If you've ever been told to "just switch your DNS to 1.1.1.1" to fix a loading error or speed up your internet, but weren't sure how — this is the guide for you. Changing your DNS server is one of the simplest, safest tweaks you can make, and it takes about two minutes on any device. It can fix stubborn "site can't be reached" errors, speed up your browsing, and give you a more reliable connection. Here's exactly how to do it, step by step, everywhere.

What are 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8?

DNS (the Domain Name System) is the internet's phonebook — it translates website names like example.com into the numeric IP addresses your device connects to. By default, you use your internet provider's DNS servers, which are often slow, occasionally unreliable, and sometimes cache errors for too long.

1.1.1.1 is Cloudflare's free public DNS resolver, and 8.8.8.8 is Google's. Both are among the fastest and most reliable in the world, they're free, and switching to them takes minutes. Each has a backup address too — Cloudflare's is 1.0.0.1, Google's is 8.8.4.4 — and you enter both for redundancy.

Why change your DNS server?

There are three good reasons to switch:

  • Speed. Public resolvers like 1.1.1.1 are frequently faster than your ISP's, which can make pages start loading noticeably quicker. If your browsing feels sluggish, our guide on why a website loads slowly explains where DNS fits in.
  • Reliability. ISP DNS servers sometimes return stale or broken answers, causing errors like ERRNAMENOTRESOLVED or DNSPROBEFINISHEDNXDOMAIN. A clean public resolver fixes many of these instantly.
  • Consistency. Public resolvers honour record changes quickly, so you're less likely to be stuck pointing at a site's old address after it moves servers.

How to change DNS on Windows 11

  1. Open Settings → Network & internet.
  2. Click your connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), then Hardware properties.
  3. Next to DNS server assignment, click Edit.
  4. Switch to Manual, turn on IPv4, and enter:
  • Preferred DNS: 1.1.1.1 (or 8.8.8.8)
  • Alternate DNS: 1.0.0.1 (or 8.8.4.4)
  1. Save. For good measure, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns to clear old entries.

How to change DNS on macOS

  1. Open System Settings → Network.
  2. Select your active connection and click Details.
  3. Go to the DNS tab.
  4. Click the + under DNS Servers and add 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (or 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).
  5. Click OK, then Apply.

How to change DNS on Android

  1. Open Settings → Network & internet → Private DNS.
  2. Choose Private DNS provider hostname.
  3. Enter one.one.one.one for Cloudflare, or dns.google for Google.
  4. Save. This applies to both Wi-Fi and mobile data on modern Android versions.

(On older Android, you can instead set a static IP under your Wi-Fi network's advanced settings and enter the DNS addresses there.)

How to change DNS on iPhone & iPad

  1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi and tap the (i) next to your network.
  2. Scroll to Configure DNS and tap it.
  3. Switch to Manual, remove the existing entries, and add 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (or 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).
  4. Tap Save.

Note this applies per Wi-Fi network, so repeat it for each network you use often.

How to change DNS on your router (all devices at once)

Changing DNS on your router applies it to every device on your network automatically — the most efficient option.

  1. Log in to your router's admin panel (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in your browser).
  2. Find the DNS settings — often under Internet, WAN, or DHCP settings.
  3. Enter 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (or 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) as the primary and secondary DNS.
  4. Save and reboot the router.

Every phone, laptop, and smart device on your Wi-Fi will now use the new resolver without any per-device setup.

Verify it worked

Once you've switched, confirm the change took effect:

If you'd changed DNS to fix an error, also run a quick DNS cache flush afterward so your device drops any old records and starts fresh with the new resolver.

Is changing your DNS safe?

Yes — it's completely safe and fully reversible. You're only changing which server translates website names into addresses, not touching anything sensitive on your device. If you ever want to undo it, just set your DNS assignment back to Automatic (or DHCP) and you'll return to your provider's default.

One thing worth understanding: changing your DNS on its own does not hide your browsing or change your IP address — that requires a VPN. What it does is give you a faster, more reliable lookup, and both Cloudflare and Google publish clear privacy policies for their public resolvers. For most people, the speed and reliability gains are reason enough to switch.

The bottom line

Changing your DNS to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 is a two-minute, no-risk tweak that can speed up your browsing and clear a whole class of loading errors. Do it per device, or once on your router to cover everything at home. Enter both the primary and backup addresses, flush your DNS cache afterward, and you're done — a faster, more reliable connection with nothing to lose.