Where to find DNS settings on your Mac

DNS settings on a Mac live in System Settings under Network, not in a separate DNS app. Open System Settings, click Network in the sidebar, then select your active connection — usually Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Click Details or Advanced, then look for the DNS tab. That tab is where you enter new DNS server addresses to replace the ones your internet provider assigned automatically.

The exact path depends on your macOS version. On macOS Ventura and newer, go to System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) > Details > DNS. On older versions, the route is System Preferences > Network > Advanced > DNS. Either way, you are looking for a list of DNS servers with a plus and minus button to add or remove them.

Key Takeaways

  • DNS servers translate web addresses into the numbers your computer needs; changing them routes your traffic through a different company's servers.
  • Open System Settings, select your network connection, click Details or Advanced, then find the DNS tab to see and edit your current servers.
  • Write down your old DNS addresses before you change them, so you can switch back if the new ones cause problems.
  • After you change DNS, restart your browser or wait a few minutes for the change to take effect across your Mac.

Step-by-step: changing DNS on Wi-Fi

Start by opening System Settings and clicking Network in the sidebar. Select Wi-Fi, then click Details. In the window that opens, click the DNS tab. You will see a list of DNS servers — these are the addresses your Mac currently uses. Click the plus button below the list to add a new server.

Type the DNS server address you want to use. Common alternatives include Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1), Google (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4), or Quad9 (9.9.9.9 and 149.112.112.112). Add both addresses if you want a backup. To remove your old DNS servers, select each one and click the minus button. Click OK when you are done, and the change takes effect when ready.

If you want to keep your old servers as a fallback, you can leave them in the list. Your Mac will try the first server, then move to the next one if the first does not respond. This is safer than deleting everything, especially if you are testing a new DNS service for the first time.

Step-by-step: changing DNS on Ethernet

The process for Ethernet is identical to Wi-Fi. Open System Settings, click Network, select Ethernet, then click Details. Find the DNS tab, click the plus button, and type in your new DNS server addresses. Remove the old ones if you want, or leave them as backups. Click OK to save.

Ethernet connections often use the same DNS servers as your Wi-Fi, because both are assigned by your router or internet provider. Changing DNS on Ethernet alone will not affect Wi-Fi, and vice versa. If you want the same DNS servers on both connections, you need to repeat this process for each one separately.

Why you might want to change DNS

Your internet provider assigns DNS servers automatically, but those servers are not always the fastest or most private. Switching to a third-party DNS service can speed up web browsing if your provider's servers are slow, or block ads and malware if you choose a service that filters those. Some people change DNS to unblock websites that their provider or network administrator has restricted, though that depends on how the restriction is set up.

Privacy is another reason. Your provider's DNS servers log which websites you visit. Switching to a privacy-focused service like Cloudflare or Quad9 sends that traffic to a different company instead. Neither option makes you anonymous — your internet provider still sees that you are online — but it does prevent your provider from building a list of every site you visit.

What to do if the new DNS causes problems

If websites stop loading or load very slowly after you change DNS, the new server may be down or unreachable from your location. Go back to System Settings > Network > Details > DNS and delete the new addresses. Add your old ones back, or click the minus button to remove all custom DNS and let your Mac use your provider's servers again. Restart your browser and test.

Some websites block traffic from certain DNS services, especially privacy-focused ones. If a specific site does not work with your new DNS but works with your old one, you have found a site that is filtering that traffic. You can either switch back to your provider's DNS, try a different third-party service, or contact the website to report the problem.

Write down your original DNS addresses before you make any changes. Most Macs show them in the DNS tab before you edit anything. If you forget to write them down and need to restore them, you can usually find them in your router's settings, or call your internet provider and ask what their default DNS servers are.

How long DNS changes take to work

DNS changes on your Mac take effect when ready in System Settings, but your browser may not see the change right away. Close your browser completely and reopen it, or wait five to ten minutes for cached DNS entries to expire. Some websites cache DNS results for longer, so you might not see the full effect for an hour or more.

If you are testing a new DNS service, clear your browser cache as well. In most browsers, this is under Settings > Privacy or History > Clear Browsing Data. Clearing the cache forces your browser to look up every address fresh, so you can see whether the new DNS is actually working.

Changing DNS for a specific app instead of your whole Mac

System Settings changes DNS for your entire Mac, so every app uses the new servers. If you want only one app to use different DNS — for example, a VPN app that has its own DNS settings — you can configure that within the app itself. Most VPN apps have a DNS option in their settings menu. Changing DNS in the app does not affect other apps or your system-wide settings.

Some apps do not offer DNS settings and will use whatever your Mac is set to use. If you need an app to use specific DNS but the app does not support it, your only option is to change your Mac's system-wide DNS and accept that all apps will use the new servers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing DNS make my internet faster?

It might. If your internet provider's DNS servers are slow or overloaded, switching to a faster service can reduce the time it takes to look up web addresses. The effect is usually small — a few hundred milliseconds at most — but it adds up if you visit many websites. The only way to know is to test it for a few days and see if browsing feels snappier.

Can I use different DNS servers for different networks?

Yes. Each network connection on your Mac — Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPN — can have its own DNS settings. Go to System Settings > Network, select the connection you want to change, click Details, then edit the DNS tab. Your Mac will use the DNS you set for each connection when that connection is active.

What happens if I delete all my DNS servers?

Your Mac will fall back to the DNS servers your router or internet provider assigns. This is the safest way to undo a change if something goes wrong. You do not need to restore the exact addresses — just remove the custom ones and your Mac will use the defaults again.

Do I need to restart my Mac after changing DNS?

No. DNS changes take effect when ready in System Settings. You only need to close and reopen your browser to see the change. A full restart is not necessary unless you are troubleshooting a deeper problem.

Can my internet provider see which DNS service I am using?

Yes. Your provider can see that you are sending DNS requests to a different server, even though they cannot see which websites you visit once you switch. If your provider blocks third-party DNS, you may need to use a VPN to hide that traffic, but most providers do not block it.