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What Is a DNS Leak and How to Prevent It

DNS leaks expose your activity—learn how to detect and prevent them safely.

What Is a DNS Leak and How to Prevent It

If you care about your online privacy and security, you've probably heard of terms like "VPN," "encryption," and "IP masking." But there's another critical term you need to understand: DNS leak. Even if you're using a VPN, a DNS leak can silently undermine your privacy. In this blog post, we’ll explain what a DNS leak is, how it affects you, and most importantly, how to prevent it.

What Is a DNS Leak?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. It's like the internet’s phonebook—translating easy-to-remember domain names (like example.com) into IP addresses (like 93.184.216.34) so your browser can load the site.

When you visit a website, your device sends a DNS query to a DNS server. If you’re not using a VPN, this request usually goes to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), which logs these queries and can track what sites you visit.

A DNS leak happens when, even though you’re using a VPN, your DNS queries still go to your ISP’s DNS servers instead of being routed securely through the VPN tunnel. This means your ISP—or any eavesdropper—can still see which websites you’re visiting, even if the rest of your traffic is encrypted.

Why DNS Leaks Are a Problem

  • Loss of privacy: Your browsing activity can be exposed to your ISP or third parties.
  • Bypass of VPN protection: DNS leaks defeat one of the main purposes of using a VPN.
  • Censorship and surveillance: In restrictive countries, leaked DNS traffic can be used for censorship or surveillance.
  • Security risks: Leaked DNS traffic can potentially be intercepted or manipulated.

How to Test for a DNS Leak

  1. Connect to your VPN.

  2. Go to a DNS leak testing site like:

  3. Run the test.

  4. Check the IP addresses and hostnames shown. If you see your ISP's DNS servers listed, your VPN is leaking DNS requests.

How to Prevent a DNS Leak

1. Use a Trustworthy VPN Provider

Not all VPNs handle DNS queries securely. Choose a VPN that:

  • Uses its own encrypted DNS servers
  • Has built-in DNS leak protection
  • Is transparent about their logging policies

2. Enable DNS Leak Protection in VPN Settings

Most premium VPNs have an option in their settings to enable DNS leak protection. This forces DNS queries to go through the VPN tunnel.

3. Disable IPv6

Some DNS leaks happen due to IPv6 traffic bypassing the VPN. You can disable IPv6 in your network settings:

  • Windows: Go to Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings > [Your Network] > Properties. Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).

  • macOS: Use Terminal:

    networksetup -setv6off Wi-Fi

4. Use a Secure DNS Provider

If your VPN doesn’t offer its own DNS servers, you can manually configure your device to use a privacy-respecting DNS provider such as:

  • Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1
  • Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
  • Quad9: 9.9.9.9

Note: This won't encrypt DNS on its own—you still need a VPN or DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) support.

5. Use DNSCrypt or DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH)

DNSCrypt and DoH are protocols that encrypt your DNS queries:

  • DNSCrypt: You can install DNSCrypt software to route DNS queries securely.
  • DoH: Many browsers (like Firefox and Chrome) support DoH, which encrypts DNS queries inside HTTPS traffic.

6. Avoid Split Tunneling (if not needed)

Split tunneling allows some traffic to bypass the VPN, which might include DNS traffic. Unless you have a specific use case, keep split tunneling turned off.

Conclusion

DNS leaks are a silent privacy risk that can expose your internet activity even if you're using a VPN. By understanding what DNS leaks are and taking steps to prevent them—like choosing a good VPN, disabling IPv6, and using secure DNS protocols—you can protect your browsing habits from prying eyes. We in Tildevpn.com always protect you with providing safe vpn applications that has no dns leak.

Stay safe, stay private.