How to change DNS settings on Linux

Using resolv.conf

This method works with most Linux distributions.

Edit resolv.conf

Terminal


sudo vim /etc/resolv.conf

Add DNS Servers

Replace the existing nameserver lines with:

IPv4

/etc/resolv.conf


nameserver 185.222.222.222
nameserver 45.11.45.11

IPv6

/etc/resolv.conf


nameserver 2a09::
nameserver 2a11::

Prevent Automatic Overwrites (Optional)

Some systems may overwrite /etc/resolv.conf automatically. To prevent this, you can lock the file.

Install e2fsprogs:

Terminal


sudo apt install e2fsprogs -y

Terminal


sudo dnf install e2fsprogs -y

Terminal


sudo pacman -S e2fsprogs

Lock the file:

Terminal


sudo chattr +i /etc/resolv.conf

To unlock later, use sudo chattr -i /etc/resolv.conf.

Using Netplan (Ubuntu 18.04+)

Ubuntu 18.04 and later use Netplan for network configuration. The config file is located at /etc/netplan/*.yaml (e.g., 50-cloud-init.yaml or 01-netcfg.yaml).

Edit Netplan Configuration

Open your Netplan config file. A typical configuration looks like:

/etc/netplan/01-netcfg.yaml


network:
    version: 2
    ethernets:
        eth0:
            addresses:
            - 192.0.2.2/24
            gateway4: 192.0.2.1/24
            match:
                macaddress: 01:23:45:67:89:AB
            nameservers:
                addresses:
                - 198.51.100.1
                - 203.0.113.1
                search: []
            set-name: eth0

Update DNS Servers

Replace the nameservers section with:

YAML


nameservers:
  addresses:
  - 185.222.222.222
  - 45.11.45.11

Apply Changes

Terminal


sudo netplan apply

Verify Configuration

Terminal


resolvectl status