How to change DNS server address on Windows 11

To change the DNS address on Windows 11, open Settings > Network & internet and select Ethernet or Wi-Fi, open the “DNS server assignment” settings, and change the DNS address.
Also, on Command Prompt (admin), you can use the “netsh interface ip set dns name=”Ethernet0″ static 1.1.1.1” command to change the DNS servers, and on PowerShell (admin), you can use the “Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceIndex 12 -ServerAddresses 208.67.222.222” command.

On Windows 11 (or any other computing system), Domain Name System (DNS) is a technology that translates domain names (X.com) into IP addresses (104.244.42.193) that computers can understand.

Typically, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) supplies this configuration automatically to make connecting to your favorite websites and services easier. However, many other DNS resolvers on the internet are faster, more reliable, better in privacy, and more secure. Some of them include Cloudflare, Google, and Cisco.

If the current DNS servers are slow and unreliable or don’t trust your ISP system, you can change the DNS addresses on Windows 11 in at least four ways using the Settings app, Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Control Panel.

In this guide, I’ll teach you how to change the DNS servers on Windows 11.

Best DNS servers for Windows 11
Change DNS servers on Windows 11 from Settings
Change DNS servers on Windows 11 from Command Prompt
Change DNS servers on Windows 11 from PowerShell
Change DNS servers on Windows 11 from Control Panel

Best DNS servers for Windows 11

Cloudflare, OpenDNS, and Google are among the best companies that offer fast, reliable, and secure resolvers. However, you can always use any service you want.

Cloudflare DNS addresses

1.1.1.1
1.0.0.1

Google Public DNS addresses

8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4

OpenDNS by Cisco DNS addresses

208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

Change DNS servers on Windows 11 from Settings

The Settings app is the best method to change the DNS servers if typing commands isn’t for you. You can also easily configure DNS over HTTPS (DoH), which offers more privacy and security using encryption for in and out DNS traffic from your computer.

To change the Windows 11 DNS address from Settings, use these steps:

Open Settings on Windows 11.
Click on Network & Internet.
Click the Ethernet tab.

Quick note: If you have a Wi-Fi connection, click the connection properties option to access the DNS settings.
Under the “DNS server assignment” section, click the Edit button.
Select the Manual option using the drop-down menu.
Turn on the IPv4 toggle switch.
Under the “Preferred DNS” section, enter the IP address of the DNS server for Cloudflare, Google, OpenDNS, or another service.
(Optional) Under the “Preferred DNS encryption” section, select the “On (automatic template)” option to enable DNS encryption.

Quick note: The option to enable encryption will only be available if the service is detected by Windows 11 to support the technology.
(Optional) Turn on the “Fallback to plaintext” toggle switch.
Under the “Alternate DNS” section, specify the IP address of the secondary DNS address.
(Optional) Under the “Alternative DNS encryption” section, select the “On (automatic template)” option to enable encryption for the secondary server.
(Optional) Turn on the “Fallback to plaintext” toggle switch.
Click the Save button.

Once you complete the steps, the computer will continue to use a dynamic network address configuration, but it’ll now use the static DNS servers you specified.

Change DNS servers on Windows 11 from Command Prompt

The quickest way to change the DNS servers on Windows 11 is using Command Prompt, even though typing commands isn’t for everyone.

To change the DNS address with Command Prompt, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to view the current networking configuration and press Enter:
```
ipconfig /all
```
Under the network adapter section, confirm the adapter’s name and “IPv4” and “DNS Servers” addresses.
Type the following command to set the new DNS server address on Windows 11 and press Enter:
```
netsh interface ip set dns name="Ethernet0" static 1.1.1.1
```
In the command, change Ethernet1 with the name of your adapter and 1.1.1.1 with the DNS server address for the service you want to use. You can also specify the address for the local DNS server (if applicable).
Type the following command to set an alternate DNS server address and press Enter:
```
netsh interface ip add dns name="Ethernet0" 1.0.0.1 index=2
```
In the command, change Ethernet1 with the name of your adapter and 1.0.0.1 with the preferred alternate DNS server address.

Once you complete the steps, you can use the ipconfig /all command to confirm the new configuration.

Change DNS servers on Windows 11 from PowerShell

You can also use the NetTCPIP module with PowerShell to manage the DNS server settings on Windows 11.

To change the DNS address from PowerShell on Windows 11, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for PowerShell, right-click the result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to view your current network configuration and press Enter:
```
Get-NetIPConfiguration
```
After running the command, note the values for the “InterfaceIndex” and “DNSServer.”
Type the following command to assign a primary DNS server address and press Enter:
```
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceIndex 12 -ServerAddresses 208.67.222.222
```
(Optional) If you need to set a secondary DNS server address, you can use the same command but add a comma and append the second address:
```
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceIndex 12 -ServerAddresses 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220
```
In the command, change the InterfaceIndex number with the one corresponding to your network adapter, and change ServerAddresses with the DNS address.

After you complete the steps, you can test the new configuration using this guide.

Change DNS servers on Windows 11 from Control Panel

Alternatively, it’s still possible to use the Control Panel to change the DNS settings on Windows 11.

To change the DNS address of Windows 11 from the legacy Control Panel, use these steps:

Open Control Panel.
Click on Network and Internet.
Click on Network and Sharing Center.
Click the “Change adapter settings” option from the left pane.
Right-click the network adapter and select the Properties option.
Select the “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” option.
Click the Properties button.
Under the “Use the following DNS server addresses” section, specify the “Preferred DNS server,” which is the server address of Cloudflare, Google, OpenDNS, or another service.
(Optional) Specify the “Alternative DNS server” and the DNS address your device will use if it can’t reach the preferred server address.
Click the OK button.
Click the Close button.

Once you complete the steps, you can use services like the DNS leak test to confirm the new configuration.

When using Control Panel, you can specify any DNS server on Windows 11, but you won’t be able to turn on the “DNS over HTTPS” feature.

Whatever method you use, make sure to use the correct IP address for the DNS server. Otherwise, you won’t be able to connect to the internet. Also, it shouldn’t be necessary, but you can restart the computer to make sure that the new settings apply correctly.