How To Change Your DNS Server Settings For Faster Browsing On Windows 10

One of the fun things about PCs and computers is tinkering with settings to make things better. Today, I will briefly discuss the topic of changing your DNS server to something other than what your ISP provides.

There are a million ways to do this trick, but right now we're starting the easy route and using a freeware app called DNS Jumper 2.0.
What is DNS?
When your computer's web browser connects to the Internet, it uses a Domain Name System (DNS) server.

The idea is simple: An IP address represents every web site, every server, computer and every other device connected to the internet, but since we are humans and not computers, every web site has a corresponding name. www.windowscentral.com. If you enter www.windowscentral.com, the real address may be 199.83.131.30, but your computer does not know that so it encounters a DNS server and polls to get the correct address. Assuming the DNS server has cached everything and up to date, it pings back to the correct address and then your computer goes to the web page.

In other words, you never go directly to a website. DNS servers get in the way and, like any other system added to a network, can slow things down or even lose track of where a website is when it's changed servers. The DNS servers of most Internet users are set by their Internet service provider (ISP), so you never touch them.

Finding a faster DNS server could save a few milliseconds for each DNS query. That may not sound like much, but over time this adds up. Assuming that the new DNS server is consistent, this could result in faster browsing.

The above description is a simplification of things, but at least you get the essence of it. DNS servers are the atlases of the Internet.

To find the fastest DNS servers, you need to use one of many third-party apps to run benchmarks. DNS server speeds depend on many factors related to your location and network. What is a quick DNS query for a person in New York can be downright slow for someone in Los Angeles. That's why we need to test and figure out which one is the fastest for you.

Warning: If you use a computer at work and connect to a corporate or work network, you should not make this change to your PC. Otherwise, the connection with domain controllers and servers could be disrupted, causing your PC to lose access to valuable information. If you have any questions, you should contact your organization's IT department for implementation of DNS forwarders.

DNS Jumper 2.0

DNS Jumper is a freeware app from Sordum.org that I just use. The company produces some useful networking tools that are free, ad-free, and do not use an installer. No installation is safe as you will never touch the operating system, registering or adding files to your system. You can even put this app on a USB drive to create a portable file for other PCs.

While you can manually change DNS servers on your PC, and then run a command to flush out the old DNS on your computer, DNS Jumper does everything for you. DNS Jumper also evaluates DNS servers based on your current connection and location. Here's how to use it:

1 : Download DNS Jumper 2.0 from Sordum.org

2 : Open the ZIP and copy the folder to your PC, USB Drive, etc. Then open the folder and run DNSJumper.exe.

3 : Choose Fastest DNS in the Menu

4 : Enable Turbo Resolve

5 : Select Start DNS Test

6 : After the test is complete, the fastest DNS Server is presented at the top of the list and value boxes. Select Apply DNS Server to keep settings.

DNS Jumper should also automatically clear your PC's DNS data so that the new DNS server can be used for new queries. If not, you can simply press the "Flush DNS" button to do this manually. (You can also simply press Win + R and enter ipconfig / flushdns and OK).

And that's it! There are also some other options in the app that only use secure servers or those with parental controls. You can also start the app automatically on your PC every time, so you can always search for faster DNS servers. Honestly, that's probably overkill since 1-3 milliseconds of differences are likely to go unnoticed, but it's good to have options - especially when things get slow.

Speaking of which, if you're looking for a free or paid DNS service, OpenDNS provides more control, including parental controls and blocking of phishing sites. They are also a great resource if you want to learn more about DNS settings, configurations, changing router information, and so on.

Go To The Next Level: DNS On Your Router

I'm reluctant to jump into configuring routers as this will open a Pandora box with hardware and options. Changing the DNS settings on a router is different for each router manufacturer and even for each model. Not to mention that you can easily ruin the Internet at home if you change something that you should not change. Fortunately, with most routers you can quickly restore the factory settings via a pinhole button or via 192.168.1.1 in your browser as you configure your home router.

If you know about router configuration, consider changing your DNS at the router level in your home or office.

The trick I described above applies only to a PC - the one where you changed the DNS server. However, if you change it at the router level, every connected device gets the benefits of a faster DNS server - you Xbox One, your phones, other PCs, etc. It does not matter if it connects via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, the same DNS server settings apply.

Especially for players, this can make a big difference in using the Xbox One. Some people have reported faster app load times (as they retrieve data from the internet) and game features. Their mileage may vary, but many players run the manual DNS server option either on the Xbox One itself or on the router.

If you are interested in configuring your home router for custom DNS server settings, it is best to start with your router manufacturer and model to read its user manual. From there, you can use 192.168.1.1 (but that also varies from router to router) to enter the router settings and chase around until you find the DNS server configuration. You can usually find them under My Network> Network Connections> Ethernet / Coax> Settings> DNS Servers> Use the following DNS server, but it will vary from device to device. The example above is from my Verizon Quantum FiOS router.

Wrap Up

I'm changing my DNS servers at the router level because I've noticed better, more consistent connections with all my devices including phones. The key to this, of course, is that you can quickly and reliably enter DNS servers. If they change or go offline, they lose DNS requests. This rarely happens and therefore you always enter two addresses. If an error occurs, the router simply tries the next one on the list.

Besides, you know that your ISP has the fastest DNS servers (though that's relatively rare).

For the curious, there seems to be no way to directly configure DNS server settings on your Windows 10 Mobile device. Unless you are connecting through a Wi-Fi router on which you have configured the DNS settings, stay at the default setting for this ISP or your wireless service provider (which is technically also an ISP).

Combined with the activation of TCP Fast Open in Microsoft Edge and a faster DNS server, you can see a faster and more reliable browsing experience on your phone and on Windows 10 PCs.