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How to Change Your DNS: Step by Step on Windows, Phone, and Router

When you type a website address, your device doesn’t actually know where to go — it first has to translate the human-friendly name (like ganvas-vpn.com) into an IP address. That translation is handled by DNS, the Domain Name System, the “phone book” of the internet. And almost always you’re using whatever DNS server your provider assigned by default. That’s not always the best choice.

In this guide we’ll cover how to change your DNS on your computer, phone, and router, which best DNS servers are out there, and why you’d want to change DNS in the first place.

Why change your DNS

There are at least four good reasons to change DNS.

  • Speed. A DNS lookup happens before every new connection. If your provider’s server is slow or overloaded, pages open with a noticeable delay. A fast public DNS often makes the internet feel snappier.
  • Access. Some providers block sites at the DNS level — they simply refuse to return the correct IP. Switching DNS removes that kind of “soft” block (though not every block — more on that below).
  • Privacy. Your DNS queries reveal which sites you visit to your provider, even when the content itself is encrypted. Some public DNS services promise to keep no logs and support encrypted queries.
  • Filtering. Some DNS servers block known phishing and malware domains, or adult content, on the fly — handy for families.

Let’s be honest about one thing: changing your DNS is not a VPN and not “one-click anonymity.” It changes who translates names into addresses, but it does not hide your real IP from websites and does not encrypt all your traffic. For privacy it’s a useful but partial step.

Here are a few trusted free DNS resolvers used by millions of people.

Cloudflare — 1.1.1.1

Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 is one of the fastest public resolvers in the world. Cloudflare states it doesn’t sell your data and doesn’t keep permanent logs of DNS queries. It supports encryption (DoH and DoT). Addresses:

  • IPv4: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
  • IPv6: 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001

There’s also a 1.1.1.2 variant that blocks malicious domains, and 1.1.1.3 that adds an adult-content filter.

Google Public DNS — 8.8.8.8

Google’s 8.8.8.8 is the best-known public DNS. It’s very stable, has good global coverage, and high reliability. Google does keep some technical logs, so it’s not the privacy leader, but as a fast and dependable option it works for almost everyone. Addresses:

  • IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
  • IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844

Quad9 — 9.9.9.9

9.9.9.9 from the nonprofit Quad9 focuses on security: it blocks domains flagged for phishing and malware distribution using threat intelligence feeds. Quad9 is based in Switzerland and positions itself as a privacy-respecting service that doesn’t sell data. Addresses:

  • IPv4: 9.9.9.9 and 149.112.112.112
  • IPv6: 2620:fe::fe and 2620:fe::9

Which one to pick depends on your priority. Want speed and privacy — look at Cloudflare. Want maximum reliability — Google. Want built-in protection from malicious sites — Quad9. There is no single “correct” DNS; it’s worth trying a couple and comparing.

DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) — private queries

Ordinary DNS is plain text. Even if you’ve switched to 1.1.1.1, your provider can technically see the DNS queries themselves and may read or tamper with them. The fix is DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) or its sibling DNS-over-TLS (DoT). They wrap DNS queries in encryption, so from the outside it looks like ordinary HTTPS traffic.

What DoH gives you:

  • Your provider can’t see which domains you’re asking about.
  • It’s harder to forge a DNS response and redirect you to a fake site.
  • It’s harder to “softly” block a site by spoofing DNS.

Modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) can enable DoH right in their settings, and Windows 11 supports it at the system level. If privacy matters to you, turn on the encrypted variant as soon as you change DNS.

But remember: DoH hides your DNS queries, yet it does not hide your IP address from websites and doesn’t encrypt the rest of your traffic the way a VPN does.

How to change DNS on Windows

This covers Windows 10 and 11.

  1. Open Settings → Network & Internet.
  2. Pick your connection: Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then click the active network.
  3. Find the DNS server assignment block and click Edit.
  4. Switch from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual.
  5. Toggle IPv4 on.
  6. In “Preferred DNS” enter, for example, 1.1.1.1, and in “Alternate DNS” enter 1.0.0.1.
  7. On Windows 11 the “DNS over HTTPS” dropdown lets you choose Encrypted only (DNS over HTTPS) if you want DoH.
  8. Save.

