DNS & Connectivity

How to Change DNS Server on Any Device

DNS & ConnectivityUpdated October 26, 20267 min readBy Muhsen Sakka

A device chooses a different DNS guide while keeping its network route, illustrating how to change DNS servers.

Here is how to change DNS server settings. Open the network settings on the device or router you want to affect, enter a resolver’s published address, and save. For a quick, reversible change, keep your IP address on automatic and change only DNS (think of it as swapping the phone book, not moving the house). The steps below show where that setting lives and how to confirm it worked.

What a DNS change does (and does not do)

When you open loqmi.com, your device asks a recursive DNS resolver for the site’s IP address, much like asking directory assistance for a number. Your ISP (internet service provider) usually supplies one through DHCP, the protocol that hands out network settings automatically. Picking another resolver changes who answers the lookups, not the website’s own DNS records.

DNS is a separate thing from your public IP. Your router may use NAT (network address translation) to share one public address among devices with private addresses. Changing DNS does not alter that. See public versus private IP addresses, or check Loqmi’s IP checker to see your public IP and approximate location. The map should stay put.

You may run into two encrypted options: DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT). They encrypt lookups between your device and the resolver, and nothing after that. The resolver still gets your queries, and websites can still see your public IP.

How to change DNS server on the right device

Start with the narrowest change that solves the problem. A device setting follows that device. Router settings can cover the household, though a VPN or a manually configured device may ignore them. Think of the router as the building receptionist: change its directory and most residents benefit, but someone can still keep a private phone book.

Your goal	Change DNS here	Keep in mind
One computer	Its active Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection	Best for a laptop that moves between networks.
Most devices at home	Router Internet/WAN or LAN/DHCP settings	Router menus vary; clients may need to reconnect or renew DHCP.
Android on Wi-Fi and mobile data	Settings > Network & internet > Private DNS	Enter a provider hostname, not a numeric IP address.
One iPhone Wi-Fi network	That network’s Configure DNS screen	Repeat for other Wi-Fi networks; this built-in setting does not cover cellular.
Work, school, hotel, or managed network	Leave DNS automatic unless the administrator says otherwise	Internal sites, printers, or sign-in pages may rely on its resolver.

Use addresses exactly as published. Google Public DNS lists 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4; Cloudflare lists 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1. These are examples, not a speed ranking. A closer resolver may answer faster, but your network matters more than a brand name.

Change DNS on Windows 11

Open Settings > Network & internet. Choose Wi-Fi, select the connected network, then open Hardware properties; for a cable, choose Ethernet.
Next to DNS server assignment (or IP assignment on some builds), select Edit. Choose Manual, turn on IPv4, and enter the preferred and alternate DNS addresses.
Leave IP assignment on Automatic (DHCP) unless you intend to set an IP address, subnet, and gateway too. Save. Windows 11 also offers DNS over HTTPS controls for supported resolvers; Windows 10 does not show this setting in the same screen.

Labels can shift a little between Windows builds. If you change IPv6 too, enter its published resolver addresses, because an unchanged IPv6 setting can confuse a test. Microsoft’s Windows guide covers both controls.

A settings panel swaps its resolver card and keeps the address and gateway. Change DNS settings without altering IP assignment. — Leave IP assignment on automatic DHCP when changing DNS alone; setting a static IP also requires the correct subnet and gateway.

Change DNS on macOS and Linux

macOS

Open Apple menu > System Settings > Network, choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, select Details > DNS, then add the resolver addresses. Select OK and Apply if shown. Wi-Fi and Ethernet are separate services, so changing one does not copy the setting to the other. Restore the prior list or remove your entries to undo it. See Apple’s Mac DNS instructions.

Linux with NetworkManager

On many desktops, open Settings > Network, click the gear beside the active connection, open IPv4, and enter DNS addresses with the address method left on automatic. Repeat under IPv6 only if you change IPv6 DNS. Menus vary by distribution, and systemd-networkd uses different controls.

With NetworkManager’s command line, first run nmcli connection show to find the profile name. Then run sudo nmcli connection modify "Profile name" ipv4.ignore-auto-dns yes ipv4.dns "1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1" and reconnect it with sudo nmcli connection up "Profile name". Replace the profile name and addresses with yours. The ignore-auto-dns option tells NetworkManager to skip the DNS servers it receives automatically for IPv4. Avoid editing /etc/resolv.conf directly when a network manager controls it.

