Dns Server For Mac

Posted : admin | On 25-03-2021

A DNS cache or DNS resolver cache, is a temporary database of DNS lookups on the OS and browser. It consists of the records of recent as well as attempted visits of websites along with domains. To troubleshot cache poisoning or other internet connectivity issues, you may need to flush the DNS cache. Click DNS, then click the Add button at the bottom of the DNS Servers list. Enter the IPv4 or IPv6 address for the DNS server. Below is a short list of commonly used public DNS servers. Secondary DNS servers can be added to add a layer of redundancy.

Mac dns settings
  • In your router’s configuration page, locate the DNS server settings. Write down any existing DNS server entries for future reference. Replace those addresses with the 1.1.1.1 DNS addresses: For IPv4: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1; For IPv6: 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001; Save your settings, then restart your browser.
  • Mac uses Domain Name System (DNS) to access websites on its browser. Many people are not aware of this fact and completely ignore Mac DNS server settings. But if the DNS servers of your Mac are not functioning properly, then the websites may slowly or not load at all.
  • Choose the “DNS” tab at the top of the screen to edit, add, or remove DNS. Add a new DNS server: click on the + plus button. Edit an existing DNS server: click twice on the DNS IP address you wish to change. Remove a DNS server: select a DNS server IP address and then click either the.

For years I have hated having to try to memorize different static IP address' when trying to access different network resources on my local network. This past week I finally forced myself to sit down one evening with a stiff drink and an ambition to set up and configure my own DNS server for my local network. My server would be my newly reclaimed Mac Mini running the latest version of OS X (El Capitan 10.11.x). With a good recommendation from a good friend and Sysadmin from work I set out to build my own DNS server with 'dnsmasq' and found it to be surprisingly easy. Easy enough that I figured I should post it out to my blog so that I could remember in the future and hopefully share with others who might be so inclined to attempt the same.

Pre-requisites:

  1. Mac OS X Yosemite 10.11.x (I fathom that all of this could easily be done on older versions)
  2. Homebrew (http://brew.sh/)
  3. An open terminal to execute the required commands per step outlined below
Mac

Step by step process (some commands may require 'sudo' permissions):

  1. Install the latest version of the 'dnsmasq' package/module on your server.
    1. Command: brew install dnsmasq
  2. Create directory to store the 'dnsmasq' configuration file.
    1. Command: mkdir /usr/local/etc/dnsmasq
  3. Copy the default example 'dnsmasq' configuration file into the local configuration directory.
    1. Command: cp /usr/local/opt/dnsmasq/dnsmasq.conf.example /usr/local/etc/dnsmasq/dnsmasq.conf
  4. Modify the default configuration file to suite your needs.
    1. Command: vim /usr/local/etc/dnsmasq/dnsmasq.conf
    2. In this step I personally configured 'dnsmasq' to use my own personal domain as well as auto-appending the domain for requests.
  5. Configure the 'dnsmasq' software to start automatically as a daemon on reboot.
    1. Command: brew services start dnsmasq
  6. Configure hostname to IP address mapping via the local hosts file.
    1. Command: vim /etc/hosts
    2. This step can vary depending on how you have 'dnsmasq' configured, but with default configurations the software will look to the servers /etc/hosts file to serve as the hostname/ip registrar.

Hopefully this tutorial/guide is helpful in getting your own DNS server up and running. I know that I personally have LOVED being able to access my home network via my router's VPN software using my own personal DNS server to make sure I never have to try to memorize another IP address again.

As always feel free to leave a question in the comments section.

Mac show dns server

The slow or inconsistent internet connectivity that you are currently experiencing on your Mac might be due to slow or crowded DNS Servers used by your Internet Service Provider. You will find below the steps to change the DNS Servers on your Mac to Google or OpenDNS to fix this problem.

Change DNS Servers on Mac

In general, most Mac users do not think or worry about changing the DNS Servers on their Computer. However, it is a known fact that changing the DNS Servers on a computer to a faster DNS Server can often result in significant improvement in internet connectivity and browsing speed.

While you can switch to any DNS provider, Google and OpenDNS are two of the most popular and free DNS providers that you can make use of. Both these DNS providers are highly reliable and are likely to be much faster than the DNS Servers used by your Internet Service Provider.

While Google provides a fast and dependable DNS service, OpenDNS provides additional features like content filtering, anti-phishing and child protection controls.

Change DNS Servers on Mac to Google or OpenDNS

Follow the steps below to change the DNS servers on your Mac.

1. Click on the Apple Logo from the top menu-bar on your Mac and then click on the System Preferences… option in the drop-down menu.

2. On the System Preferences screen, tap on the Network option.

3. On the Network Screen, click on the Lock Icon located at the bottom left corner of the screen.

4. Enter your Admin Account User Name and Password when prompted.

5. While you are still on the Network Screen, first make sure that you are on the WiFi Tab in the Left Sidebar Menu and then click on the Advanced option (See image below).

Dns Server For Mac

6. On the WiFi Network screen, first click on the DNS tab in the top menu and then click on the + Plus button located in the bottom left corner of the Window.

7. Enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 to change the DNS Servers to Google on your Mac and click on OK to save these settings (See image above).

Note: In case you want to use OpenDNS, enter 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220

While you can enter as many DNS Servers as you want, macOS prioritizes connection to DNS servers based on the order in which they appear. This means that your Mac will end up using the first DNS address most of the times, in case it is able connect to the first one successfully.

Dns server for macbook

Best Dns Server For Mac

After changing the DNS servers, you should see an improvement in the speed of browsing on your Mac, in case the problem of slow internet connectivity on your Mac is related to the slow DNS used by your Internet Service Provider.