Switching DNS – Windows
I use the mighty Pi-Hole to streamline my browsing experience. Sometimes, though, the ole Hole can get in my way, blocking something I need to see. If it’s a one time deal, and not something I want to whitelist (which Pi-Hole has thankfully made easy to do via the web interface as of the latest edition), I wanted an easy way to temporarily switch DNS servers.
Enter QuickSetDNS, a groovy little exe that can do just that. Download QuickSetDNS and unpack it into the destination of your choosing. There’s no installer – it’s a simple standalone exe. Fire it up, right click in the whitespace and create a new DNS server entry. I’ve got one for my Hole, and one that points to Google’s public DNS servers.
After creating your entries, right click on one and choose Copy SetDNS Command Line. Then right click on your desktop and create a new shortcut. Paste the SetDNS command line in for the location of the shortcut and click Next. Name it something informative, and save it. Do the same with your other DNS entries in QuickSetDNS.
There. Now you have shortcuts you can double click to change your local DNS settings.