How to Change Your DNS Server on Windows 11

If you’re having trouble connecting to the internet, or some of your websites are not loading correctly, it might be because your DNS server is set to the wrong address.

DNS is the server that converts website names into IP addresses. Your computer uses your Internet Service Provider (ISP), which is usually fine. However, if you are experiencing problems, you might want to try using a different DNS server.

This guide will show you how to change your DNS server on Windows 11.

A list of the world’s fastest DNS servers

There are many DNS servers to choose from, and picking the best one for you might take some trial and error. Here is a list of some of the world’s fastest DNS servers:

1. OpenDNS

• Primary DNS: 208.67.222.222
• Secondary DNS: 208.67.220.220

2. Cloudflare

• Primary DNS: 1.1.1.1
• Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.1

3. Google

• Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8
• Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4

Change your DNS server using the Settings App

1. Click the Start button, then click Settings.

   

2. The Settings window will open. Click the Network & internet tab.

   

3. If you are using Ethernet, click the Ethernet tab.

   

   A window will open. Scroll down to the DNS server assignment, then click Edit.

   

   If you are using Wi-Fi, click on the Wi-Fi tab.

   

   In the Wi-Fi window, click Hardware properties.

   

   Click the Edit button next to the DNS server assignment. A pop-up window will open. Under the Edit IP settings option, select Manual.

   

   Another pop-up window will open containing two options: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is the most widely used version of the protocol. We will also be using IPv4 in this guide.

   

4. In the Edit DNS settings window, type in the IP address of the DNS server you want to use. For example, if you are using Google DNS, you would type 8.8.8.8 in the Preferred DNS section and 8.8.4.4 in the Alternate DNS section.

   

5. Under the Preferred DNS encryption and the Alternate DNS encryption, there are three options:
   –Unencrypted only: This will allow DNS queries to be sent over an unencrypted connection.
   –Encrypted only (DNS over HTTPS): This will only allow DNS queries to be sent over an encrypted connection.
   –Encrypted preferred, unencrypted allowed: This will allow DNS queries to be sent over an encrypted and unencrypted connection.
   If you want greater privacy and security, use the Encrypted only option. It is, however, restricted to a particular list of DNS services. If your DNS server does not provide encryption, you can opt for the Unencrypted only option.

   

6. When you finish, click Save.

Change your DNS server using Control Panel

The Control Panel is a legacy tool that has been around since the early days of Windows. It allows you to change various settings on your computer, including your DNS server.

1. Type “control panel” in the Start menu and then select the Control Panel app.

   

2. In the upper right corner, you can find the View by section. Click Category, then select Large Icons.

   

3. Locate and click the Network and Sharing Center icon.

   

4. In the left sidebar, click Change adapter settings.

   

5. Right-click on the network adapter you are using, then select Properties.

   

6. Find and double-click the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) option in the Properties window.

   

7. In the next window, you can change your DNS server to the one you want to use. To do so, check the Use the following DNS server addresses option, then fill in the Preferred DNS server and the Alternate DNS server fields.

   

8. Once you finish, click OK.

Change your DNS server using PowerShell

PowerShell is a text-based interface that allows you to enter commands to change various settings on your computer.

1. In the Start menu, type “powershell,” then right-click the Windows PowerShell icon and select Run as administrator.

   

2. Note down the name of the adapter you are using. To do so, type the following command and press Enter:
   Get-DnsClientServerAddress
   In our example, there are two adapters: Wi-Fi and Ethernet. I will choose the Ethernet adapter for this guide.

4. To change your DNS server, type the following command and press Enter:

   Set-DNSClientServerAddress "InterfaceAlias" –ServerAddresses ("preferred-DNS-address", "alternate-DNS-address") 

   Replace “InterfaceAlias” with the name of your adapter and “preferred-DNS-address” and “alternate-DNS-address” with the IP addresses of the DNS servers you want to use. For example, if you’re going to use Google DNS, the command would look like this:

   Set-DNSClientServerAddress "Ethernet" –ServerAddresses (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4)

Change your DNS server using Command Prompt

Command Prompt is a powerful command-line interpreter which you can use to change your DNS server.

1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R, then type “cmd” and press Enter.

   

2. Before changing your DNS server, you need to find your interface name. To do so, type the following command and press Enter:

   netsh interface show interface

3. Note the name of the adapter you are using. In our example, it is Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

   

4. To change your DNS server, type the following command and press Enter:

   netsh interface ip set dns name="Interface Name" static preferred-DNS-address

5. For the alternative DNS server address, type the following command and press Enter:

   netsh interface ip add dns name="Interface Name" alternate-DNS-address index=2

6. Replace “Interface Name” with the name of your adapter and “preferred-DNS-address” and “alternate-DNS-address” with the IP addresses of the DNS servers you want to use.
7. For example, if you want to use Google DNS, the commands would look like this:
   

   netsh interface ip set dns name="Ethernet" static 8.8.8.8
   netsh interface ip add dns name="Ethernet" 8.8.4.4 index=2

   

Change your DNS server using a third-party Application

Third-party applications are any application that is not built into Windows. Many third-party applications can change your DNS server. We will be using the DNS Jumper.

DNS Jumper

DNS Jumper is a free tool you can use to change your DNS.

1. Download DNS Jumper from its official website.

   

2. The application doesn’t need to be installed – launch the .exe to run it.
3. Under the Select Network Adapter section, select the All Network Adapters option.
4. Under the Choose a DNS Server section, select the DNS server you want to use from the drop-down menu.

   

5. Once you choose the DNS server, click the Apply DNS button.