How to Browse Faster and Securely With Cloudflare DNS
Cloudflare announced a brand-new DNS service the IP address you use to access it: 1.1.1.1. It is faster then Google DNS and is more secured as Cloudflare promises “We will never log your IP address (the way other companies identify you). And we’re not just saying that. We’ve retained KPMG to audit our systems annually to ensure that we’re doing what we say.Frankly, we don’t want to know what you do on the Internet—it’s none of our business—and we’ve taken the technical steps to ensure we can’t.”
Lets give it a try.
Setting up Cloudflare’s DNS on your device
Here are the basics for the major platforms:
Windows
Pull up your Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center (or Network and Internet) > Change Adapter Settings (or View network status and tasks > Change Adapter Settings).
Right-click on your Ethernet or wi-fi connection and select Properties
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (or 6) and click Properties
Click “Use The Following DNS Server Addresses”
For IPv4 (most people), use the addresses 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
For IPv6, use the addresses 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001
Click OK, close the network settings window, and restart your browser
macOS
Pull up System Preferences > Network
Click on your Ethernet or wi-fi connection and select Advanced
Click DNS, and clear out (minus sign) all the entries in the DNS Servers section
Click the plus sign and add 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 for IPv4, or 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001 for IPv6
Click on OK, and then click on Apply. Close the Network window and restart your browser.
Android
You’ll have to use a static IP address to enable a custom DNS on Android, which is going to get complicated. Cloudflare recommends you configure your wireless router to use its DNS instead.
Pull up your router’s settings. (How you do that varies by what type of router you have; consult your router’s manual if you’re not sure how to do it.)
Locate the section in your router’s settings where you can change its DNS settings—again, this differs by router and could be buried under some kind of “Advanced” menu, so you might have to do a bit of searching.
Replace any of its DNS settings with Cloudflare’s: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 for IPv4 or 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001 for IPv6.
Save your settings and restart your router.
iOS
Tap on the Settings app > Wi-Fi > Tap on the “i” next to your wireless connection > Configure DNS, and then select Manual
Delete any existing DNS entries
Add two new entries: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
Tap Save.