How to enable DNS over HTTPS for all apps in Windows 10

Using DNS over HTTPS (DoH) can make browsing more secure, by hiding the websites your computer is visiting from the prying eyes of outsiders. You can enable DoH in the browser, but the latest Windows Insider update adds a system-level DoH setting to Windows 10. This is incredibly handy.

Windows 10 system-level DoH

Enabling Windows 10's system-level DoH will enable DNS over HTTPS for all browsers installed on PCs that support it, along with any other Internet-based program that might use it now or in future.

While Windows 10's DoH feature is currently only available to Insider users, its presence in the latest updates implies that a public release is likely to happen soon.

If you want early Microsoft system-level DoH access, the following article will show you how to do that.

Enable DNS over HTTPS Windows 10 for Insider users

To try out the first version of Windows 10 system-level DoH, you need to be a Windows Insider user - basically someone who checks Windows 10 beta versions - since Windows 10 DoH is available on system update Most recent Insider.

To sign up, just open Windows Update and click on the Windows Insider Program section on the left sidebar. The post recommends the Slow ring option for Insider builds.

After you become an Insider user and have the latest Windows Update, check which version of Windows you are using. You need to be running OS Build 19628 or higher to be able to enable DoH.

If your OS Build doesn't match make sure you have the latest Windows beta updates installed, then check again.

After confirming that you're running the right version of Insider, you can now enable DoH.

Step 1. First, open Windows Start menu, search for and open Registry Editor as admin.

Step 2. In the Registry Editor window that opens, type:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesDnscacheParameters

Step 3. Right-click in the Parameters folder and create a new Dword (32-bit) Value . Name this new file EnableAutoDOH and set its value to 2 .

Step 4. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC.

Step 5. After restarting, reopen the Start menu and go to Settings.

Step 6. Go to Network & Internet> Change adapter options .

Step 7. Right-click the Internet adapter that your PC uses, and then select Properties.

Step 8. Scroll down and double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 or Internet Protocol Version 6 (you will need to repeat the steps if the adapter has both).

Step 9. Select Use the following DNS server addresses , then enter the address (s) for one of the following DNS services:

Cloudflare

1.1.1.1 (IPv4)
1.0.0.1 (IPv4)
2606: 4700: 4700 :: 1111 (IPv6)
2606: 4700: 4700 :: 1001 (IPv6)

Google

8.8.8.8 (IPv4)
8.8.4.4 (IPv4)
2001: 4860: 4860 :: 8888 (IPv6)
2001: 4860: 4860 :: 8844 (IPv6)

Quad9

9.9.9.9 (IPv4)
149.112.112.112 (IPv4)
2620: fe :: fe (IPv6)
2620: fe :: fe: 9 (IPv6)

Add the address, then click OK to close the window and save the settings.

You can now test your DoH connection by visiting Cloudflare's help page, which will tell you if your browser is using DoH. If everything is fine then your installation is complete and you can now browse with DoH installation.

If you see any errors or a message saying you don't have DNS over HTTPS, go back to the steps above, double check to make sure everything is named correctly and all the addresses are correct.

To disable Windows 10's DoH settings, delete the registry key you created earlier. You can also switch your DNS settings from manual to automatic, but you lose the benefits (and possibly faster speeds) of a third-party DNS service.

Micah Soto

Update 18 August 2020

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