This guide provides comprehensive steps for managing DNS configurations, both remotely and locally. It’s particularly useful for resolving network issues caused by incorrect DNS settings.
Remote DNS Configuration
When you need to change DNS settings on a remote machine, you can use the following commands. In these examples, we’ll use a computer with the hostname “HOSTNAME” and set Google’s DNS (8.8.8.8) as the primary and Cloudflare’s DNS (1.1.1.1) as the secondary.
Using WMIC from Command Prompt
# List network adapters
wmic /node:"HOSTNAME" nicconfig get Description, SettingID, IPEnabled
# Set primary DNS (replace SettingID with the actual ID from the previous command)
wmic /node:"HOSTNAME" nicconfig where SettingID='{4C2E5961-1B25-4AE9-852C-0A285E891244}' call SetDNSServerSearchOrder ("8.8.8.8")
# Set both primary and secondary DNS
wmic /node:"HOSTNAME" nicconfig where SettingID='{4C2E5961-1B25-4AE9-852C-0A285E891244}' call SetDNSServerSearchOrder ("8.8.8.8", "1.1.1.1")
Using PowerShell
# Check current DNS settings
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration -ComputerName HOSTNAME -Filter "IPEnabled = True" | Select-Object -Property Description, DNSServerSearchOrder
# Set DNS servers
$adapter = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration -ComputerName HOSTNAME -Filter "IPEnabled = True"
$adapter.SetDNSServerSearchOrder(@("8.8.8.8", "1.1.1.1"))
Local DNS Configuration
For local DNS management, netsh commands are particularly useful. Here are various scenarios and their corresponding commands:
View All Network Interfaces
Use netsh to list all network interfaces:
netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces
View Current DNS Settings
netsh interface ipv4 show dns "Wi-Fi"
Set Primary and Secondary DNS
netsh interface ipv4 set dns name="Wi-Fi" static 8.8.8.8
netsh interface ipv4 add dns name="Wi-Fi" 1.1.1.1
Remove a Specific DNS Server
netsh interface ipv4 delete dns name="Wi-Fi" addr=1.1.1.1
Reset to DHCP (Automatic DNS)
netsh interface ipv4 set dns name="Wi-Fi" source=dhcp
Display All DNS Settings
ipconfig /all | findstr "DNS"
View and Modify Hosts File
notepad C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
Reset Network Stack
If you’re experiencing persistent network issues, you can try resetting the entire network stack:
netsh winsock reset && netsh int ip reset && ipconfig /release && ipconfig /renew && ipconfig /flushdns