Changing DNS is one of the most frequently recommended settings and one of the least frequently explained in full. The process differs on every device, and some bury it fairly deep.
Before starting, one thing shapes the outcome: where you change it.
Router first, devices second
| Changed on | Applies to | Travels with you? |
|---|---|---|
| Router | Every device in the house | No |
| Phone or laptop | That device only | Yes |
Changing it on the router covers devices that have no DNS settings of their own — smart televisions, games consoles, security cameras, and smart plugs. It's the most comprehensive approach for home use.
Changing it on a device helps in the opposite situation: when you're on office Wi-Fi, café Wi-Fi, or mobile data. The setting goes wherever the device goes.
Both can be used together without conflict. A device's own setting always wins over the one handed out by the router.
Commonly used addresses
| Provider | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | 1.1.1.1 | 1.0.0.1 |
| 8.8.8.8 | 8.8.4.4 | |
| Quad9 | 9.9.9.9 | 149.112.112.112 |
All three are free and have run for years without significant outages. The speed difference between them is usually imperceptible from Indonesia; what distinguishes them more is their logging policy and whether filtering is built in. They're compared in the guide to public DNS and privacy.
Don't use random DNS addresses from forums or adverts. Whoever runs a resolver can see every site name you look up, and can answer with the wrong address. Use a provider whose identity is clear and whose policy you can read.
Changing it on the router
Open the router's settings page
Usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in a browser. If you've forgotten the admin password, the recovery steps are in the guide to resetting a router.
Find the WAN, Internet, or DHCP Server menu
Its location differs by brand. You're looking for fields called Primary DNS and Secondary DNS, often alongside an automatic option that must be switched off first.
Fill both fields, save, restart
Enter the primary and secondary addresses. Once saved, restart the router so devices pick up the new setting when they reconnect.
Some provider-supplied routers lock these fields. If yours is locked, the only routes are setting it on each device, or using your own router behind it — the arrangement is covered in the guide to modem, router, and ONT.
Android
Android offers two approaches, and the first is considerably better.
Private DNS applies across every network at once, including mobile data, and
its requests are encrypted. Open Settings › Network & internet › Private DNS,
choose "Private DNS provider hostname", then enter your chosen provider's hostname — not a
numeric address. Cloudflare uses one.one.one.one, Google uses
dns.google.
Through Wi-Fi settings applies to one network only. Long-press the network name, choose Modify network, open the advanced options, change IP settings to Static, then fill in the DNS fields. This approach also requires entering an IP address manually, which often creates new problems — discussed in the guide to local IPs and DHCP.
iPhone and iPad
Open Settings › Wi-Fi, tap the (i) icon beside the network name, scroll to Configure DNS, and switch from Automatic to Manual. Remove the existing addresses, then add your chosen ones.
Worth knowing: this applies only to that network, and not when using mobile data. To apply it everywhere, iOS needs a configuration profile from the DNS provider.
Windows
Open adapter settings
Settings › Network & internet › select the active Wi-Fi or Ethernet › Edit next to DNS server assignment.
Switch to Manual
Turn on IPv4, enter the preferred and alternate DNS. Leave IPv6 as it is if you're unsure.
Clear the old cache
Open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns. Without this, already-cached
names keep using the old answers until they expire.
macOS
System Settings › Network › select the active connection › Details › DNS tab. Press the add button, enter the addresses one at a time, then save.
To clear the cache, run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache in Terminal.
Confirming the change took effect
Don't stop after saving — some devices silently ignore the setting.
- Quickest way: open one of the publicly available DNS test pages. It shows which resolver is actually answering your requests.
- On Windows: run
nslookup giakreasi.com. The Server line at the top shows the resolver in use. - On macOS or Linux:
dig giakreasi.com, and check the SERVER line near the bottom of the output.
If the old address still appears, something else is most likely overriding it — an active VPN, a profile from work, or Android's Private DNS winning over the per-network setting.
If something breaks
| Symptom | Cause and action |
|---|---|
| Café Wi-Fi login page won't appear | Turn off private DNS briefly, log in, turn it back on |
| Internal office sites won't open | Revert to automatic while on the office network |
| Every site fails to open | A typo in the address; check it or revert to automatic |
| Some apps still use the old DNS | Normal — some apps carry their own resolver |
The first row is the most common, and isn't a sign anything is broken. Public Wi-Fi login pages work precisely by intercepting DNS requests — how that works is explained in the captive portal guide.
To undo everything, select the automatic option again in each menu you changed. Nothing is left behind on the system, because nothing was installed in the first place.
If your reason for changing DNS is to fix a slow connection, it's worth reading what DNS is and how it works first — the closing section explains what changes and what doesn't.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to change DNS on the router or on each device?
On the router, because one change covers every device including televisions and consoles that have no settings of their own. Changing it on a device is a useful complement, since the setting travels with you onto other networks.
Is changing DNS risky?
No, as long as you use a widely known provider. What to avoid are random DNS addresses from forums or adverts, because whoever runs them can see every site name you look up and could point you somewhere wrong.
Why doesn't the café Wi-Fi login page appear after changing DNS?
Because that page relies on DNS redirection to display. Private DNS bypasses that mechanism. Turn it off temporarily, complete the login, then turn it back on.
How do I undo it?
In each menu you changed, select the automatic option again — it's called DHCP, Automatic, or "Obtain DNS server address automatically" depending on the device. Nothing needs installing or removing.
