Manual Dns Entry Mac

Posted on 11-05-2021 by admin

When you add a permanent entry to the local DNS cache on your PC, it will always override the information provided by the nameserver. If a nameserver gives the wrong address for a domain or provides no information at all, you can still access the domain if it’s listed in the local Hosts file.

There are many reasons you might want to use a third-party DNS server, from parental controls and security features to speed and reliability improvements. You can change the DNS server for your entire home network on your router, or set it individually on a PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android device, Chromebook, or many other devices.

On Your Router

RELATED:What Is DNS, and Should I Use Another DNS Server?

If you want to change the DNS server for your entire home network, you’ll need to do it on your router. All the devices on your network—PCs, smartphones, tablets, game consoles, smart speakers, TV streaming boxes, Wi-Fi enabled light bulbs, and anything else you can think of—acquire their DNS server setting from the router unless you go out of your way to change it on the device. By default, your router uses your Internet service provider’s DNS servers. If you change the DNS server on your router, every other device on your network will use it.

Really, if you want to use a third-party DNS server on your devices, we recommend you just change it on your router. It’s a single setting and, if you change your mind and want to change your DNS server later, you can change the setting in one place.

RELATED:10 Useful Options You Can Configure In Your Router’s Web Interface

To do this, access your router’s web interface. The exact steps you need to take will vary depending on your router. If you’re not sure how to do this, you’ll probably want to check the manual or online documentation for your specific model of router. It will show you the instructions for accessing the web interface and any default username and password combination you’ll need to sign in, if you’ve never changed it.

Once in the web interface, you’ll probably find a DNS server option on one of the pages. Change this and the setting will affect your entire network. The option may be under LAN or DHCP server settings, as the DNS server is provided via the DHCP protocol to devices that connect to your router.

If you’re having trouble finding the option, check your router’s manual or perform a Google search for your model of router and “change DNS server”.

You can instead override the automatic DNS server provided from your router and set a custom DNS server on individual devices, if you like—here’s how do do that on each platform.

On a Windows PC

On Windows, you can change this option from the Control Panel. This option isn’t yet part of the new Settings app on Windows 10.

Head to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.

Right-click the network connection you want to configure and select “Properties”. This option must be changed separately for each connection you want to change it for. This means that, if you have a computer with both Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet connections, you’d have to change it for both your Wi-Fi and Ethernet adapters if you wanted to change the DNS server for both.

Select “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCIP/IPv4)” in the list and click “Properties”.

Select “Use the following DNS server addresses, enter the addresses of the DNS servers you want to use, and click “OK”.

If you want to set a custom DNS server for IPv6 connections as well, select “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCIP/IPv6)”, click “Properties”, and enter the IPv6 addresses as well. Click “OK” when you’re done.

After you change your DNS server on a Windows PC, you may need to flush your DNS cache to ensure Windows is using the records from your new DNS server and not cached results from your previous one.

On an Android Phone or Tablet

Android allows you to change your DNS server, but not system-wide. Each individual Wi-FI network you connect to has its own settings. If you want to use the same DNS server everywhere, you’ll have to change it for each Wi-Fi network you connect to.

To change your DNS server, head to Settings > Wi-Fi, long-press the network you’re connected to, and tap “Modify Network”.

To change DNS settings, tap the “IP settings” box and change it to “Static” instead of the default DHCP. Depending on your device, you may need to check an “Advanced” box to see this setting.

Leave the IP server setting here alone, as this is automatically acquired from the DHCP server. Enter your preferred primary and secondary DNS servers in the “DNS 1” and “DNS 2” settings and then save your settings.

On an iPhone or iPad

Apple’s iOS allows you to change your DNS server, but you can’t set a preferred DNS server system-wide. You can only change an individual Wi-Fi network’s DNS server to your custom setting, so you’ll have to do this for each Wi-Fi network you use.

To change your DNS server on an iPhone or iPad, head to Settings > Wi-Fi and tap the “i” button to the right of the Wi-Fi network you want to configure. Scroll down and tap the “Configure DNS” option under DNS.

Tap “Manual” and remove any DNS server addresses you don’t want to use from the list by tapping the red minus sign. Tap the green plus sign and type any DNS server addresses you want to use. You can enter both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses in this list. Tap “Save” when you’re done.

You can always tap “Automatic” here again to restore the default DNS server settings for the network.

On a Mac

RELATED:How to Use OpenDNS or Google DNS on Your Mac

To change the DNS server on your Mac, head to System Preferences > Network. Select the network adapter you want to change the DNS server, like “Wi-Fi”, on the left, and then click the “Advanced” button.

Click over to the “DNS” tab and use the DNS Servers box to configure your desired DNS servers. Click the “+” button at the bottom and add IPv4 or IPv6 server addresses to the list. Click “OK” when you’re done.

If things don’t work as expected after changing your DNS server, you can reset your DNS cache to ensure macOS is using the new DNS server’s records and not cached results from a previous DNS server.

