All your web traffic runs through a DNS (Domain Name Service), usually managed by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Several companies offer alternatives that let you route your traffic through a faster or more secure medium, and web infrastructure giant Cloudflare has its own consumer DNS: 1.1.1.1, which promises to be faster than the competition. However, it is also more secure and private.
What is Cloudflare?
Cloudflare is a web infrastructure company that offers content delivery network (CDN), distributed denial of service (DDoS) mitigation, authoritative DNS services, and a consumer DNS resolver service. Its network serves over 6 million websites, and among all its services, Cloudflare has a huge infrastructure spread across the globe (the closer its CDN servers are to your computer, the faster it can deliver content). The sheer size of Cloudflare CDN also means that it had the potential to serve as a consumer-grade DNS system.
What is DNS and what makes Cloudflare’s service unique?
DNS is essentially the phone book of the web. Every website is located at an IP address: a string of digits that indicates the exact web location of the server. Because remembering a bunch of IP addresses like “104.16.213.223” would be a pain. Instead, domain names like “WindowsCentral.com” are stored in a DNS database along with the IP address. So when you type “WindowsCentral.com” in your browser, the computer sends that domain over the network to a DNS server, which returns the page located at “104.16.213.223.”
Your ISP already offers DNS resolution, making it easy to connect quickly. But they aren’t always the fastest or most secure services, which is why third-party options have gained popularity. Over the years, we’ve seen many companies offering fast DNS services, including Cisco OpenDNS and Google Public DNS. While these services are known to be fast and reliable, Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 claims to be even faster and more secure.
According to Cloudflare, the average latency for 1.1.1.1 is around 14ms, making it the fastest DNS resolver around (Google’s public DNS latency average is 34ms). Along with speed, Cloudflare also touts better privacy, promising that user logs will never be stored on drives and that it will delete logs every 24 hours.
This how-to guide will walk you through the steps of configuring your router or computer to use Cloudflare’s super-fast and secure 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver.
Free Cloudflare DNS Resolver IP Addresses
These are the IP addresses to configure Cloudflare’s Consumer DNS service on a computer or router.
IP version 4
IP version 6
- 2606:4700:4700::1111
- 2606:4700:4700::1001
How to set up Cloudflare’s DNS service on the router
The best way to change your current DNS settings to start using Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 is to reconfigure your router. Instead of configuring each device individually, this approach automatically configures each home device (desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, game console, and smart TV).
To configure your router to use Cloudflare’s DNS addresses, do the following:
Important: Instructions for setting up may be different on your router. Before proceeding, check the manufacturer’s support website for more specific details.
- Open the web browser.
- Enter the IP address of your router and press Get into.
- Quick tip: You can find this information using the “Windows key + R” keyboard shortcut, write cmdclicking “OK,” and at the command prompt run the ipconfig domain. The router’s IP address will be the one listed in the “Default Gateway” field.
- Log in with your router username and password as needed. (You’ll usually find this information on a label on your router.)
- Open the DNS server settings page. Check your router manufacturer’s support website to locate these settings. However, most of the time, these settings can be found in the advanced settings section. This is the location to access the DNS settings on some of the most popular brands of home routers:
- Linksys: Settings > Basic Settings.
- ASUS: WAN > Internet connection.
- Google Wi-Fi: Settings > Network and general > Advanced network > DNS.
- network equipment: Internet.
- Link D: Manual configuration of the Internet connection.
- In the DNS configuration section, use these IPv4 addresses:
- Save your settings.
- Restart your browser.
Once you complete the steps, restart your computer to start using the new settings.
Alternatively, you can open a command prompt and run these two commands:
- ipconfig /flushdns
- ipconfig/refresh
These commands will purge the DNS Resolver cache on your device and request an IPv4 configuration refresh.
You do not need to apply IP version 6 addresses on your router if your network already uses IP version 4. However, if you must use IPv6 addresses, you must enter them on your router’s IPv6 DNS configuration page.
