How to Switch to Google DNS on Mac and Windows

In this piece, we’ll delve how to Switch to Google DNS on Mac and Windows, specifically discussing how switching to Google DNS can significantly improve the speed of your internet connection and the overall quality of your browsing experience. If you are fed up with waiting for websites to load at a pace comparable to that of a snail, then it is time to investigate the advantages offered by Google DNS. When it comes to being connected to the internet, speed is of the utmost importance. Waiting for web pages to load or for videos to buffer is an incredibly frustrating experience that all of us have had at some point. While the speed of an internet connection can be affected by a number of factors, one that is frequently disregarded is the Domain Name System (DNS).

The abbreviation for “Domain Name System” is “DNS.” It is the system that converts human-readable domain names such as “www.google.com” into the machine-readable IP addresses that computers use to communicate with one another on the internet. Making the switch to Google DNS can help improve browsing speeds and resolve issues related to the computer’s inability to connect to a network. The steps required to switch a computer running Windows to Google DNS are provided below for your convenience. We mentioned below are the ways how to Switch to Google DNS on Mac and Windows.

What Is Google DNS?

Internet users all over the world have access to the Google Public DNS, which is a domain name system. It performs the role of a recursive name server, which means it receives information about domain names from authoritative name servers in order to provide responses to a large number of DNS queries. Google Public DNS is the most popular and widely used public DNS service in the world. Its primary mission is to make web connections across the domain name system quicker and more reliable.

In addition, Google provides a service known as Google Cloud DNS, which is a cloud-based domain name system (DNS) that publishes your domain names to the global DNS. 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 are the two primary Internet Protocol (IP) addresses that are used by the Google domain name system. These are the servers that Google uses for its domain name system, which are also Google’s public IP addresses. If you want to use Google’s domain name system service, you will need to change the settings of your domain name system to point to these IP addresses. Doing so will give you access to Google’s lightning-fast speeds and robust security. IP addresses 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 belong to Google DNS and can be used by anyone.

How to Switch to Google DNS on Mac

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click Network.
3. Select the network connection you want to change.
4. Click Advanced.
5. Click the DNS tab.
6. Click the “+” button and add the following Google DNS server addresses:
   • Primary DNS server: 8.8.8.8
   • Secondary DNS server: 8.8.4.4
7. Click OK to save your changes.

How to Switch to Google DNS on Windows

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Click Network and Internet.
3. Click Network and Sharing Center.
4. Click Change adapter settings.
5. Right-click the network connection you want to change and select Properties.
6. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
7. Select Use the following DNS server addresses.
8. Enter the following Google DNS server addresses:
   • Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
   • Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
9. Click OK to save your changes.

What are the benefits of using Google DNS?

1. Improved Speed: Google DNS servers are known for their speed and reliability. Using them can result in faster domain name resolution, which means web pages and online services load more quickly.
2. Enhanced Security: Google DNS includes built-in security features such as DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) to help protect against DNS spoofing and other cyber threats.
3. Reliability: Google operates a large and robust network of DNS servers, which means they are less likely to experience downtime or outages. This can help ensure your internet access is more reliable.
4. Privacy: While Google does log some information for security and troubleshooting purposes, they are generally more privacy-conscious than some other DNS providers. Using Google DNS can offer a level of privacy protection, though it’s not as strong as specialized privacy-focused DNS services.
5. Filtering Options: Google DNS offers optional content filtering features that allow you to block access to specific types of websites, such as those with adult content or known malware. This can be useful for parental control or network security.
6. Global Availability: Google’s DNS servers are distributed worldwide, ensuring that users in different regions can benefit from low latency and fast response times.

Google DNS vs. Default DNS: Performance Comparison

Conclusion

Changing the DNS settings that are pre-set on your computer can improve the speed at which you browse websites, as well as your online privacy and security. If you are a parent and you change your DNS server, you can prevent your children from viewing any content that might be considered inappropriate. Altering your DNS settings will also enable you to access content that is restricted in the country in which you are located. This article will walk you through changing your DNS server on a computer running Windows 11/10 or a Mac, as well as provide the appropriate DNS addresses to use.

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