Changing your DNS settings is often one of the easiest ways to optimize your internet speed. 24 Channels I translated and adapted the material of the Make Use Of site, which explains how DNS works and how to change its settings so that your Internet works faster.

What is DNS?

When you enter a website URL into a browser, that URL must be converted to the site’s IP address before it can send and receive data. Domain Name System (DNS) is the digital equivalent of a phone book, providing a number (IP address) for a specific name (URL).

With over a billion websites on the internet today, it is impractical to maintain such a large list, so your DNS server caches a number of websites.

If you try to access a site that doesn’t already have a cache, your DNS server will request input from another server.

How does your location affect DNS speed?

The infrastructure that supports the Internet is a network of copper and fiber optic cables that connect servers around the world. Data is transmitted through these cables as electromagnetic waves whose speed is limited to the speed of light. While there is nothing we can do to increase this speed, we can reduce the distance these waves have to travel.

If the DNS server is far from you, it will affect the Internet speed. But the reality of the internet is a little more complex than you might imagine with simple distance calculations.

• Google Public DNS It is one of the most popular alternatives to DNS servers and uses two IP addresses: 8.8.8.8 And 8.8.4.4.

These addresses are known as anycast addresses, and requests from them are answered by multiple servers around the world. Servers responding to requests vary throughout the day depending on network and traffic conditions. Even though it returns your queries from servers all over the world, it is consistently ranked as the fastest DNS server.

They achieved this by working with content delivery networks (CDNs) that add location data to DNS queries. In most cases, if you are using a European DNS server, the CDN will assume you are located in Europe. This affects loading speed and the content you see is optimized for a European audience. CDNs are necessary for the Internet to work.

Google and OpenDNS add your IP address to DNS queries. This means that data is downloaded from the local server, which increases the overall speed of the connection.

Does changing DNS increase speed?

When planning a trip using Google Maps, you have several different route options. Some routes take less time even though they cover longer distances. This can be due to many factors, including traffic, changes in traffic, and average speed.

You will face similar factors when choosing a DNS server to increase internet speed. Choosing the most profitable route is known as route optimization. Some DNS servers, such as those provided by internet service providers, can become overloaded, especially during peak hours.

Some servers’ records are out of date or route your data inefficiently. Complex interactions between servers and connections make routing optimization an important part of increasing your internet speed.

This is where there’s a tool like this Google Ad Comparison. It offers a free speed test to help you find the fastest DNS to optimize your internet speed. Namebench analyzes your connection and recommends the best DNS servers specifically selected for you.

Also, DNS is not just about speed. You can choose a specific DNS provider to increase your internet security.

Alternative DNS providers

As we mentioned before, your provider’s DNS server is probably not the best option. Instead, you can change the DNS settings in your operating system.

There are various alternative DNS providers, including: Google DNS, OpenDNS, Cloudflare DNS And Foursome9.

Below are the DNS addresses for each option; so you can enter them into the operating system you are using.

IPv4 DNS addresses:

• Google DNS: 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4
• Cloudflare IPv4: 1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1
• OpenDNS: 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220
• Quad9: 9.9.9.9, 149.112.112.112

IPv6 DNS addresses:

• Google DNS: 2001:4860:4860::8888, 2001:4860:4860::8844
• Cloudflare IPv6: 2606:4700:4700::1111, 2606:4700:4700::1001
• OpenDNS: 2620:119:35::35, 2620:119:53::53
• Quadruple9: 2620:fe::fe, 2620:fe::9

How to change DNS settings in Windows 10 and Windows 11?

To change DNS in Windows 10:

1. Press Win + X to open the Power Menu and select “Network Connections”.
2. Under Advanced network settings, select Change adapter settings.
3. In the new window with the list of available network devices, right-click on the device connected to the Internet and select “Properties”.

How to change DNS in Windows 11:

1. Press Win + X to open the Power Menu and select “Network Connections”.
2. Select Advanced network settings > Advanced network adapter settings.
3. In the new window with the list of available network devices, right-click on the device connected to the Internet and select “Properties”.

Then the process of changing DNS settings is the same for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1. Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
2. Then go to “Use the following DNS server addresses”.
3. Now enter one of the IP addresses in the section above depending on which DNS provider you want to use.
4. Once entered, click OK to save these settings.
5. You will be returned to the Features menu.
6. Here, select “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” and click “Properties”.
7. Repeat the process for IPv6 DNS servers.
8. Click OK to save the IPv6 DNS settings.

After that you can close all settings windows and return to normal web browsing. After confirming these settings, you will start using the new DNS servers.

How to change DNS settings on macOS?

To change DNS on a macOS device:

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Here click Network > Advanced.
3. On this page, go to the DNS tab.
4. Unlike Windows, you can easily add and remove DNS servers using the + and – buttons in the lower left corner of the window. After clicking the + icon, you can enter the IP address of the provider you want.

Just like in Windows, after confirming the settings you will start using the new DNS provider.

How to change DNS settings on iPhone?

If you want to change DNS settings on iPhone:

1. First, go to Settings > Wi-Fi.
2. Click the “i” icon next to the connected network. The settings page for the network you want to change will open. Scroll down to the DNS header.
3. Tap Configure DNS. By default this option will be set to “Automatic”. Select Manual to enable other options. The Add Server box will appear in the DNS Server section.
4. Click the button and enter the IP address of the desired provider.
5. When you’re done, click the Save button in the upper right corner of the screen.

How to change DNS settings on Android?

The steps to change DNS on Android depend on your device. But for standard versions of Android 9.0 and above:

1. Open Settings > Network & Internet.
2. Click the arrow to expand Advanced Settings. By default the Private DNS domain will be set to Automatic. Selecting this option will open a login window.
3. Click “Custom DNS Provider Hostname”. Here you need to use DNS server hostname instead of IP address as shown below:
   Google DNS: dns.google.com
   Cloudflare: 1dot1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com
   OpenDNS: doh.opendns.com
   Quad9: dns.quad9.net

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to improve your internet speed, you can make many small tweaks and improvements that will slightly improve your internet experience. Some work less noticeably, and some actually have a significant impact on speed. You can combine different suggestions to get the best results.