- 2606:4700:4700::1111
- 2606:4700:4700::1001
How to set up Cloudflare’s DNS service on Windows 11
Alternatively, if setting up your home router is a little challenging, or if you want to use Cloudflare’s DNS settings on every network you connect, including public networks (for example, coffee shops and airports), with your laptop or tablet, you can configure the DNS settings in Windows 11 (or Windows 10), instead of configuring your router.
It is not recommended to use these instructions if you are using a computer at work because changing these settings could cause connectivity and other problems. If you want to change this setting on your work computer, always check with your IT administrator first.
To configure Cloudflare DNS settings on Windows 11, follow these steps:
- Open settings.
- Click on network and internet.
- Click on the active network connection; For example, ethernet.
- In the “DNS Server Mapping” section, click the Edit button.
- Select the Manual option.
- light the IPv4 toggle switch.
- In the “Preferred DNS” section, specify Cloudflare’s DNS address: 1.1.1.1
- (Optional) Select the “On (auto template)” option of the “DNS over HTTPS” configuration.
- (Optional) Turn on the “Plain Text Alternative” toggle switch.
- In the “Alternate DNS” section, specify Cloudflare’s secondary DNS address: 1.0.0.1
- (Optional) Select the “On (auto template)” option of the “DNS over HTTPS” configuration.
- (Optional) Turn on the “Plain Text Alternative” toggle switch.
- (Optional) Turn on the IPv6 toggle switch.
- In the “Preferred DNS” section, specify Cloudflare’s DNS address: 2606:4700:4700::1111
- In the “Alternate DNS” section, specify Cloudflare’s secondary DNS address: 2606:4700:4700::1001
- (Optional) Select the “Encryption Only (DNS over HTTPS)” option in the “DNS over HTTPS” settings.
- Click on the Save button.
Once you complete the steps, the computer will use Cloudflare’s servers to resolve the domain names.
How to set up Cloudflare’s DNS service on Windows 10
To configure Cloudflare DNS settings on Windows 10, do the following:
- Open Begin.
- Look for control Paneland click on the top result to open the experience.
- Click on Network and Internet.
- Click on Networks and shared resources.
- Click on Change adapter settings.
- Right-click the active Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter and select the Properties option.
- Select the “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” option.
- Click on the Properties button.
- Select the “Use the following DNS server addresses” option.
- In the “Preferred DNS Server” field, enter this IPv4 address: 1.1.1.1
- In the “Alternate DNS Server” field, enter this IPv4 address: 1.0.0.1
- Click on the OK button.
- (Optional) Select the option if the “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” the stack is enabled in the network adapter properties.
- Click on the Properties button.
- Select the Use the following DNS server addresses option.
- In the “Preferred DNS Server” field, enter this IPv6 address: 2606:4700:4700::1111
- In the “Alternate DNS Server” field, enter this IPv6 address: 2606:4700:4700::1001
- Click on the OK button.
- Click on the Near button.
After completing the steps, your device will communicate with Cloudflare’s servers to resolve domain names (for example, Google.com or WindowsCentral.com).
The steps mentioned above focus on Windows 10, but the instructions will work on Windows 8.1 and 7 as well.
How to check if you are using Cloudflare’s DNS settings
If you want to make sure that you are, in fact, using Cloudflare’s DNS settings, you can use the nslookup tool to find this information quickly:
- Open Begin.
- Look for cmdand click on the top result to open Symbol of the system.
- Type the following command and press Get into: nslookup
The output of the command should include this result:
- Default server: one.one.one.one
- ADDRESS: 1.1.1.1
If you are using IPv6 addresses, the output should look like this:
- Default server: one.one.one.one
- ADDRESS: 2606:4700:4700::1111
If you are configuring your router instead of your computer, the nslookup The tool will display the IP address of your router. This is an expected result since it is your router that makes DNS requests on behalf of all connected devices on the network.
If this is the case, you can verify that Cloudflare’s DNS settings are configured correctly by using your router’s network tools (if applicable) and using the nslookup method to test the configuration.
more resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
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