How to Change DNS Servers in Windows 11

The Problem

DNS turns a name like mytechnician.tech into the IP address your PC actually connects to. By default that lookup goes to whatever server your internet provider hands out — and provider DNS is often slow, occasionally out of date, and can log or filter what you visit.

Switching to a public resolver usually makes pages start loading faster, fixes "site cannot be reached" errors that only affect some websites, and — with encrypted DNS turned on — stops your lookups being readable on the local network.

Getting a specific DNS error? See fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET or fix "DNS server not responding" first — those cover the failure, this covers the change.

Symptoms

Change your DNS if:

• Some websites fail while others load fine, on a connection that is otherwise working.
• Pages sit on "Looking up…" for a second or two before anything happens.
• You want lookups encrypted so they are not visible on a shared or public network.
• You want family-safe filtering handled at the network level.

Step 1: Choose a Resolver

Note both the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses — set both if your connection uses IPv6.

• Cloudflare — fastest, privacy-focused: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 · IPv6 2606:4700:4700::1111, 2606:4700:4700::1001
• Cloudflare with malware blocking: 1.1.1.2 and 1.0.0.2
• Google Public DNS — very reliable: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 · IPv6 2001:4860:4860::8888, 2001:4860:4860::8844
• Quad9 — blocks known malicious domains: 9.9.9.9 and 149.112.112.112 · IPv6 2620:fe::fe, 2620:fe::9

Any of them is a step up from typical provider DNS. Cloudflare and Quad9 both support encrypted DNS over HTTPS, which Windows 11 can use natively — see Step 3.

Step 2: Change DNS in Windows 11 Settings

This is the current method and the one to use.

1. Open Settings → Network & internet.
2. Click Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on how you are connected.
3. For Wi-Fi, click the name of your network to open its properties page.
4. Find DNS server assignment and click Edit.
5. Change the dropdown from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual.
6. Switch IPv4 on. Enter your chosen resolver as Preferred DNS and the second address as Alternate DNS.
7. If IPv6 is available on your connection, switch it on too and enter the IPv6 pair.
8. Click Save, then reload a website to test.

Step 3: Turn On Encrypted DNS (DNS over HTTPS)

Without this, every lookup travels in plain text and anyone on the network can read it.

1. On the same Edit DNS settings panel, under the IPv4 addresses, set DNS over HTTPS to On (automatic template).
2. Windows recognises Cloudflare, Google, and Quad9 addresses automatically and picks the right template.
3. Tick Fallback to plaintext only if some sites stop resolving — leaving it off is stricter and more private.
4. Repeat for IPv6 if you configured it.
5. Related: disable Windows 11 telemetry and tracking and stay safe on public Wi-Fi.

Step 4: Change It on the Router Instead (Covers Every Device)

Setting DNS once on the router covers phones, TVs, and consoles as well.

1. Find the router's address: open Terminal and run

   ipconfig
   

   and read Default Gateway — usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.
2. Open that address in a browser and sign in.
3. Look under Internet, WAN, or DHCP settings for DNS servers, and switch from Automatic to Manual.
4. Enter the two addresses and save. The router will likely restart.
5. On each PC, leave Windows set to Automatic (DHCP) so it inherits the router's setting.
6. While you are in there, tighten the rest: secure your home Wi-Fi router.

Step 5: Flush the DNS Cache

Windows caches old lookups, so changes may not take effect until you clear them.

1. Open Terminal (Admin) and run:

   ipconfig /flushdns
   

2. Clear the browser's own cache too — Chrome and Edge keep a separate one. Visit chrome://net-internals/#dns and click Clear host cache.
3. If sites still misbehave, reset the stack fully:

   netsh int ip reset
   

   netsh winsock reset
   

   Reboot afterwards. Related: clear browser cache and cookies.

Step 6: Verify the New DNS Is Actually in Use

1. In Terminal, run:

   ipconfig /all
   

   and read the DNS Servers line for your active adapter. It should list the addresses you entered.
2. Test that lookups resolve through it:

   nslookup mytechnician.tech 1.1.1.1
   

3. Visit 1.1.1.1/help in a browser if you use Cloudflare — it confirms whether DNS over HTTPS is active.
4. Compare page-load feel before and after; DNS affects how quickly a page starts, not the download speed itself.

Step 7: Turn Off Anything That Overrides Your Choice

Several things quietly hijack DNS.

1. VPN clients push their own DNS while connected — that is intended. Check it: set up a VPN in Windows 11.
2. Browsers have their own secure-DNS setting that bypasses Windows. In Chrome or Edge: Settings → Privacy and security → Security → Use secure DNS. Set it to match, or turn it off to let Windows decide.
3. A browser extension or unwanted program may be redirecting DNS — see how to remove a browser hijacker.
4. Check the hosts file for stale manual entries: open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts in Notepad run as administrator.

Step 8: Revert If Something Breaks

1. Settings → Network & internet → your connection → DNS server assignment → Edit → set back to Automatic (DHCP) → Save.
2. Run ipconfig /flushdns again.
3. Some captive portals (hotel and airport Wi-Fi) will not work with manual DNS. Switch back to Automatic while you use them.
4. Corporate networks resolve internal names on their own servers — never override DNS on a work-managed machine.

What Not to Do

• Don't enter a single DNS server with no alternate. If it goes down, nothing resolves.
• Don't use random "free fast DNS" servers found in forum posts. A hostile resolver can send you to a fake banking site — stick to well-known providers.
• Don't set DNS on both the router and every PC unless you mean to. Two sources of truth make problems hard to trace.

Still Not Working?

If pages still fail after changing DNS, the problem is not DNS. Work through speed up a slow internet connection and fix "no internet, secured" on Wi-Fi.

Related: fix Wi-Fi that keeps disconnecting and how to fix high ping.