How to Change DNS on Google Wifi and Google Nest Wifi

Google Wifi and Nest Wifi are polished mesh systems, but their DNS configuration is buried inside the Google Home app in a way that confuses even experienced network engineers. Worse, there is no web admin panel at a classic IP address — everything goes through the app, which means the usual router tricks do not apply. If you are trying to switch from your ISP's default DNS to something faster or more private like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google's own Public DNS (8.8.8.8), or if you need custom DNS for a split-horizon home lab setup, this guide walks through every step and explains exactly what is happening under the hood.

Why Google Wifi DNS Change Is Confusing

Traditional routers expose a LAN settings page where you can type in a primary and secondary DNS server in about 30 seconds. Google Wifi and Nest Wifi hide this under Advanced Networking inside the Google Home app. Most users never find it, and older YouTube tutorials reference menu paths that Google has since reorganized. The app layout changed significantly in 2022 and again in 2023, so screenshots from a year ago are often wrong.

There is also a conceptual trap: Google Wifi hands out DNS addresses to your devices via DHCP. When you change the DNS in the app, you are changing what the router advertises to clients — not necessarily what the router itself uses for its own resolution. In practice the puck's own resolver also switches, but it is worth understanding the distinction when troubleshooting.

What You Need Before Starting

• The Google Home app installed on Android or iOS, signed in with the same Google account used to set up the mesh.
• Your Google Wifi or Nest Wifi network must be the primary Wi-Fi network — DNS settings are not available on secondary networks or guest networks.
• The DNS servers you want to use. Common choices: Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1, Google Public DNS 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4, Quad9 9.9.9.9 / 149.112.112.112.
• A computer or phone on the same network to verify changes after you apply them.

Step-by-Step DNS Change in the Google Home App

The steps below reflect the Google Home app as of mid-2024. If your app looks slightly different, the labels are the same — just dig into any menu named Advanced or Advanced Networking.

1. Open the Google Home app on your phone.
2. Tap the Wifi tile on the home screen (not a specific device, the network tile itself).
3. Tap the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner of the Wifi screen.
4. Scroll down and tap Advanced Networking.
5. Tap DNS. You will see the current setting, which is almost always Automatic (ISP).
6. Tap Custom to enable manual DNS entry.
7. Enter your preferred DNS server in the first field (e.g., 1.1.1.1).
8. Enter your secondary DNS server in the second field (e.g., 1.0.0.1).
9. Tap Save.

The app will push the configuration to the primary Wifi point, which then propagates to any satellite points (Nest Wifi Pro nodes, additional pucks). This can take 30 to 60 seconds. Devices already connected will not pick up the new DNS until they renew their DHCP lease — the fastest way to force that is to toggle Wi-Fi off and on again on each device, or run a lease renewal command.

Forcing a DHCP Lease Renewal on Client Devices

Changing DNS on the router does not instantly update every device. Each client holds a DHCP lease that includes the DNS server address. Until the lease expires or is renewed, devices keep using the old DNS. On a typical home network leases last 24 hours, so do not wait — force a renewal manually.

Windows

macOS

Replace en0 with your actual interface name. Run networksetup -listallnetworkservices to find it if you are on Wi-Fi under a different name.

Linux

iOS / Android

Toggle airplane mode on for five seconds, then off. Alternatively, go to Wi-Fi settings, forget the network, and reconnect. Both actions trigger a fresh DHCP handshake.

Verifying the DNS Change Actually Worked

Do not assume the change worked just because the app showed a success message. Verify from the device level.

On Windows

The Server line should show the DNS you configured. If it still shows your ISP's server IP, your lease has not renewed yet — go back and run the release/renew commands above.

On macOS or Linux

Look for the ;; SERVER: line near the bottom of the output. It must match your chosen DNS.

Quick Web-Based Verification

Use our DNS Lookup tool to query your domain from multiple global resolvers and confirm that your authoritative DNS records are being served correctly. This is especially useful if you changed DNS as part of a domain migration.

Known Limitations and Gotchas

Google Home App Version Matters

If you do not see the DNS option under Advanced Networking, your app may be out of date. Force an update through the App Store or Google Play, then restart the app. On some older Android versions Google Home caches the menu structure — clearing the app's cache (Settings > Apps > Google Home > Storage > Clear Cache) fixes the phantom missing menu.

