How to check if network traffic is using DNS resolver you set

Domain Name System (DNS) is a resolver service that can translate familiar domain names (Google.com) into IP addresses (172.217.6.238) which aren’t easy to remember. Typically, you do not have to worry about this because your Internet Service Provider (ISP) automatically provides these settings. However, there are many other DNS resolvers on the internet that are faster, reliable, and more secure, including Cloudflare, Google, and Cisco.

Although setting up any of these resolvers on your computer or router is a straightforward process, after changing the DNS settings, there is not an obvious way to test if the network traffic is passing through the servers you configured.

If you’re switching to Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, Google Public DNS 8.8.8.8, or Cisco OpenDNS 208.67.222.222, you can quickly test your settings in at least three different ways.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to ensure your network traffic is passing through the DNS servers you have previously configured.

Test DNS settings using DNSleaktest.com
Test DNS settings on Windows 11 or 10
Rest DNS settings using router

Test DNS settings using DNSleaktest.com

To find out if your network traffic is getting routed through the DNS servers you’ve configured, use these steps:

Open dnsleaktest.com website.
Click the Standard test button.

Once you complete the steps, check the ISP column to see the name of the DNS service you’re currently using on the test result page.

Test DNS settings on Windows 11 or 10

If you’ve previously configured custom DNS settings from Cloudflare, Google Public DNS, or Cisco OpenDNS, you can quickly check if the traffic is going through the resolver you’ve configured using the nslookup tool.

To test with the nslookup command if your internet traffic is using the new DNS settings on Windows 11 or Windows 10, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt and click the top result to open the console.
Type the following command and press Enter:
```
nslookup
```

Under the “Default Server field,” you’ll notice the name of the DNS service you’re using. The Address field will also indicate the DNS address that your computer uses to route the network traffic.

Test DNS settings using router

If you’ve changed the router settings, the nslookup won’t work because it’ll show your router IP address as the DNS server, but it doesn’t mean your traffic isn’t using the service you’ve configured.

To verify your traffic is routing through the DNS servers you set on your router, use these steps:

Open a web browser.
Sign in to your router portal using its IP address.

Quick tip: If you don’t know the address, use the nslookup tool in Command Prompt, and the IP address that shows in the result will be the one of the router.
Browse to the network tools. (If you don’t know, refer to your router’s manual to get this info.)
Select the nslookup option as the test method.

After you complete the steps, in the nslookup result, you should be able to determine the TCP/IP address the router is using to route the traffic.