What Are Google DNS Servers and How to Use Them

If your internet feels slow or unreliable at times, your DNS settings might be the problem. Some internet service providers (ISPs) use DNS servers that are slower or less reliable, especially during peak hours.

Google DNS servers are a free alternative that can improve website load times and overall connection stability. In this guide, you’ll learn what Google DNS is, how to find the correct IP addresses (including IPv4 and IPv6), and how to set it up on your device in just a few steps.

What Is Google Public DNS?

Google Public DNS is a free Domain Name System (DNS) service that lets your device look up website addresses using Google’s servers instead of your internet provider’s. It’s one of the largest public DNS services in the world.

Google Public DNS acts as a recursive resolver. It takes your device’s domain name requests (like www.example.com), queries other DNS servers, and returns the correct IP address so your browser can load the website.

Google DNS Server Addresses

Google offers DNS addresses for both IPv4 and IPv6. You can use either one or both, depending on what your device and network support. Here are Google’s official DNS server addresses:

Protocol	Primary	Secondary
IPv4	8.8.8.8	8.8.4.4
IPv6	2001:4860:4860::8888	2001:4860:4860::8844

You can enter these in your device’s DNS settings, as shown in the next section of this guide.

Google DNS IPv4 vs. IPv6: Which One to Use

Google DNS servers are available in both IPv4 and IPv6 formats. The protocol your device uses depends on how it connects to the internet, which determines the DNS addresses it relies on. Despite the difference in formats, the underlying Google DNS service works the same.

If you’re unsure which protocol your device is using, open Settings > Network & Internet, then select Properties under your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet). Scroll down to see whether the connection is using IPv4, IPv6, or both.

If it’s both and you enter both sets of Google DNS addresses, your system will automatically choose the best one.

How to Change Google DNS on Your Device

Switching to Google DNS is simple; all you need to do is enter Google’s DNS addresses in your device’s settings. Follow the steps below to update your DNS settings to Google DNS on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and your router.

Set Up Google DNS on Windows

1. Type “Control Panel” in the Windows search bar and open it.

2. Select Network and Internet.

3. Go to Network and Sharing Center.

4. Click Change adapter settings in the left panel.

5. Right-click your active network connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), then select Properties.

6. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and click Properties.

7. In the General tab, choose Use the following DNS server addresses, then enter:

For IPv4:

• Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
• Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4

For IPv6:

• Preferred DNS server: 2001:4860:4860::8888
• Alternate DNS server: 2001:4860:4860::8844

8. Click OK, and then close the windows.

Set Up Google DNS on macOS

1. Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences.

2. Go to Network.

3. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).

4. Next, click Advanced.

5. Select the DNS tab.

6. Click + and add these addresses:
   • IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 
   • IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844

7. Click OK, then Apply.

Set Up Google DNS on Android

The steps differ slightly depending on the type of Android you have.

Android (9.0 and later):

1. Open Settings and tap Connections.

2. Scroll down and tap More connection settings.

3. Tap Private DNS.

4. Select Private DNS provider hostname.

5. In the hostname field, type: dns.google. You don’t need to enter IP addresses like 8.8.8.8 manually. The hostname dns.google automatically routes your queries to Google’s DNS servers.

6. Tap Save to apply the changes.

Older Android Versions:

1. Open your phone’s Settings and tap Network and internet.
2. Select Wi-Fi, then tap the gear icon next to your active network.
3. Choose Modify network, then Advanced options.
4. Set IP settings to Static.
5. Scroll down to DNS fields, then enter: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
6. Tap Save.

Set Up Google DNS on iPhone

1. Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi.

2. Select the blue info icon next to the connected Wi-Fi.

3. Scroll down and choose Configure DNS.

4. Select Manual. Remove any existing DNS servers by tapping the minus symbol (–).

5. Tap Add Server and enter:
   For IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
   For IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844

6. Tap Save to apply the changes.

Set Up Google DNS on a Router

Router interfaces vary by brand and firmware, but here are the general steps you can follow:

1. Open your browser and type your router’s admin IP. It’s usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1; if not, you can find it with the ipconfig command in Command Prompt (look for the Default Gateway IP address). 
2. Log in to the administration panel.
3. Find the section labeled Internet Settings, WAN, or DNS Settings (names may vary slightly).
4. Look for the DNS fields and enter: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
5. Save your settings and reboot the router.
   

Most devices connected to your home network will now use Google DNS unless they have their own DNS settings configured.

Why Switch to Google DNS?

If your ISP struggles with a high volume of DNS requests, and your connection feels slow, unreliable, or gets blocked, Google DNS is a great alternative. 

Here’s what it can improve:

• Faster performance. Google runs a massive network of DNS servers located all around the world, allowing devices to connect to the nearest one, which reduces lookup time. It also has a large cache where it stores frequently requested domain names, allowing it to return results almost instantly without needing to look them up every time.
• More reliable connection. Google DNS servers rarely experience downtime thanks to optimized hardware and software designed to handle large volumes of DNS requests.
• Better privacy than ISP DNS. Unlike many ISPs that log DNS queries tied to browsing activity, Google Public DNS doesn’t sell your data and commits to limited, anonymized logging for security purposes.
• Unrestricted access. Google DNS may bypass some website blocks imposed by ISPs when those restrictions rely on DNS filtering, since it doesn’t return false results like some ISP-provided DNS servers.
• Stronger protection against DNS attacks. Google DNS helps defend against threats like DNS spoofing and cache poisoning. It uses DNSSEC to verify that responses come from legitimate sources, reducing the risk of being redirected to fake or malicious websites. It also supports encrypted DNS protocols (like DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS) for an extra layer of protection.
• Free and easy to use anywhere. Google DNS is completely free, works worldwide, and doesn’t require any software. Just change your device’s DNS settings to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 and you’re all set.

How to Make Your Google DNS Queries More Private

Google DNS servers may offer better privacy than some ISP DNS services, but they don’t make DNS queries private by default. Google, your ISP, and anyone monitoring your network, such as a school or office admin, can still see all of your DNS traffic unless you’re using encrypted DNS. Many ISPs also don’t support or enable encrypted DNS by default.

If encrypted DNS isn’t an option and you want to keep your DNS activity more private, consider getting PIA VPN. It routes your DNS queries through its own secure, RAM-only servers within the encrypted VPN tunnel.

PIA also includes built-in DNS leak protection that helps prevent DNS requests from accidentally going through your ISP. In addition, PIA follows a strict no-logs policy.

FAQ