# How to Change DNS Servers in Windows 11

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-change-dns-servers-windows-11/
Published: 2026-07-27 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, Network, Wi-Fi, Privacy, Setup
Summary: Switching to Cloudflare, Google, or Quad9 DNS can fix broken sites and speed up browsing. Change DNS servers in Windows 11, enable encrypted DNS, and test the result.
Recommended app: Network Traffic Monitor & Analyzer — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/network-monitor/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9NGCWN2BKVSC?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools.

## 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that lookup goes to whatever server your internet provider hands out — and provider DNS is often slow, occasionally out of date, and can log or filter what you visit.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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-dns-probe-finished-no-internet/) or [fix "DNS server not responding"](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-dns-server-not-responding-windows-11/) 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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/disable-windows-11-telemetry-tracking/) and [stay safe on public Wi-Fi](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/stay-safe-on-public-wifi/).

## 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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/secure-your-home-wifi-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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/setup-vpn-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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/remove-browser-hijacker-search-redirect/).
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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/speed-up-slow-internet-connection-windows-11/) and [fix "no internet, secured" on Wi-Fi](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-no-internet-secured-wifi/).

Related: [fix Wi-Fi that keeps disconnecting](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-wifi-keeps-disconnecting-windows-11/) and [how to fix high ping](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-fix-high-ping-windows-11/).

---
Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-change-dns-servers-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides.
Related tool: Network Traffic Monitor & Analyzer (Network Traffic Monitor & Analyzer shows real-time bandwidth usage, active connections, and per-app network traffic on Windows 10 and 11.) — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/network-monitor/
More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt