How to manually set a custom DNS server on Windows

Domain names such as example.com are easier for people to remember than numeric IP addresses, but your computer needs a DNS resolver to translate them. Your router or internet service provider normally supplies that resolver automatically, which is usually the safest arrangement for a home or small-business connection.

Manual DNS configuration is useful when automatic name resolution is unreliable, a particular resolver is required by a service, or you want more control over filtering and provider choice. It can also help isolate a fault: if a website fails only on one network, changing the resolver may reveal where the problem sits.

For Australian users, the distinction between broadband and mobile matters. An NBN connection from Telstra, Optus, iiNet or another provider may hand out different DNS settings from a 5G hotspot, and switching to a phone hotspot is a familiar way to test whether the broadband path is at fault.

What changing DNS actually does

A DNS resolver looks up the address associated with a website name. Your computer sends a query to its configured resolver, which may be operated by your ISP, your router’s provider or a public DNS company. Changing the resolver changes who receives those queries and how the resulting website addresses are returned.

Manual configuration can help with incorrect name resolution, slow lookups caused by an unreliable resolver, access to services that require a particular DNS provider, or stricter filtering. A different resolver may also be useful when the default one interferes with specific gaming, development or remote-access applications.

Changing DNS does not make the internet inherently faster, nor does it conceal your activity by itself. It does not encrypt every connection, hide your IP address or replace a firewall. DNS over HTTPS or DNS over TLS provides encryption separately, and a resolver provider can still observe the names being queried unless the service offers additional privacy protections.

Choose a resolver that suits your connection

Common choices include Cloudflare at 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1, and Google Public DNS at 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Availability, filtering policies and privacy terms vary, so use addresses published by the provider rather than examples copied from an unverified forum or social-media post.

Australian connections can benefit from a nearby resolver, but the closest physical office does not always provide the fastest response. Major networks use distributed infrastructure that may route queries through points of presence in Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Test response times rather than assuming one provider will outperform another in every location.

A public resolver may also fail to recognise internal hostnames used by a workplace, school, router or local network. It can bypass family filtering configured by your ISP, while some organisations require approved DNS servers for security or policy reasons. The Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles may affect how an organisation handles personal information, so check your provider’s logging and retention practices.

Configure DNS in Windows 11

Open Settings, select Network & internet, and choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Select the active connection, then find DNS server assignment and choose Edit. The exact labels can differ slightly between Windows 11 releases, but the manual option should be available for a standard home connection.

Change the setting from Automatic to Manual. Enter the resolver’s IPv4 address in the preferred DNS field and, if supplied by the provider, add its alternate address. If the provider gives you IPv6 addresses, configure those as well so that Windows does not continue sending every lookup through the previous IPv6 resolver.

Choose Save, then reopen a website to test the change. You may be prompted for administrator permission, and a managed work or school device may enforce its own DNS policy. Setting custom IP addresses does not automatically enable encrypted DNS, so configure the separate encryption option if your chosen provider and Windows version support it.

Configure DNS in Windows 10

On Windows 10, open Control Panel, select Network and Sharing Center, and choose Change adapter settings. Right-click the active Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter, select Properties, and double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).

In the IPv4 properties window, select Use the following DNS server addresses. Enter the primary DNS server in the preferred field and the secondary server in the alternate field. Confirm each with OK, close the remaining windows and restart the browser if an existing page remains unavailable.

Windows 10 keeps IPv6 DNS settings in a separate properties panel. Review and align those settings with your provider’s instructions, or restore both protocols to automatic if the custom configuration causes problems. Before making changes, note the existing values so you can reverse the process quickly.

A practical checklist for safer DNS changes

Clear the local cache before judging the result. Open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns, then use nslookup example.com to query the default resolver. Running nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1 tests the named resolver directly, while ipconfig /all shows which DNS servers Windows is actually using.

Before blaming the resolver, rule out caching and connectivity. The basic page-loading troubleshooting covers useful checks such as retrying later, testing another network and determining whether one site or many sites are affected, helping separate name-resolution trouble from a broader connection fault.

Record the original DNS settings and make only one resolver change at a time.
Use addresses confirmed in the provider’s current official documentation.
Compare page loading and lookup times on the same network and device.
Keep IPv4 and IPv6 settings consistent with the provider’s instructions.
Check whether a workplace, school, parental-control or security policy applies.
Restore automatic DNS if resolution becomes less reliable after the change.

After testing, check several familiar websites rather than relying on one cache-dependent page. Repeat the test from another device on the same network, since a successful lookup on a phone does not necessarily prove the Windows configuration is working correctly.

Change DNS safely and keep a rollback ready

Keep a note of the original resolver addresses, the time of the change and the symptoms you observed. If problems continue, restore the automatic DNS option in Windows 11 or select Obtain DNS server address automatically in the IPv4 properties window. Reverting is usually quicker than repeatedly changing several settings at once.

If the issue affects an NBN service or mobile broadband supplied by an Australian provider, send the details to its technical support team. The Telecommunications Act 1997 and ACMA’s broadband complaint processes provide an escalation route for persistent service problems, although changing DNS is not a substitute for reporting a faulty line or router.

Change one resolver pair now, record the existing values and allow a ten-minute test across your main devices. If browsing is unchanged or becomes less reliable, restore the automatic settings rather than leaving an unnecessary configuration in place.