How to Find Your DNS Server Address

Your DNS server address is the IP address of the resolver your device uses to translate domain names (like google.com ) into IP addresses. To find your DNS server address, you can check your network adapter settings on Windows, use Terminal on macOS or Linux, or look inside your router's admin panel. The exact steps depend on whether you want the DNS your device is using, the one your router assigns, or the authoritative DNS servers for a specific domain.

What Is a DNS Server Address

When you type a URL into your browser, your device silently asks a DNS resolver "what IP address does this domain map to?" That resolver is identified by an IP address, which is your DNS server address. Most home users get one automatically from their ISP via DHCP, but you can override it with public alternatives like Google's 8.8.8.8 or Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 .

There are two layers worth distinguishing:

• Local DNS configuration : the resolver IP(s) stored on your device or router, used for every lookup your machine makes.
• Authoritative name servers : the DNS servers that actually hold the records for a specific domain (identified via NS records).

The steps below cover both.

How to Find Your DNS Server on Windows

Using Command Prompt (fastest method)

ipconfig /all

Run that in Command Prompt and look for the section matching your active adapter (usually "Ethernet adapter" or "Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi"). The line labelled DNS Servers shows the IP address your machine is sending queries to. You may see two addresses: a primary and a secondary.

Using PowerShell

Get-DnsClientServerAddress

This returns a cleaner table with interface names and their assigned DNS server addresses, which is handy if you have multiple network adapters.

Using the Settings GUI

1. Open Settings and go to Network & Internet.
2. Click your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), then Hardware properties.
3. Scroll down to find the DNS server assignment field.

How to Find Your DNS Server on macOS

Using Terminal

scutil --dns | grep nameserver

This lists every DNS resolver your system is aware of, including any split-DNS configurations set by VPNs or corporate profiles. The first nameserver line is typically the one actively used for standard lookups.

Using System Settings

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS) and click Network.
2. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and click Details.
3. Click the DNS tab. The addresses listed under "DNS Servers" are your current local DNS configuration.

How to Find Your DNS Server on Linux

The right command depends on how your distribution manages DNS:

systemd-resolved (Ubuntu 18.04+, Fedora, most modern distros)

resolvectl status

Look for the DNS Servers line under your active interface (e.g., eth0 or wlan0 ).

Traditional resolv.conf

cat /etc/resolv.conf

Each nameserver line in this file is a DNS server address your system will query. On modern distros, this file is often a symlink managed by systemd-resolved, so the actual upstream resolver may differ from what you see here.

Using nmcli (NetworkManager)

nmcli dev show | grep DNS

How to Find DNS Settings on Your Router

Your router is usually the device that hands out DNS server addresses to every device on your network via DHCP. Checking the router lets you see the DNS server location upstream, which is often your ISP's resolver.

1. Open a browser and go to your router's admin page. Common addresses are 192.168.1.1 , 192.168.0.1 , or 10.0.0.1 . Check the label on the bottom of your router if unsure.
2. Log in with your admin credentials.
3. Navigate to WAN Settings, Internet, or Advanced > DNS (the label varies by brand).
4. The DNS server addresses shown here are what your router uses and forwards to all connected devices.

How to Find DNS Settings on Android and iOS

Android

1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.
2. Long-press your connected network and tap Modify network.
3. Switch IP settings from DHCP to Static. The DNS fields will now show the addresses currently in use (note: you may need to switch back to DHCP after viewing).

Alternatively, dial *#*#4636#*#* on some Android devices to open a testing menu that shows network info including DNS.

iOS / iPadOS

1. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and tap the blue (i) icon next to your network.
2. Scroll to the DNS section. If it says "Automatic," tap Configure DNS to see the addresses being used.

How to Find the DNS Servers for a Domain

This is a different question: instead of asking "what resolver does my device use," you're asking "which name servers are authoritative for example.com?" This is useful for troubleshooting email delivery, verifying DNS changes, or doing a DNS settings lookup for any domain.

You can do this with nslookup or dig :

nslookup -type=NS example.com

dig NS example.com

Both commands query the NS records for the domain and return the hostnames of its authoritative name servers. You can also do this without installing any tools by using our DNS Lookup tool, which lets you query NS, A, MX, TXT, and other record types for any domain directly in your browser.

If you're troubleshooting a domain that isn't resolving correctly and you suspect a DNS propagation or blacklist issue, it's also worth checking whether the domain's IP has ended up on any blocklists. Our guide on how to remove your IP from a blacklist walks through that process in detail.

Common DNS Server Addresses at a Glance

If you're comparing what you found against well-known public resolvers, here's a quick reference:

If your device shows one of the addresses in the Primary or Secondary column above, you know exactly which resolver you're using. If it shows an IP in the 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x range, your router is acting as a local DNS forwarder and you'll need to check the router's WAN settings to find the true upstream resolver.

For a deeper look at how DNS records work and what each record type means, the IANA root server documentation and Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 setup guide are solid references. For the technical spec behind how DNS resolution works end-to-end, RFC 1034 is the original standard.

Instantly look up DNS records for any domain

Use our free DNS Lookup tool to identify DNS server addresses, query NS, A, MX, TXT, and other record types, and verify your DNS settings lookup results in seconds, no command line needed.

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