Switching DNS Servers
Going through your local Internet Service provider may not give you the fastest results. This can slow you down when trying to access sites since your browser needs to look up IP addresses for all the websites you are attempting to view. So what is one step you can take to try to increase browsing times?
DNS (Domain Name System) Servers
DNS Servers translate web addresses (www.jigsawinteractive.com) into their IP addresses (104.198.11.243) so we don't have to remember a string of numbers for all the websites we visit. When you type a web address into your browser, your computer contacts the DNS servers it has listed, the server looks ups the IP address for that domain name, then the computer sends off the request to the IP address. So, what's the problem? Many of our ISPs (Internet Providers) provide us with DNS servers that can be quite slow and/or unreliable doing just that. Google, as well as a few others, maintain their own public DNS servers they offer free which are usually faster and more reliable.
Here are the steps on how to tell your computer to use a different DNS Server, such as the Google DNS.
Windows
1. Click the network status icon in your system tray, and then click Network and Internet Settings.
2. In the “Network and Sharing Center” window, click the Change adapter settings link under Change your network settings.
3. In the “Network Connections” window, right-click the connection for which you want to change the DNS settings, and then click Properties on the context menu.
4. In the properties window, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP / IPv4) on the list, and then click the Properties button.
5. The bottom half of the “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP / IPv4) Properties” window shows the DNS settings. Select the Use the following DNS server addresses option. Next, type in the IP addresses for the preferred and alternate DNS servers you want to use. This example is for Google DNS, but feel free to use whichever DNS server you like. Here are the IP addresses for Google DNS:
Google DNS
Preferred: 8.8.8.8
Alternate: 8.8.4.4
When you’ve typed in the addresses, click the “OK” button.
You should now experience quicker and more reliable DNS lookups. While it is not going to make your browser suddenly lightening fast, every little bit helps.
Mac
1. Click System Preferences from the Apple menu.
2. Click Network.
3. Select your connection, then click Advanced.
4. Switch to the DNS tab and click the Plus button under the DNS Servers box to add the primary and secondary/alternate servers.
5. Add the Primary DNS Server number with periods (ex. 8.8.8.8). Click the Plus sign to add the Alternate DNS server number with periods (ex. 8.8.4.4). Click OK when finished.
6. Click Apply on the Network screen to finish.
Alternative DNS Providers
DNS Provider | Preferred DNS Server | Alternate DNS Server |
Google DNS | 8.8.8.8 | 8.8.4.4 |
Quad9 | 9.9.9.9 | 149.112.112.112 |
OpenDNS | 208.67.222.222 | 280.67.220.220 |
Cloudflare | 1.1.1.1 | 1.0.0.1 |