IPv6 DNS

Google Wifi's DNS setting in the app applies to IPv4 only. If your ISP provides IPv6 and your devices use SLAAC or DHCPv6, they may receive a separate IPv6 DNS address (typically the router's link-local address, which then forwards upstream). There is currently no way to override the IPv6 DNS resolver in the Google Home app UI. Workaround: disable IPv6 on the router if you need strict DNS control, or set DNS manually per-device using static network configuration.

WPA3 and Private DNS on Android

Android 9+ has a feature called Private DNS (DNS-over-TLS) that overrides whatever the router hands out. If you set a Private DNS hostname in Android settings (Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced > Private DNS), your phone will ignore the router DNS entirely. This is not a bug — it is intentional. To let the router control DNS, set Private DNS to Off or Automatic on each Android device.

Google Wifi vs. Nest Wifi Pro

Nest Wifi Pro (the 2022 model with Wi-Fi 6E) uses the same Google Home app flow but is configured slightly differently internally because it supports Thread and Matter. The DNS change procedure is identical — the Advanced Networking path is the same. However, Nest Wifi Pro nodes that act as satellites get their DNS config pushed from the primary point; you cannot configure them individually, which is by design.

Setting DNS Per-Device Instead of Network-Wide

Sometimes you only want one machine to use a different DNS — a home lab server, a Pi-hole instance, or a work laptop that needs to reach internal hostnames. In that case, skip the router setting and configure DNS statically on the device itself.

Windows Static DNS

macOS Static DNS via Terminal

To revert back to DHCP-assigned DNS on macOS:

Using a Pi-hole or Local DNS Resolver with Google Wifi

A popular advanced setup is to run Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi on the same network and point Google Wifi's DNS to the Pi-hole's local IP address. This gives you network-wide ad blocking and query logging.

1. Find the Pi-hole's local IP (e.g., 192.168.86.100). Assign it a DHCP reservation in Google Home: Wifi > Settings > Advanced Networking > DHCP IP Reservations.
2. In the DNS section of Advanced Networking, set the primary DNS to the Pi-hole's reserved IP (e.g., 192.168.86.100).
3. Set the secondary DNS to a public resolver like 8.8.8.8 as a fallback — but be aware that if Pi-hole is down, devices will bypass it and use the secondary directly, defeating the blocking. Some admins leave the secondary blank to force all traffic through Pi-hole.
4. In Pi-hole's settings, configure upstream DNS to whatever you trust (Cloudflare, Quad9, etc.).

This is the most powerful DNS configuration you can run on a Google Wifi network short of replacing the whole routing layer.

Resetting DNS Back to Automatic

If your custom DNS causes problems — certain sites time out, streaming services geo-block you, or a VPN stops working — reverting is simple. Follow the same path in the Google Home app: Wifi > Settings > Advanced Networking > DNS, and switch from Custom back to Automatic. Save, renew leases on your devices, and you are back to ISP defaults.

Preventing DNS Issues After a Network Reset

If you ever do a factory reset on your Google Wifi or Nest Wifi system — either deliberately or because of a firmware glitch — all custom settings including DNS revert to defaults. Keep a note of your chosen DNS servers somewhere accessible so you can reapply them in under two minutes after a reset. A simple note in your password manager works fine.

Also, if Google pushes a firmware update that resets Advanced Networking settings (rare but documented in community forums), you will notice symptoms like suddenly seeing ads on sites you blocked via Pi-hole, or slower resolution because you are back on a congested ISP resolver. Check the DNS setting in the app any time you notice a sudden change in browsing behavior.

Summary

Changing DNS on Google Wifi requires the Google Home app — there is no IP-based admin panel. The path is Wifi > Settings > Advanced Networking > DNS > Custom. After saving, force a DHCP lease renewal on your clients and verify with nslookup or dig that the correct resolver is being used. Watch out for Android Private DNS overriding your settings, and remember that IPv6 DNS cannot currently be overridden from the app UI. For advanced setups, a Pi-hole reservation gives you full network-wide DNS control while keeping Google Wifi as the router.