What is my DNS? DNS checker

What is my DNS?

DNS, the Domain Name System, is the internet's address book. When you type a name such as youtube.com, your device asks a DNS server, also called a resolver, which numeric IP address belongs to that name. Only then does it connect. "My DNS" usually means that server: the one your device asks.

Most people never choose it. Your router normally hands out your internet provider's servers, or its own address, and every device simply uses what it is given. You can instead pick a public service such as Cloudflare, Google, or Quad9.

Why a website can't just tell you

A website only sees the connection that reaches it, which carries your IP address but not your device's DNS settings. Sites that claim to show your DNS server rely on special tricks and outside services, and they can be wrong when a router or VPN is in the way. The reliable method is to look at your own device, and it takes under a minute.

How to find your DNS server

Windows

1. Press the Windows key, type cmd, and open Command Prompt.
2. Type ipconfig /all and press Enter.
3. Under your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), find DNS Servers. The first address is the one your computer asks first.

Mac

1. Open System Settings, choose Wi-Fi (or Ethernet), and click Details next to your network.
2. Choose DNS. The servers are listed there.
3. Prefer the terminal? Run scutil --dns | grep nameserver.

iPhone and iPad

Open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, tap the (i) next to your network, then Configure DNS. "Automatic" means your router decides. "Manual" lists servers that someone set by hand. To see what your router hands out, look on the router itself.

Android

Menus differ by phone and Android version. Look in your Wi-Fi network's details for IP settings, where DNS addresses appear if they were set by hand. Separately, Private DNS (under Network and internet in Settings) is Android's encrypted DNS option, and it overrides the network's server when it is on.

Linux

Run resolvectl status. On older setups, cat /etc/resolv.conf works too. If it shows 127.0.0.53, that is a local helper that passes your questions on, and resolvectl status shows the real servers.

Your router

Log in to your router (our router login guide shows how) and look for DNS under Internet, WAN, or DHCP settings. The servers there are what your router passes to every device at home.

See which resolver is really asking

Open a terminal or Command Prompt and run nslookup whoami.akamai.net, or dig +short whoami.akamai.net on a Mac or Linux. The address in the answer belongs to the resolver that contacted the internet on your behalf. It can differ from the server in your settings, because routers often pass questions on to another server.

Paste that address into our IP lookup to see who runs it: your internet provider, Google, Cloudflare, or someone else.

What the check above measures

Public DNS services such as Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) and Google (8.8.8.8) can be asked questions over an ordinary secure web request, which a browser can do. The check times a few such questions: a popular name that the service probably remembers, and a made-up name that forces a fresh lookup. It tells you whether those services are reachable from your connection and how quickly they answer. It does not read your device's DNS setting, and it changes nothing.

How to read the result

• Both answer, and quickly (under about 60 ms): nothing to fix.
• One or both don't answer: usually a VPN, an ad or privacy blocker, a firewall, or a work or school network that blocks them. You loaded this page, so your own DNS is working.
• Slow (over about 150 ms): often a slow connection overall rather than a DNS problem. Try Fix my internet.
• A few milliseconds apart: differences that small don't matter in real use.

Should I change my DNS?

Often not. DNS only affects how quickly the first visit to a name begins, because answers are remembered for a while. People switch for reliability when their provider's servers misbehave, to filter known harmful sites, or for privacy preferences. Check the provider's own page before you change anything.

Changing it on your router applies to every device at home, while changing it on one device affects only that device. If something stops working afterwards, set it back to automatic. Seeing errors already? Read about "DNS server not responding" and DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.

Common questions

Is my DNS server the same as my IP address?

No. Your IP address identifies your connection to the internet. Your DNS server is a separate computer that turns names into addresses. They are often run by the same company, but they are different things.

Why does my DNS server belong to my internet provider?

Routers use the provider's DNS servers unless you change them, so this is normal. It isn't a problem unless you want a different filtering or privacy policy.

Can my DNS provider see which sites I visit?

The resolver sees the names you look up, though not the pages themselves. Encrypted DNS hides those lookups from anyone watching the network between you and the resolver, but not from the resolver itself. Policies differ by provider, so choose one whose policy you are comfortable with.

What is a DNS leak?

When a VPN is on, your lookups should travel through it. A leak is when they go to your normal provider instead. A quick test: run the nslookup whoami.akamai.net trick with the VPN on. If the address belongs to your internet provider rather than the VPN, your lookups may be leaking. You can also run our VPN test to see whether your VPN is hiding your IP address.

Will a different DNS make my internet faster?

Rarely. It can speed up the first visit to a name, but it doesn't change your download speed. If everything is slow, DNS is unlikely to be the cause, so measure your connection first. You can also use our DNS lookup to see the records behind any domain.