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How to Change Your DNS Server

on Windows 10 and Mac

Contents

What Is DNS?

How to Change Your DNS Server on a

Windows 10 Computer

How to Change Your DNS Server on a

Mac

Which Third-Party DNS Server Should

You Use?

Changing the default DNS settings on your

computer can improve your online privacy,
security, and browsing speed. If you’re a parent,
changing your DNS server can also block your
children from seeing any inappropriate content.
Plus, changing your DNS will allow you to access
content that is blocked in your country. Here’s
how to change your DNS server on a Windows
10 or Mac computer, and which DNS addresses
you should use.

What Is DNS?

DNS (Domain Name System) is like the phone

book of the internet. If you want to visit a
website, you will usually type in a domain name
like google.com. A DNS will convert that into an
IP address, which your web browser can
understand.

An IP address is a string of characters separated

by periods and comas. For example, one IP
address for Google.com is
http://173.194.203.106/. However, a DNS
address is only one part of the equation these
days. So, you won’t always be able to access a
website using its IP address anymore.

Your internet service provider (such as Comcast,

Verizon, and Spectrum) will assign you a default
DNS. However, you can always change your DNS
setting on a Mac or Windows 10 PC.

How to Change Your DNS Server on

a Windows 10 Computer

To change your DNS server on a Windows 10

computer, go to Settings > Network & Internet >
Change Adapter Settings. Then right-click a
connection and select Properties > IPv4 >
Properties. Finally,select Use the following DNS
server address.

1 . Open the Windows Start Menu. You

can do this by clicking the button with
the Windows logo in the bottom-left
corner of your screen.

2 . Then click Settings. This is the gear-

shaped icon just above the power
button.

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3 . Next, select Network & Internet.

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4 . Then click Change adapter options.

You will see this under Advanced
network settings.

Note: If you don’t see this option, click

Status in the left sidebar. If you don’t see
Status in the left sidebar, expand the
Settings window or make the window full
screen.

5 . Right-click on the connection you want

to change the DNS server for. If you are
connected via WiFi, select that. If you
are connected via Ethernet, select that.
You will know which connections you
are currently using because they will
have green bars, while the connections
that are not in use will have a red X.

6 . Then select Properties. This will be the

last option in the pop-up menu.

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7 . Next, select Internet Protocol Version 4

(TCP/IPv4). If you don’t see this option,
use your mouse to scroll up and down
the selection.

8 . Then click Properties.

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9 . Next, click the radius next to Use the

following DNS server addresses. You
will see this in the bottom half of the
window.

10.. Then enter a new DNS address. You will

10
also want to add a secondary DNS
server address in the following line.

Note: If you don’t know what to add, see

the section on which DNS server
addresses to use below.

11.. Finally, click OK. You will see this at the

11
bottom of the window. Your changes
won’t go into effect until you click OK.

InternetProtocolVersion4(TCP/IPv4)Properties X

GeneralAlternateConfiguration

YoucangetIPsettingsassignedautomaticallyifyournetworksupports
thiscapability.Otherwise,youneedtoaskyournetworkadministrator
fortheappropriateIPsettings.

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UsethefollowingIPaddress:
IPaddress:

Subnetmask:

Defaultgateway:

ObtainDNSserveraddressautomatically
©UsethefollowingDNSserveraddresses:
PreferredDNSserver: 8 8

AlternateDNSserver: 8 •8

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How to Change Your DNS Server on a

Mac

To change your DNS server on a Mac, go to

System Preferences > Network. Then select a
connection and click Advanced. Next, select the
DNS tab and click the plus sign. Finally, enter a
DNS address and click OK > Apply.

1 . Click the Apple icon in the top-left

corner of your Mac’s screen.

2 . Then select System Preferences.

3 . Next, select Network.

4 . Then select the connection that you

want to change DNS server for. You will
see all your different network
connections in the left sidebar. You will
know which connections you are
currently using because they will have a
green circle, while the connections you
are not using will have a red circle.

5 . Then click on Advanced. You will see

this in the bottom-right corner of the
window.

6 . Next, click on the DNS tab. You will see

this at the top of the window.

7 . Then click on the plus icon (+). You will

see this at the bottom of the DNS
Servers pane.

Note: If you see any grayed-out entries

already entered in the DNS Servers box,
they are assigned to another device,
such as your router. You cannot delete
the grayed-out entries, but when you add
in new entries, the grayed-out ones will
be replaced.

8 . Then enter new DNS addresses. You

will want to enter a primary and
secondary DNS address. When a URL
needs to be resolved, your Mac will
query the first entry on your DNS server
list. If no response is received, it will
move on to the next entry. This will go
on and on until a response is received or
when all servers have been queried.

Note: You can also change the order of

your DNS addresses by dragging them or
clicking the minus button at the bottom
of the DNS Servers box to delete any
entries.

9 . Next, click OK. The Advanced window

will close, and you will be brought back
to the Network window.

10.. Finally, click on Apply. Your changes

10
won’t go into effect until you click
Apply in the Network window.

Now that you know how to change your DNS

address on a Windows 10 and Mac computer,
here are the best third-party DNS addresses you
can use.

Which Third-Party DNS Server

Should You Use?

If you want to use a third-party DNS server, some

of the best options are the Google Public DNS,
Cloudbare, and OpenDNS. Each of these
providers has a primary and secondary DNS
address that you can use.

Google Public DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1

OpenDNS: 208.67.222.123 and

208.67.220.123

Google’s Public DNS is one of the most popular

addresses because it is so easy to remember.
However, it is important to note that Google does
keep a log of the IP addresses that use its
servers for one to two days to help with
diagnostics and troubleshooting. There could
also be some long-lasting logs, but Google
claims that it doesn’t store any personal
information. So, if you care about privacy, you
might want to use another DNS address.

Cloudbare is also a popular choice because of

the speed and privacy it offers. Cloudbare
promises that it won’t use your data or log your
IP address. There’s also a 24-hour deletion
system wherein data gets removed on a daily
basis. Cloudbare also has an active community
forum that you can rely on any time you have
questions about its services.

OpenDNS is a :ne choice if you want an

experienced DNS provider. It blocks phishing
sites by default, and you can con:gure parental
controls for free by visiting its website. OpenDNS
also offers commercial plans that come with a
bunch of other great perks, such as access to up
to one year of your internet activity history.

Since all of these DNS servers are in the US, they

all let you access content that might be blocked
in another country. If you want a more reliable
way to access blocked content and protect your
privacy online, check out our list of the best VPN
services.

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^

Updated on December 15, 2022

Tagged: DNS address

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