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Change the DNS servers your Windows Machine uses

  • Updated on Jun 30, 2026
  • Published on Feb 8, 2023
  • 1 minute(s) read
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There are times when working with domains/subdomains you need to use reliable DNS servers, i.e., not your router-supplied DNS values.

There are multiple free and reliable DNS providers such as:

ProviderDNS ServersInfoReference
Quad99.9.9.9Focuses on security and privacy; blocks malicious domains by defaulthttps://www.quad9.net/
Google8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4Fast and reliable; backed by Google’s global infrastructurehttps://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns
Cloudflare1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1Privacy-focused; claims not to log user data; very low latencyhttps://1.1.1.1/


Here is how you can update your DNS settings on a Windows server.


1. Go to the search bar and type in "ncpa.cpl" and press enter. You can also input "ncpa.cpl" in the Windows run command (Windows key + r). You can also manually navigate from the control panel to "Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center" and select "Change adapter settings".


2. Right-click on the adapter that you wish to modify and select "properties".


3. Locate the entry "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and double-click on it or press "properties".

4. In the second half of the options, you can add a preferred and alternate DNS server IP. In this example I have added Google DNS as preferred and Quad9 as an alternate.


5. Press 'ok' on all the open menus

Once the networking windows have closed, the new settings are ready to be used straight away. You may want to clear your browser cache or use private/incognito browsing just to make sure there are no cache issues as well.