How to Change DNS Server on Any Device

How to change DNS server: change the resolver setting on the device or router that should use it, enter the provider’s published addresses, save, reconnect, and verify. Use Settings > Network & internet on Windows 11, System Settings > Network > Details > DNS on macOS, Private DNS on Android, Configure DNS on each iPhone Wi-Fi network, NetworkManager on Linux, or the WAN/LAN DNS page on a router.

What changing DNS actually changes

Your device asks a recursive DNS resolver to turn a hostname such as example.com into an address. Changing that resolver can help when the current one is unavailable, filtered, or slow to answer. It does not move your connection, change your ISP, or change a domain’s DNS records; edit those at the registrar or DNS host. If you are checking the address your ISP sees, read about public versus private IP addresses.

There are three layers: device, router, and resolver provider. A device setting normally wins; DHCP supplies a router setting to clients; a VPN, browser, or managed profile can override both. DoH and DoT encrypt only the client-to-resolver connection.

How to change DNS server at the right scope

Use the smallest scope that solves the problem. A laptop that moves between networks usually needs a device setting; a household with a TV, console, and smart devices usually benefits from a router setting.

Compare provider policy, filtering, DNSSEC support, and reachability, then test. Examples, not endorsements:

Use two different addresses from the same provider when it publishes a pair. Do not paste an IPv4 address into an IPv6 field, and do not mix providers casually: different filtering or DNSSEC behavior can make failures hard to diagnose.

Change DNS on Windows 11

1. Open Settings > Network & internet, choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and select the active connection. Some builds place the control under Hardware properties.
2. Find DNS server assignment and select Edit. If your build shows it under IP assignment, choose Manual, turn on IPv4, and enter the preferred and alternate DNS addresses.
3. Leave IP address assignment on Automatic (DHCP) unless you are intentionally changing the address, gateway, and prefix too. In Windows 11, you can choose an automatic or manual DNS-over-HTTPS template; turning fallback off prevents a plaintext fallback but can reduce compatibility.
4. Select Save, close and reopen a browser, and test. The current Microsoft path and the IPv4/IPv6 DNS-over-HTTPS choices are documented in Microsoft’s network settings guide.

Change DNS on macOS and Linux

macOS

Open Apple menu > System Settings > Network, select Wi-Fi or Ethernet, choose Details > DNS, and use the add button under DNS Servers. Add the provider’s addresses, remove an old manual entry only if you intend to replace it, then select OK and Apply. Repeat for another network service if needed. Apple’s Mac instructions also distinguish DNS servers from search domains.

Linux with NetworkManager

On an Ubuntu-style desktop, open Settings > Network, select the connection gear, open IPv4 (and IPv6 if changing both), choose automatic addresses only, enter DNS servers, and save. For the command line, run nmcli connection show, then sudo nmcli connection modify "connection-name" ipv4.ignore-auto-dns yes ipv4.dns "1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1" and sudo nmcli connection up "connection-name". NetworkManager says ignore-auto-dns suppresses DHCP servers. Do not permanently edit /etc/resolv.conf on a managed system.

Change DNS on Android and iPhone

Android

Open Settings > Network & internet > Private DNS; if missing, search Settings. Samsung and other manufacturers may use Connections > More connection settings. Choose Private DNS provider hostname, enter dns.google, one.one.one.one, or dns.quad9.net, and tap Save. It protects DNS questions and answers only, and a VPN or DNS app can override it. See Android Help.

iPhone and iPad

Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the information button beside the network, scroll to Configure DNS, choose Manual, tap Add Server, enter the address, and tap Save. It applies to that Wi-Fi network only, not cellular data. Repeat for other networks. See Apple’s Wi-Fi settings guide.

Change DNS on a home router

1. Open the router’s app or admin page; use the router login guide if needed.
2. Back up the current values. Look under Internet or WAN for the resolver the router itself uses, and under LAN, DHCP Server, or DNS for the addresses handed to clients. Some routers have both areas.
3. Disable automatic ISP DNS only where required, enter the provider’s IPv4 pair, and add its published IPv6 pair if you are changing IPv6 too. Save, then renew a client’s lease or reconnect it.

Labels vary by firmware. An ISP gateway may lock custom DNS or force its own relay; use a device setting or supported second router if so. Manual client settings, VPNs, browser Secure DNS, and managed profiles can bypass the router.

Verify the result and undo it cleanly

Test name resolution separately from connectivity. On Windows run nslookup example.com; on macOS or Linux run dig example.com; on NetworkManager systems, resolvectl status shows active links. A router address in the output may be a relay, so compare it with upstream status.

1. Open Loqmi’s public IP tool before and after. Your public IP, ISP, and approximate location should normally stay the same; DNS is not an IP-changing tool.
2. Open a new browser window and load several ordinary domains; use the provider’s diagnostic or the router’s WAN/DHCP status for upstream confirmation.
3. Use Loqmi’s speed test only to compare overall throughput before and after. DNS can affect lookup time, not the capacity measured by a sustained download.
4. If an old answer is cached, use Loqmi’s DNS cache guide. To undo the change, select Automatic or DHCP-provided DNS, remove manual entries, save, and reconnect.

Troubleshoot a DNS change that fails

Use the first symptom that matches instead of changing several network settings at once.