What Is a DNS Server? How It Works and How to Change It
A DNS server translates names people can remember, such as example.com, into the IP addresses computers actually connect to. Every time you open a website, send an email or load an app, a DNS server answers that question first. If it is slow or unreachable, nothing else works.
What happens when you open a website
- Your device asks its configured DNS server, called a resolver, for the address of the site.
- If the resolver has a recent answer cached, it replies immediately.
- If not, it asks the root servers, then the servers for the domain ending (.com), then the domain's own authoritative nameservers.
- It returns the address to your device and caches it for the length of the record's TTL.
- Your browser connects to that address.
All of this normally takes a few tens of milliseconds.
Which DNS server are you using?
By default, your router hands out your internet provider's resolver. You can see your provider on our IP checker, and look up who owns any address with the IP lookup.
Popular public DNS servers
| Provider | IPv4 addresses | Notable for |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 | Speed and a privacy policy audited by a third party |
| 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 | Reliability and global reach | |
| Quad9 | 9.9.9.9 and 149.112.112.112 | Blocks known malware domains |
| Cloudflare for Families | 1.1.1.3 and 1.0.0.3 | Blocks malware and adult content |
Changing resolver can make lookups faster, and it changes who sees your browsing requests. It does not hide your IP address from websites. For that, see how to hide your IP address.
How to change your DNS server
- Router (best option). Log in to the router and set the DNS servers on its internet or DHCP page. Every device on your network then uses them. See how to find your router's IP address.
- Windows 11. Settings, then Network & internet, pick your connection, then Edit next to DNS server assignment, choose Manual and turn on IPv4.
- macOS. System Settings, then Network, select your connection, then Details, then DNS, and add the servers.
- iPhone. Settings, then Wi-Fi, tap the (i) next to your network, then Configure DNS, then Manual.
- Android. Settings, then Network & internet, then Private DNS, and enter a provider's hostname such as one.one.one.one or dns.google.
- PlayStation and Xbox. In the console's network settings, choose manual DNS and enter the two addresses from the table above.
After changing, clear your cache so the new server is used right away. See how to flush your DNS cache.
Fixing “DNS server not responding”
- Try a different device on the same network. If only one device fails, the fault is on that device.
- Restart your router and modem.
- Set a public resolver from the table above, which rules out a broken provider resolver.
- Flush the DNS cache.
- Temporarily disable a VPN or security suite, since both often intercept DNS.
- Check that the site itself resolves, using our DNS lookup. If we can resolve it and you cannot, the problem is local.
Encrypted DNS
Ordinary DNS queries travel unencrypted, so anyone on the path, including your provider, can see the names you look up. DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT) encrypt them. Chrome, Firefox and Edge have a secure DNS setting, Android has Private DNS, and Apple devices support encrypted DNS profiles. Our own DNS lookup uses DNS over HTTPS for every query it makes.
Resolver or authoritative?
A resolver answers questions for you and caches the results. An authoritative nameserver holds the real records for a domain and is the source of truth. When you buy a domain, you point it at authoritative nameservers, and those are the NS records you can inspect in DNS records explained.
Try it yourself
See the real numbers for your own connection with our free tools.