How to Configure DNS on Windows Server

If your browser says “No network” or “No internet”, but your server is connected, the issue might be simple: no DNS is configured.
This is common on fresh Windows Server installs. Here’s how to fix it in just a few clicks.

🪟 Step-by-Step — Set DNS Manually

This method works on Windows Server 2012, 2016, 2019, and 2022.

1. Press Windows + R, type ncpa.cpl, then press Enter.
   → This opens the list of network adapters.
2. Right-click your network adapter (usually called Ethernet) and select Properties.
3. In the list, double-click on:

Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)

4. In the new window:

• Select Use the following DNS server addresses.
• Enter the DNS servers of your choice:

Preferred DNS server:     1.1.1.1
Alternate DNS server:     8.8.8.8

👉 These are fast and reliable public DNS servers from Cloudflare and Google.

5. Click OK, then Close.

✅ DNS is now configured — your internet access should work in browsers and apps.

🧪 Optional — Check with Command Prompt

To test if DNS is working, open Command Prompt and type:

ping google.com

✅ If you see replies, DNS is working!
❌ If not, double-check the DNS entries above.

💡 Why This Happens

On some Windows Server versions or clean installs:

• The system doesn't auto-assign DNS servers
• This leads to internet errors in browsers like “no network” or “can’t find address”

Manually setting DNS usually solves the issue instantly.

🎉 That’s it! You’ve now fixed the DNS issue on your Windows Server.

Updated on: 03/04/2025