Google’s Public DNS is a free DNS (Domain Name System) service from Google. According to Google, this is the largest public DNS service in the world, as of 2012. Before proceeding on how to use Google Public DNS, let’s learn why you should use it.
If you’ve never tried Google DNS, then you should and the best reason for that is that it speeds up your browsing. Every time you visit a website, your computer performs a DNS lookup, sometimes multiple DNS lookups also before they start loading. DNS basically translates an IP address into an easy to remember name. Computer’s on the internet do not have name, but they have IP address which are hard to remember. That’s where DNS can help convert those IP addresses into names. But using your ISPs (Internet service provider) DNS servers may not be the fastest way to open websites faster, as it can be often slow and block certain sites, or it may also return wrong results.
Google Public DNS speeds up your browsing experience and improves your security. If you are still not using any DNS service, then now is the time to setup Google Public DNS.
How to Configure Google Public DNS
To add Google Public DNS to your Windows 7 computer, open Start menu and type “Network and sharing” and then press Enter. This should open Network and Sharing center and from here, click on “Change adapter settings” from the top right side of the screen.
Find the Local Area Connection and right click on it and then on “Properties”. If you are using Wireless Network, then you can right click on Wireless Network Connection and then click on Properties.
This should open Local Area Connection properties screen. From here, right click on “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click the Properties button.
This will open properties of Internet Protocol Version 4. If you are already using DNS settings suggested by your ISP, then note it down, just in case if you want to revert back to those DNS. If you have not configured DNS, then select “Use the following DNS server addresses” and then type the following in the preferred and alternate DNS server box:
Preferred DNS Server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS Server: 8.8.4.4
Click on OK and close all remaining windows. Restart your system and open your favorite websites to test these new settings. If everything opens up properly, then your new settings are working fine. Welcome to a more faster and safer web browsing experience, all thanks to Google.
(Also read: How to Configure OpenDNS and Google Public DNS for Wi-Fi Routers )
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