If you are interested in learning how to find a DNS server on your computer, there are a few ways you can go about this process. The first step to learning how to find a DNS server is to get a clear idea of what a DNS server is and how it is used. The DNS (Domain Name System) server works for your PC to provide the service to map domain names to IP addresses. Often times, there will be several different DNS servers that your computer might be using. In order to learn how to find a DNS server, keep reading to learn more. In this How To article, we’ll find out how to quickly find what your computer is being configured to use as well as how you can use different approaches to setting different DNS servers for your computer’s use.

How to Find a DNS Server:

The fastest and easiest way to find a DNS server on your computer is to simply use the Windows Command Prompt. You can access this via the Start button on the bottom left corner of the desktop. From the Start button, select All Programs > Accessories and click Command Prompt. (This is general the same method of all Windows operating systems.) Once you get to the entry box, insert: “ipconfig /all” and then hit the Enter key. A list of information will come up on the screen giving you access to plenty of information including the Windows IP Configuration information like host name, primary DNS suffix, node type, IP routing enabled, WINS proxy enabled, etc. Keep reading down the line to find where the DNS servers are listed. Most likely you will see more than one listing because there are DNS settings listed as a backup in case one of them fails to respond.

In some cases, you’ll find that your DNS server is located on the local LAN. It all depends on how it is set up in your area. The DNS server settings are assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). When your router is able to be connected to the Internet and asks your ISP for an IP address. The ISP’s response will also include the IP addresses of at least one or more of your DNS servers. When your computer first boots and asks your router for an IP address on your local network, the router basically responds by either passing on the DNS information that it was assigned to by the ISP. Another way it might respond is that it’ll return its own IP address, meaning that router basically ends up acting as the DNS. This is not an uncommon result. In fact, it might even respond with an increase in a small speed improvement. Your router then passes on the DNS requests for anything that hasn’t already been asked about essentially to the actual DNS servers. It then returns the results faster than if the DNS request was already viewed and cached.

Overriding DNS and setting your own DNS servers is pretty easy to do as well and is just part of how to find a DNS server. There are two ways you can go about overriding the DNS settings for your computer. First, you can configure the router to be able to hand out DNS addresses that you are the one who specifies it as such. However, the alternative option here is to configure your computer to be able to ignore what the router is telling it and instead use the DNS addresses that you are specifying. Follow these two steps to begin overriding your current DNS settings to instead set your own:

1. On Windows 7 Operating Systems, right click on the network icon in the notification area. From there, click Open Network and Sharing Center. Click the Change Adapter Settings on the left. From there you can right click the icon that represents your network and select the Properties button.
2. In Windows XP Operating Systems, you can continue in the control panel to click Network and Internet Connections. From here, click Network Connections, then right click on the icon that represents your network and click properties. Once you do this, be sure to scroll down as you need to click the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) or the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Once you’ve done this, you can click the Properties button. This results in the important dialog box that we need. Now you have the option to allow your system to choose the DNS for you, basically resetting it or you can choose to set your own. When the option for Obtain DNS server Address Automatically is chosen, the computer actually uses the DNSs returned when it asks your Internet router for an IP address. However, if it is set to Use the Following DNS Server Addresses, you can actually specify the IP addresses of the DNS that you wish to use.

Keep in mind when you are learning how to find a DNS server, there are actually hundreds of DNS servers available around the world. Google Provides some that are open source and are also easy to remember if you choose to go that route: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 are two of them. However, if you are really interested in learning which DNS servers are going to be the fastest for your area, be sure to check out something like the GRC’s DNS Benchmark. It can be confusing, but it also might be something worth considering if you are looking to learn how to find a DNS server.