Via the classic panel: Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center → Change adapter settings → right-click the adapter → Properties → Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Use the following DNS server addresses.

After changing, it’s worth flushing the DNS cache. Open Command Prompt and run: ipconfig /flushdns.

How to change DNS on your router

Changing DNS on the router is the most convenient method: every device on the network gets the new settings at once, including TVs and smart speakers.

  1. Open the router admin panel — usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 (the address and password are on the sticker underneath).
  2. Find the Internet / WAN or LAN section — the location depends on the model.
  3. Locate the DNS server fields (Primary / Secondary DNS). If “Obtain automatically” is set, uncheck it.
  4. Enter your chosen addresses, e.g. 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1.
  5. Save and reboot the router.

The downside: most home routers don’t support DoH, so queries from the router to the DNS will go in plain text. The upside: you no longer have to configure each device individually.

How to change DNS on Android

Stock Android has a handy system feature — Private DNS, which uses encrypted DoT.

  1. Open Settings → Network & internet → Private DNS (on some skins, search your settings for it).
  2. Choose Private DNS provider hostname.
  3. Enter the provider’s hostname, for example:
    • Cloudflare: one.one.one.one
    • Google: dns.google
    • Quad9: dns.quad9.net
  4. Save.

Now all system DNS on the phone goes out encrypted. This works on both Wi-Fi and mobile data.

How to change DNS on iPhone

iOS doesn’t let you enter a “private DNS” with a single string, but it does let you set a regular DNS for a specific Wi-Fi network:

  1. Settings → Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap the (i) icon next to your network.
  3. Scroll to Configure DNS and choose Manual.
  4. Remove the old servers and add, for example, 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1.
  5. Save.

For encrypted DoH on iPhone that applies system-wide to every network, the easiest route is to install the official profile/app from your chosen DNS provider (for example, the free Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 app) — it configures DoH for the whole system at once.

How to verify the change applied

After switching, always check the result — otherwise you might think DNS changed when the system is still using the old one.

Open our free DNS Lookup tool and see which resolver answers your queries. If privacy matters, also run a WebRTC leak test — your browser can reveal your real IP regardless of these settings.

On Windows you can also check from Command Prompt: nslookup ganvas-vpn.com shows which server answered.

DNS and leaks: where a VPN fits in

Even a correctly configured DNS can “leak” when you use a VPN. If the VPN doesn’t route DNS queries inside the tunnel, they go straight to your provider, which still sees the list of sites you visit. This is called a DNS leak — we covered it in detail in what a DNS leak is and how to fix it.

A good VPN handles this for you: it routes all DNS queries through the encrypted tunnel to its own resolver. Then you don’t need to manually pick a public DNS — your provider sees neither your sites nor your real IP. For how this works under the hood, read how a VPN works.

In other words: changing DNS manually is a good move for speed and access. But for real privacy it works together with a VPN that both encrypts traffic and closes DNS leaks.

Quick FAQ

Will changing DNS speed up my internet? Your raw bandwidth won’t change, but page-open responsiveness can become noticeably faster if your current DNS is slow or overloaded.

Does changing DNS hide my IP? No. DNS only translates names into addresses. Websites still see your real IP. A VPN is what hides your IP.

Is 1.1.1.1 safe? Yes, Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 is a public service with a stated policy of not selling data and not keeping permanent logs. It’s one of the most popular options.

Which DNS is the best? There’s no single answer. For speed and privacy people often pick Cloudflare, for reliability Google, and for protection from malicious sites Quad9.

Do I need to change DNS if I use a VPN? Usually not: a good VPN routes DNS through the tunnel itself. In that case you don’t need to change the system DNS manually.

Bottom line

Changing your DNS is a simple procedure that gives faster responsiveness, helps bypass “soft” DNS-level blocks, and slightly improves privacy — especially together with DNS-over-HTTPS. Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1, Google’s 8.8.8.8, and Quad9’s 9.9.9.9 are proven free options; choose by priority and compare.

But remember: changing DNS doesn’t hide your IP or encrypt your traffic. For real privacy you need a VPN that routes DNS through a secure tunnel and closes leaks. See how GANVAS VPN works, try the free VPN, and check your protection with our tools.