How to Change DNS on Indian ISPs and Routers (Jio, Airtel, BSNL)

Changing your DNS server is a quick, reversible fix when websites fail to load on your home or office broadband while the rest of the internet works. It will not speed up a slow plan, and it cannot repair a site that is genuinely down. But it often resolves "server IP address could not be found" errors, stale answers after a website moves, and slow first-time page loads.

This guide covers changing DNS on a device and on a router, how to confirm it worked, and how to undo it. SiteDownCheck is not affiliated with any ISP or DNS provider. Router menus differ by make and firmware, and some ISP-supplied routers limit what you can edit, so use the steps below as a guide and check your router's manual.

What DNS does, in one minute

A DNS resolver translates a name such as example.com into an IP address your device can connect to. By default your router hands out your ISP's resolver through DHCP. If you change it, you point your device or router at a different resolver instead. See DNS resolver and DNS explained for website owners for background.

Changing the resolver does not change the website's own DNS records. If a domain has bad records, every resolver will return the same problem. Check what the domain publishes with the DNS Checker first.

Decide first: device or router?

• Change it on the device to fix one laptop or phone, or to test quickly with no risk to anyone else.
• Change it on the router to cover every device on the network, including smart TVs and CCTV that do not let you edit DNS.
• Keep a note of the old values. Most home setups use automatic DNS, so "set back to automatic" is your undo.

Common public resolvers

These are published by their operators. Confirm the current addresses on the provider's own site before relying on this list.

IPv6 equivalents exist for each (for example 2001:4860:4860::8888 for Google and 2606:4700:4700::1111 for Cloudflare). Add them only if your connection uses IPv6; mixing a public IPv4 resolver with your ISP's IPv6 resolver can leave you with mixed behavior.

Each provider has its own privacy policy and filtering options. Quad9, for example, blocks known malicious domains by default, and Cloudflare offers separate malware-blocking addresses. Read what the resolver logs and filters before you pick, and avoid unknown "free DNS" servers you found in a random post.

Change DNS on a Windows PC

1. Open Settings, then Network & internet, then Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and choose your connection.
2. Find "DNS server assignment" and choose Edit.
3. Switch to Manual, enable IPv4, and enter a preferred and alternate DNS server.
4. Save, then flush the cache from a terminal:

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /all

ipconfig /all should now list the DNS servers you entered.

Change DNS on macOS

1. Open System Settings, then Network, pick your connection and choose Details.
2. Open the DNS tab, click the plus button, and add the addresses. Remove entries you do not want.
3. Apply, then flush:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
scutil --dns | head -n 20

Change DNS on Linux

On a system using systemd-resolved, the simplest per-connection method is through NetworkManager:

nmcli connection modify "YourConnectionName" ipv4.dns "1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1" ipv4.ignore-auto-dns yes
nmcli connection up "YourConnectionName"
resolvectl status
resolvectl flush-caches

Do not edit /etc/resolv.conf by hand on distributions where it is a generated symlink; the change will be overwritten.

Change DNS on Android

Modern Android offers Private DNS, which uses DNS over TLS and needs a hostname rather than an IP address.

1. Open Settings and search for "Private DNS" (the location varies by phone brand).
2. Choose "Private DNS provider hostname".
3. Enter a hostname published by your chosen provider, such as dns.google or one.one.one.one.

To set classic IP-based DNS for one Wi-Fi network, long-press the network, choose Modify, show advanced options, switch IP settings to Static, and fill the DNS fields. On static IP mode you must also enter the IP address and gateway correctly, so note the old values first. See DNS over TLS.

Change DNS on iPhone

Open Settings, then Wi-Fi, tap the info icon next to your network, choose Configure DNS, switch to Manual, remove old servers, add yours and save. This applies per Wi-Fi network. It does not change DNS on mobile data, which is controlled by your carrier unless you install a DNS profile from a provider you trust.

Change DNS on a home router

Doing this on the router affects all devices. The general path:

1. Connect to the router's network and open its admin page. Common addresses are 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.29.1. The correct address and the default login are usually printed on a label on the router or in your ISP's welcome documents. Look on the label rather than guessing passwords.
2. Log in. If you do not have the admin password, ask your ISP through its official channel. Do not use password-cracking tools or share your Wi-Fi password with strangers.
3. Look for WAN, Internet, DHCP or LAN settings, depending on firmware, and find fields named "DNS" or "Primary/Secondary DNS".
4. Enter your resolvers, save, and reboot the router if the page asks.
5. Renew leases on your devices by reconnecting to Wi-Fi.

Some ISP routers, especially on fiber plans, hide or lock the WAN DNS fields or push their own settings. If you cannot edit them, you have two options. Set DNS on each device instead, or ask your ISP whether a custom DNS option is available. Another approach is to put your own router behind the ISP's device, which is an advanced setup that can cause double NAT, so read up before you try it.

Confirm the change worked

1. Check which resolver answers. Use a tool such as nslookup example.com and look at the "Server" line, which should show your chosen address.
2. Compare answers from different resolvers:

nslookup example.com 8.8.8.8
nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1
nslookup example.com

1. Check your public IP and network with What Is My IP, and compare the site against the worldwide view in the DNS Checker.
2. Test the site that failed earlier, using a private window.

If you only changed it on the router and a device still shows the old resolver, reconnect the device or restart its Wi-Fi.

When the new DNS makes things worse

• Corporate or school sites, and some internal tools, need the organization's own DNS. Revert to automatic if internal addresses stop resolving.
• Streaming and banking apps that rely on regional routing can behave differently when the resolver sits farther away. If a service becomes slow, undo the change and compare.
• DNS-level filtering from some providers can block a site you actually need. Check the provider's filtering page.
• Some sites change their records slowly. A new site or recent move can look broken until caches expire. Read how long DNS propagation takes and TTL explained.

To undo: set the device or router DNS back to automatic, or re-enter the values you noted.

A note on blocked sites

Switching resolvers is a legitimate diagnostic step because it tells you whether the ISP's resolver is the problem. Some websites are restricted on Indian networks for legal reasons, and a resolver change is not a tool for dealing with that. If you suspect that is what you are seeing, read website blocked in India: how to tell.

Next steps

• Jio or Airtel broadband: some websites not opening
• DNS Checker to see what a domain returns from several resolvers
• Nameserver Lookup to see where a domain's records are hosted
• DNS explained for website owners
• Website down for everyone or just me

FAQ

Will changing DNS make my internet faster?

It can make the first lookup of a site faster if your ISP's resolver is slow, but it does not raise your plan's bandwidth. Once a page starts loading, DNS has little influence on speed.

Is using Google or Cloudflare DNS legal in India?

Using a public DNS resolver is an ordinary networking choice. What you can access is still governed by law and by the site's own rules, so a resolver change is no guarantee of reaching any particular site.

Do I need to change both primary and secondary DNS?

Enter both. The secondary is a backup used when the primary does not answer. Using two addresses from the same provider is the simplest, most predictable setup.

Why does the site still fail after I changed DNS?

The problem may not be DNS. Check the error text, test from another network, and look at the site's status with the Website Health Check.

How do I go back to my ISP's default DNS?

Set the DNS option back to automatic or DHCP on the device or router, then reconnect. That returns you to whatever your ISP assigns.

This page is general information written by our editorial team and updated when documentation changes. Servers and providers differ, so test changes safely first. See our editorial policy and disclaimer.