:
DNS
Under DNS Servers, you can add the IPv4 or IPv6 addresses of the resolvers you want to use.
If old custom DNS servers are already listed and you no longer need them, you can remove them before adding the new addresses.
Save the changes and test your connection again.
One advantage of the Mac interface is that the configured DNS servers are visible in one place, which makes it fairly easy to compare the old and new setup.
How to Test the New DNS Server on Mac
Mac users can use the dig command directly from Terminal:
dig example.com
Near the bottom of the output, dig shows information about the server that answered the query.
You can also query a particular DNS resolver directly:
dig @DNS-SERVER-IP example.com
Replace DNS-SERVER-IP with the address you want to test.
This is useful because you can compare resolvers without repeatedly changing your system configuration.
If the output looks like alphabet soup wearing a network engineer’s badge, our Dig Command Explained for Beginners guide breaks down the useful parts.
How to Change DNS Server on Android
Android deserves a little extra explanation because there are two ideas that are often confused: traditional DNS configuration and Private DNS.
On current Android versions, you can usually find Private DNS under:
Settings → Network & internet → Private DNS
The exact wording can vary between manufacturers. If you cannot find it, search the Settings app for Private DNS.
You will usually see options such as:
- Off
- Automatic
- Private DNS provider hostname
To use a particular Private DNS service, choose Private DNS provider hostname, enter the hostname provided by the DNS service, and save the setting.
There is one important detail here: Android expects a hostname in this field, not a normal DNS server IP address.
For example, you cannot simply treat the Private DNS field as another place to enter an IPv4 resolver address.
Traditional DNS addresses can also be configured for individual Wi-Fi networks on many Android devices, but the exact steps vary considerably depending on the phone manufacturer and Android version.
Why Android Private DNS Is Different
Android Private DNS is designed to encrypt communication between the phone and a compatible DNS resolver.
That means it protects DNS traffic specifically. It does not encrypt every connection made by your device.
In other words, Private DNS is not a replacement for a VPN.
A VPN can route a much broader range of Internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel, while Private DNS focuses on DNS queries and responses.
This distinction becomes particularly important when both are enabled. If you use a VPN together with custom DNS settings, it is worth checking that the two configurations are not fighting over where your DNS requests should go.
How to Change DNS Server on iPhone
On iPhone, DNS can be configured for the Wi-Fi network you are currently using.
Open:
Settings → Wi-Fi
Find the connected network and tap the information button next to it.
Scroll until you find Configure DNS.
Change the configuration from Automatic to Manual.
You can then remove DNS servers you no longer want and add the addresses of the resolvers you prefer.
Tap Save when you are finished.
One important detail is that this setting applies to that particular Wi-Fi network. Connecting to another Wi-Fi network does not mean the same manually configured DNS servers will automatically be used there.
What About DNS on Mobile Data?
This is where things become less uniform.
Changing DNS for Wi-Fi is relatively straightforward because operating systems expose the network configuration directly.
Changing DNS globally across both Wi-Fi and mobile data may require another approach depending on the device.
Android’s Private DNS feature can work across compatible network connections, while ordinary manual DNS configuration on an iPhone Wi-Fi network applies to that particular Wi-Fi connection.
VPN applications, security apps, and encrypted DNS profiles can also affect DNS across several connection types.
So if your goal is system-wide DNS, do not assume that changing one Wi-Fi network has changed the resolver everywhere.
Which DNS Server Should You Use?
There is no single DNS resolver that is best for everybody.
Some people care mostly about speed. Others prioritize privacy, security filtering, reliability, parental controls, or encrypted DNS support.
Before choosing one, consider what actually matters to you:
| Priority | What to Look For |
|---|---|
| Speed | Low latency and well-distributed infrastructure |
| Privacy | Clear logging and data-retention policies |
| Security | Malicious-domain and phishing protection |
| Reliability | Multiple locations and redundant infrastructure |
| Encrypted DNS | Support for secure DNS protocols |
| Family use | Optional content filtering |
A popular DNS service is not automatically the fastest resolver from your location.
Testing is often more useful than choosing based purely on brand recognition.
Does Changing DNS Make Your Internet Faster?
Sometimes, but expectations should stay realistic.
DNS is mainly involved at the beginning of a connection, when your device needs to translate a domain name into an IP address.
Once your device already knows the IP and starts downloading a large file or streaming a video, changing DNS will not suddenly increase the bandwidth supplied by your ISP.
Where DNS can make a difference is lookup time.
If your current resolver takes significantly longer to answer than another resolver, websites may begin connecting faster after the change.
Caching also matters. A resolver that already has the requested answer cached can often respond very quickly.
This is why DNS speed depends on several things, including network distance, routing, server load, caching, and infrastructure.
Does Changing DNS Improve Privacy?
It can change who receives your DNS queries, but that does not automatically make those queries private.
Traditional DNS traffic is commonly sent without encryption. Someone able to observe the connection may therefore be able to see the domain names being requested.
Encrypted DNS protocols are designed to protect this part of the connection.
For example, DNS over QUIC encrypts communication between the DNS client and resolver using QUIC.
Encrypted DNS can improve privacy in transit, but it does not make you anonymous. The resolver still processes your query, and DNS is only one piece of your overall Internet activity.
How to Check If Your New DNS Server Is Working
After changing the DNS configuration, perform a lookup.
On Windows:
nslookup example.com
On macOS or Linux:
dig example.com
Look at the server that answered the request.
You can also query a particular DNS resolver directly.
With nslookup:
nslookup example.com DNS-SERVER-IP
With dig:
dig @DNS-SERVER-IP example.com
If you are trying to inspect the DNS configuration of a particular website rather than your own resolver, our guide on how to check DNS records for a domain explains how to inspect A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, CNAME, and other records.
That distinction is important.
Changing your DNS server changes who resolves domain names for your device. It does not change the actual DNS records belonging to those domains.
Why You May Still See an Old DNS Answer
Changing DNS resolvers does not guarantee that every answer will suddenly be different.
DNS information is cached throughout the resolution process.
Resolvers can keep DNS records until their TTL, or Time to Live, expires. You can learn more about how this works in What Is DNS TTL and Why Does It Matter?.
For example, if a record has a TTL of 3600 seconds, a resolver may continue using that cached answer for up to an hour before requesting a fresh version.
This is one reason two DNS resolvers can temporarily return different answers after a change.
If a domain’s records were updated recently, DNS propagation and caching may explain the difference rather than a problem with your new resolver.
What If the Internet Stops Working After Changing DNS?
Do not start changing every network option you can find.
First, check the DNS address or hostname you entered. A single wrong character can leave your device trying to contact a resolver that does not exist.
Then try several websites. If no domain resolves, return the DNS setting to Automatic or restore the previous configuration.
Reconnect to Wi-Fi and try again.
On Windows, you can also clear the DNS cache:
ipconfig /flushdns
If switching back to automatic DNS immediately fixes the connection, the custom resolver address, protocol, or configuration deserves another look.
If neither automatic nor custom DNS works, the problem may be wider than the DNS resolver itself.
Changing DNS Does Not Change a Domain’s DNS Records
This is an easy point to mix up.
When you change DNS servers on your laptop or phone, you are changing the recursive resolver used by your device.
You are not changing:
- The A record of a website
- Its MX records
- Its authoritative name servers
- Its TXT records
- Its DNSSEC configuration
- The DNS provider hosting the zone
Those settings belong to the domain owner and are stored on authoritative DNS infrastructure.
Your resolver simply asks that DNS system for information.
This is why changing the DNS server can solve a problem for your device without changing anything for other users.
Should You Change DNS on the Device or Router?
Changing DNS on one device is useful when you want to test a new resolver or use different settings on just one computer or phone.
Changing DNS on the router can make more sense when you want devices across the network to use the same DNS configuration.
Depending on the network, that can include laptops, phones, smart TVs, consoles, and other connected devices.
The downside is equally obvious: if you configure a broken DNS resolver on the router, you may break DNS for the entire network in one elegant click.
If you are experimenting, changing one device first is usually the safer approach.
When Changing DNS Will Not Fix the Problem
DNS gets blamed for an impressive number of problems it did not create.
If a website’s authoritative DNS records are incorrect, changing your local resolver may not solve anything.
The same applies to an offline web server, unstable Wi-Fi, a firewall rule, routing problems, or a wider service outage.
Changing resolver is a useful troubleshooting test, but it should not become the networking version of pressing every button until something lights up.
A useful rule is:
If another resolver works, investigate the original resolver.
If every resolver fails in the same way, investigate the domain or the wider network.
Frequently Asked Questions About Changing DNS Servers
Q1: Is It Safe to Change My DNS Server? – Yes, as long as you use a DNS resolver you trust and know how to restore the original settings if necessary.
Q2: Can Changing DNS Break My Internet? – An incorrect or unavailable DNS server can prevent domain names from resolving, but you can normally fix this by returning the DNS configuration to automatic.
Q3: Does Changing DNS Change My IP Address? – No. Changing the DNS resolver does not normally change the public IP address assigned by your Internet provider.
Q4: Does Changing DNS Make Wi-Fi Faster? – It can make DNS lookups faster if the new resolver responds more quickly, but it does not increase your actual Wi-Fi bandwidth.
Q5: Can I Use Different DNS Servers on Different Devices? – Yes. You can configure one resolver on your computer and another on your phone, or configure DNS on the router for devices across the network.
Q6: What Is the Difference Between Preferred and Alternate DNS? – The preferred DNS server is the primary resolver configured on the device, while the alternate address gives the system another DNS server it may use when necessary.
Q7: Do I Need to Restart My Device After Changing DNS? – Usually not. Reconnecting to the network or restarting the browser is often enough, although clearing cached DNS information can help during troubleshooting.
Q8: Why Does Android Ask for a Private DNS Provider Hostname? – Android’s Private DNS feature uses encrypted DNS and expects a compatible provider hostname rather than a normal DNS server IP address.
Q9: Does Changing DNS Prevent DNS Leaks? – Not necessarily. DNS leaks are related to where DNS traffic is routed, particularly when a VPN is involved. Correct resolver configuration and VPN DNS handling both matter.
Q10: Can I Return to My ISP’s DNS Servers? – Yes. Set DNS configuration back to automatic and your device will normally receive DNS settings from the network or Internet provider again.
Conclusion
Changing your DNS server is one of the simpler network settings to experiment with, and it can be useful for troubleshooting, privacy, security, or improving slow DNS lookups.
The important part is knowing what you are actually changing. You are choosing the resolver your device uses, not changing the DNS configuration of the websites themselves. Test the new resolver, keep the old settings handy, and if something goes sideways, automatic DNS is always a useful way home.
Hi, I’m Bella, a technology enthusiast who enjoys making complex tech topics clear, practical, and easy to understand. Outside of writing, I love trail running, biking, traveling, and photography.