On a Chromebook

This option is built into Chrome OS, too. But, as on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices, you can only change the DNS server for one network at a time. You’ll have to change it for each Wi-Fi network you connect to if you want to use it everywhere.

On a Chromebook, head to Settings > Wi-Fi and click the name of the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to.

Click the “Network” header to expand it and locate the “Name servers” section. Click the “Automatic name servers” box and set it to either “Google name servers” if you want to use the Google Public DNS servers, or click “Custom name servers” if you want to enter custom DNS servers.

Enter the DNS servers you want to use in the boxes here. You’ll have to repeat this step for each separate Wi-Fi network you connect to, if you want to use the DNS servers on different Wi-Fi networks.

Other devices may have their own built-in options for setting their own DNS server. Look under network connection settings on the device to see if an option to set custom DNS servers is available.

Image Credit: Casezy idea/Shutterstock.com

The Domain Name System

Manual Dns Entry Windows

When you type in the domain name of a web site you want to visit there's a lot happening behind the scenes. Every web site, every service, almost every device connected to the Internet has a unique numeric address that tells all the other devices where it is — its TCP/IP address. The Domain Name System (DNS) translates those numeric addresses into something a bit more recognizable and memorable to humans, like, 'www.imore.com' for example.

The first time you type in a web address, your Mac pings a DNS server — typically one automatically configured for you by your Internet Service Provider — to find out the TCP/IP address of the server you're trying to connect to. Your Mac builds up a hidden cache file to remember those details later on when you visit the same site again.

The Hosts file

The Domain Name System and its associated cache is your Mac's standard way of knowing how to get to where it's going on the Internet, but there's another file that can be very useful. It's called the Hosts file, and it can be used to override the default DNS information.

There are some practical reasons for why you'd want to use the Hosts file instead of just letting DNS do its thing. Let's say you're testing a development server you're about to deploy, and you'd like to use its domain name instead of the machine's specific IP address. Before the system's online and accessible to anyone using DNS, you can use the Host file instead: Enter the machine's IP address and when you use that domain name, your Mac will go to that device instead.

Manual Dns Entry In Windows

You can also use the Hosts file to block or work around spyware and ad networks by 'zeroing out' their IP addresses - putting in 0.0.0.0 then the name of the domain you'd like to block.

How to edit the Hosts file

You'll need to know the IP address of the device you'd like to send your Mac to, or the domain names you're trying to keep your Mac away from. The best way to work with the Host file is by using the Terminal application found in your Mac's Utilities folder. You can search for Terminal using Spotlight or by selecting it in Finder.

Open a Finder window.
Select Applications from the sidebar.
Double-click on Utilities.
Double-click Terminal.

In the Terminal window, you will need to enter a command to open the Nano text editor. You will need your administrator password, as well.

type sudo nano /etc/hosts and then hit return.
Enter your administrator password and then hit return.

You're now in the Nano text editor. You should see something that looks like this:

If you want to add a new device or domain, move the cursor using the arrow keys and position it after the text in the window. Then, begin typing.

If you're mapping a particular IP address on your local network to a domain, you can type the IP address, hit tab, then type the domain name.

Conversely, if you'd like to make sure a web URL doesn't go to its intended site — if you're trying to keep your Mac away from certain sites, use '127.0.0.1.' That'll map it back to your Mac. Even if your Mac is assigned a different IP address by its router, 127.0.0.1 defaults to the local machine thanks to the default settings in that hose file.

Once you're done, hold down the control and O keys to save the file, then control and X to exit.

One last step

Back at the command line, type sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder then type return. That will flush your Mac's DNS cache, so it doesn't get confused by any changes you've made to the Hosts file.

Don't forget you've modified the Hosts file, because at some point you may need to undo the changes you've made in order to keep your Mac working right.

How to reset your Mac's Hosts file

How To Add Dns Entry

When you're ready to undo your changes and restore where your Mac's Hosts file routes to, you can do so by replacing the current host file with a new set of terms. You don't need Terminal for this reset.

Make sure Finder is selected on your Mac.
Click on Go in the Mac menu bar.
Click on Go to Folder.
Enter /private/etc/hosts into the search field.
Click Go.
Drag the Hosts file from the Finder window onto your desktop.
Open the Hosts file from your desktop. It should open to TextEdit by default.
Delete the content of the Hosts file.
Paste the following into the same file:
##
# Host Database
#
# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface
# when the system is booting. Do not change this entry.
##
127.0.0.1 localhost
255.255.255.255 broadcasthost
::1 localhost
Click Save.
Drag this same Hosts file from your desktop back into the same folder. If you don't have the folder open in finder anymore, follow steps one through five to reopen it.
Click Replace when asked whether you want to replace the file.
Enter your Administrative password when prompted (that's the password used by the main user to unlock their Mac).
Restart your Mac.

Have any questions? Let me know.

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