Change DNS on Android and iPhone

Android

Open Settings > Network & internet > Private DNS, choose Private DNS provider hostname, enter a hostname such as dns.google, and tap Save. Search Settings for “Private DNS” if the item is somewhere else, since Samsung and other manufacturers may use a different menu path. This system setting works across networks that support it, and it expects a hostname because it uses encrypted DNS. Android Help notes that Private DNS protects DNS questions and answers only.

iPhone and iPad

Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the information button beside the network, choose Configure DNS > Manual, add the resolver’s IP address or addresses, then tap Save. Each Wi-Fi network keeps its own setting, so repeat the steps on every network you use. Cellular DNS has no matching manual field on this screen. A VPN or installed DNS configuration profile can route lookups differently. See Apple’s Wi-Fi settings guide.

Change DNS on a home router

Sign in to the router’s app or admin page. Our router login guide can help. Look under Internet or WAN to set the router’s upstream resolver, or LAN/DHCP server to tell clients which DNS to use. Labels vary, and some ISP gateways lock this setting. Router menus can feel like a small escape room; the WAN/LAN distinction is the useful clue.

Use published IPv4 and, if needed, IPv6 addresses. The router’s private LAN address (often 192.168.x.x, a range RFC 1918 reserves for private networks) is not the upstream resolver itself. Devices may still show it, because the router relays their queries even after you change its upstream DNS.

Verify the change and fix common failures

Reconnect, then open a few sites. On Windows, run nslookup example.com; on macOS or Linux, run nslookup example.com or dig example.com. The output may show the resolver, but cache, VPN, browser Secure DNS, and router relay can muddy the picture. On a phone, test Wi-Fi and mobile data separately.

Compare Loqmi’s public IP checker before and after: DNS should not change the public address. Use the speed test to measure throughput, not to judge DNS alone. DNS may affect how quickly a page begins loading, but it cannot increase the capacity of your internet plan; one result is a snapshot, not a verdict delivered by a tiny speedometer judge.

Symptom	Likely reason	What to try
No sites load after saving	Typo, unreachable resolver, or encrypted DNS cannot connect	Return to Automatic DNS, reconnect, then re-enter a verified address.
Some sites or apps fail	VPN, browser Secure DNS, IPv6, filtering, or managed settings may override the change	Temporarily test without the VPN, then check the browser and IPv6 settings.
Printer or local device names stop working	The router or work resolver handled those local names	Restore the router DNS or ask the network administrator for the correct setup.
Phone works on Wi-Fi but not mobile data	iPhone’s manual setting applies only to that Wi-Fi; Android Private DNS can fail on a network	Check the platform scope and, on Android, restore Private DNS to Automatic if needed.

To undo the change, select Automatic or DHCP DNS on the device, or restore the router’s saved values. If you changed IPv4 and IPv6 separately, restore both. Clearing a DNS cache can help test a recent change, but it will not fix a wrong address or a VPN override.

Key takeaways

Choose the scope first: one device, a phone-wide Android setting, one iPhone Wi-Fi network, or the home router.
Change only the resolver; keep your device’s IP address and gateway on automatic.
Use the provider’s correct address type and check IPv6, VPN, and browser overrides if results differ.
DNS can affect name lookups, but does not change your public IP or encrypt all browsing.

Frequently asked questions

Will a DNS change affect my public IP address?

No. DNS chooses a resolver for translating domain names into addresses; your ISP connection and public IP assignment are separate. A VPN may change the public IP websites see, but changing the DNS field alone does not. You can compare your current public address with Loqmi’s IP checker before and after to confirm that it stayed the same.

Should I put the same DNS provider in both server fields?

Usually, yes: use the primary and secondary addresses that the same provider publishes for the service you selected. The second address is a fallback, not a speed boost. Mixing providers can produce different filtering or answers if one server is reached first, which makes faults harder to diagnose.

Why do some sites still fail after I change DNS?

A VPN, browser Secure DNS, security app, managed work profile, or active IPv6 configuration may still send lookups elsewhere. A misspelled address, a blocked encrypted-DNS connection, or an internal hostname that only your router knows can also cause trouble. Restore Automatic DNS first, then check one override at a time.

Is changing DNS enough to make browsing private?

No. An encrypted resolver can protect DNS questions while they travel between your device and that resolver, but the resolver still receives them. DNS settings do not hide your public IP from websites, erase cookies, prevent account tracking, or encrypt all other internet traffic. Choose a provider whose policy you understand.