Changing DNS Server if Your Browser Refuses to Connect

Occasionally a DNS server will not resolve certain .io domain names and you might see an error such as the following trying to access a Bongo site such as us-west.bongolearn.io:

The quickest resolution to this problem is to switch to an alternate DNS server which will correctly resolve .io domain names.

Windows 10

Step 1: Open Network Settings

1. Click the Start button and select Settings (or press Win + I to open Settings directly).
2. Click Network & Internet.

3. Depending on your connection type:
   • If using Wi-Fi, select Wi-Fi, then click Change adapter options.
   • If using Ethernet, select Ethernet, then click Change adapter options.

Step 2: Open Network Adapter Properties

1. In the Network Connections window, locate your active network connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
2. Right-click on it and select Properties.
3. In the list, scroll down and select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
4. Click the Properties button.

Step 3: Change DNS Server Addresses

1. In the new window, select Use the following DNS server addresses.
2. Enter your preferred DNS servers:
   • Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8 (Google DNS)
   • Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4 (Google DNS)
3. Click OK, then click Close.

Windows 11

Step 1: Open Network Settings

1. Click the Start button and select Settings (or press Win + I to open Settings directly).
2. In the left panel, click Network & Internet.
3. Depending on your connection type, choose:
   • Wi-Fi (if you are using a wireless connection).
   • Ethernet (if you are using a wired connection).
4. Click on the network name (e.g., your Wi-Fi SSID or Ethernet connection).

Step 2: Edit DNS Server Settings

1. Scroll down to the DNS server assignment section.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. In the pop-up window, change the Automatic (DHCP) setting to Manual.
4. Toggle IPv4 (or IPv6 if needed) to On.

Step 3: Enter Custom DNS Servers

1. In the Preferred DNS field, enter a public DNS server (e.g., Google DNS: 8.8.8.8).
2. In the Alternate DNS field, enter the secondary DNS (e.g., Google DNS: 8.8.4.4).
3. (Optional) Enable DNS over HTTPS (DoH) for added security by choosing Encrypted only (DNS over HTTPS).
4. Click Save to apply the changes.

MacOS

Step 1: Open Network Settings

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner.
2. Select System Settings or System Preferences.
3. Click Network in the sidebar.

Step 2: Select Your Network Connection

1. Choose your active network from the list:
   • Wi-Fi: Click the network you are connected to.
   • Ethernet: If using a wired connection, select Ethernet.
2. Click Details... or Advanced...

Step 3: Change DNS Server Settings

1. Go to the DNS tab.
2. Click the ( + ) button to add a new DNS server.
3. Enter a public DNS server (e.g., Google DNS: 8.8.8.8).
4. Click the ( + ) button again to add an alternate DNS (e.g., Google DNS: 8.8.4.4).
5. Remove any existing DNS servers (if needed) by selecting them and clicking the ( - ) button.
6. Click OK (Monterey & older) or Done (Ventura & later).

Other Recommended Public DNS Servers

Here are some commonly used public DNS servers:

Provider	Primary DNS	Secondary DNS
Google DNS	8.8.8.8	8.8.4.4
Cloudflare	1.1.1.1	1.0.0.1
OpenDNS	208.67.222.222	208.67.220.220
Quad9	9.9.9.9	149.112.112.112

 

Test Connection:

Refresh your browser and try to load sites you frequent like www.google.com and see if us-west.bongolearn.io is correctly coming up: