DEV Community: Tzukizy

How to Change DNS Servers on Windows 11 (Cloudflare vs Google vs Quad9)

Tzukizy — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:35:01 +0000

Your ISP's DNS servers work fine for most people. They also tend to be slower than the big public ones, sometimes log more than you'd like, and rarely offer malware blocking. Switching to Cloudflare, Google, or Quad9 takes a couple of minutes and can cut lookup times while giving you clearer privacy or security options.

DNS only handles the name-to-IP step. Once a game or website has the address, the rest of the traffic goes straight to that server. A faster resolver can make pages and matchmaking start a little quicker. It won't lower your in-game ping by some magic amount.

What You're Actually Changing

When you type a domain or a game tries to reach its servers, Windows asks a DNS server for the matching IP address. By default that request goes to whatever your router or ISP hands out. Changing the setting on the adapter overrides that for the connection you're using.

Windows 11 also supports DNS over HTTPS (DoH). That wraps the lookup in the same kind of encryption browsers use for normal HTTPS sites, so the request itself isn't sitting in clear text on the network.

Change DNS in Windows 11 Settings

This is the cleanest method and the one that also lets you turn on DoH.

Press Win + I to open Settings.
Go to Network & internet.
Click Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on what you're using.
Open the properties for the active connection (on Wi-Fi this is usually under Hardware properties or the network name).
Find DNS server assignment and click Edit.
Change the drop-down from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual.
Turn on the IPv4 switch.
Enter the preferred and alternate addresses for the service you want.
Under DNS over HTTPS, pick On (automatic template) if you want encryption. Windows already knows the templates for Cloudflare, Google, and Quad9.
Click Save.

You can do the same for IPv6 if your network uses it. The addresses are listed later in the comparison section.

After saving, open a Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

ipconfig /flushdns

That clears the old cache so new lookups use the servers you just set. Check the result with:

ipconfig /all

Look under the active adapter for the DNS Servers line. It should show the addresses you entered.

The Three Public Options Side by Side

Provider	Preferred	Alternate	IPv6 Preferred	IPv6 Alternate	Default Filtering	Privacy Stance
Cloudflare	1.1.1.1	1.0.0.1	2606:4700:4700::1111	2606:4700:4700::1001	None (use 1.1.1.2 or 1.1.1.3 for blocking)	Logs deleted within ~24 hours, audited
Google	8.8.8.8	8.8.4.4	2001:4860:4860::8888	2001:4860:4860::8844	None	Temporary logs 24–48 hours, then anonymized
Quad9	9.9.9.9	149.112.112.112	2620:fe::fe	2620:fe::fe:9	Blocks known malware and phishing domains	Swiss non-profit, no IP logging by default

Cloudflare (1.1.1.1)

Usually the fastest of the three in global tests. Strong privacy policy and independent audits. The plain 1.1.1.1 service does zero filtering. If you want malware blocking, use 1.1.1.2 / 1.0.0.2. For malware plus adult-content filtering, use 1.1.1.3 / 1.0.0.3.

Good default when you care about lookup speed and keeping the data trail short.

Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8)

Extremely reliable and widely cached. Slightly higher average latency than Cloudflare in most regions, but still much faster than a typical ISP resolver. No content filtering. Google keeps temporary logs longer than Cloudflare before anonymizing them.

Solid choice if you just want something that works everywhere without surprises.

Quad9 (9.9.9.9)

The one that blocks threats by default. It pulls from threat-intelligence lists and refuses to resolve known bad domains. Latency is competitive, sometimes even better than the others depending on your location and routing. Operated by a Swiss non-profit with a no-IP-logging policy.

Useful if you download a lot of random tools, mods, or visit unfamiliar sites and want an extra layer that doesn't require extra software.

Which One for Gaming?

DNS speed only affects the initial connection and any later name lookups. Once the game has the IP, the resolver is out of the path. The difference you feel is usually a few milliseconds on matchmaking or loading screens, not a big drop in in-match ping.

Still, lower and more consistent lookup times help. Cloudflare tends to win pure speed benchmarks. Quad9 can win on specific networks and gives you the malware block. Google sits in the middle as the reliable all-rounder.

The only real way to know is to test from your own connection. Tools like namebench, DNS Benchmark, or even a quick PowerShell loop against a few domains will show which one answers fastest for you. Run the test, switch, flush the cache, and re-test.

Other Ways to Set DNS

Control Panel (older method)

Press Win + R, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter.
Right-click the active adapter → Properties.
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Properties.
Choose Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the numbers.
Confirm and close.

This method doesn't give you the DoH options that live in the modern Settings app.

PowerShell

Open PowerShell as administrator and find your interface:

Get-NetIPConfiguration

Note the InterfaceIndex or InterfaceAlias, then:

Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias "Ethernet" -ServerAddresses ("1.1.1.1","1.0.0.1")

Replace the alias and addresses as needed. Flush the cache afterward the same way.

A Few Practical Notes

Changing DNS only affects the device you configure. Your phone, other PCs, and consoles still use whatever they were set to unless you also change them or push the setting from the router.

If something stops resolving after the switch, go back to Automatic (DHCP) or try a different pair. Typos in the address fields are the most common reason things break.

DoH encrypts the lookup between your PC and the resolver. It does not encrypt the rest of your traffic. If you need that, you still need a VPN or similar.

Router-level DNS changes apply to every device on the network at once. That's often cleaner for a household, but the exact steps depend on the router brand and whether it supports DoH itself.

Quick Checklist

Pick the provider that matches what you care about most (speed, privacy, or blocking).
Set both preferred and alternate addresses.
Turn on DoH if the option is available.
Flush the DNS cache.
Confirm with ipconfig /all.
Test a few sites and, if you care about gaming, run a local benchmark.

That's it. The change is reversible in the same place you made it, so there's little downside to trying a different resolver for a day or two and seeing how it feels.

what did you guys think?

Tzukizy — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 23:58:10 +0000

Tzukizy

Oct 8

Roblox Disconnect Errors: How to Fix Error Codes 277, 279, and 267

#troubleshooting

4 min read

Roblox Disconnect Errors: How to Fix Error Codes 277, 279, and 267

Tzukizy — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:33:03 +0000

Getting disconnected in the middle of a Roblox raid, a competitive match, or a high-stakes trade is incredibly frustrating.

When that dreaded disconnect screen pops up, it usually displays one of three error codes: 277, 279, or 267.

The mistake most people make is trying random "fixes" they found on a forum without knowing what they’re actually fixing. These three errors look similar on the surface, but they stem from completely different parts of your system. One is a network drop, one is a firewall block, and one is an intentional kick from the game itself.

Let’s break down exactly what each code means and how to fix it properly.

The Quick Diagnostic Cheat Sheet

Before you start digging into settings, match your error message to its actual cause:

Error 277: "Please check your internet connection..." The Cause: Your PC lost contact with the Roblox server for more than 10 seconds. This is usually a Wi-Fi packet drop or a router glitch.
Error 279 (ID=17): "Failed to connect to the Game..." The Cause: A handshake timeout. Your Windows Firewall or router is blocking Roblox from talking to the server, or your DNS is failing to resolve the address.
Error 267: "You have been kicked from the game..." The Cause: This is not a network error. A script written by the game developer intentionally kicked you.

Part 1: How to Fix Error Code 277 (The Connection Drop)

Error 277 happens when your computer and the Roblox server stop exchanging "heartbeat" packets. It’s a transport layer failure.

Instead of restarting your router five times, start by clearing out stale network data on your PC. Old routing tables can sometimes send your game traffic to the wrong place.

The Fix: Reset your network stack

Click the Start menu, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator.
Type the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:

   ipconfig /flushdns
   netsh int ip reset
   netsh winsock reset

Restart your computer and try joining the game again.

If you’re on Wi-Fi, also try moving closer to your router or switching to a wired Ethernet connection. Wi-Fi is notorious for micro-drops that trigger this exact error.

Part 2: How to Fix Error Code 279 (The Firewall Block)

Error 279 (often accompanied by ID=17) means your game client is trying to connect, but something is standing in the way. Nine times out of ten, that something is Windows Defender Firewall.

When Roblox updates, the firewall sometimes treats the new executable file as an unknown threat and blocks its outgoing connections.

The Fix: Allow Roblox through the Firewall

Press the Windows key, type Windows Defender Firewall, and open it.
On the left sidebar, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
Click the Change settings button at the top (you may need admin rights).
Scroll down the list and look for Roblox or Roblox Player.
Make sure the checkboxes for both Private and Public are ticked.
Click OK and restart Roblox.

Note: If you use a third-party antivirus (like Norton or McAfee), you will need to find the firewall settings within that specific app and add Roblox to its exception list.

Part 3: How to Fix Error Code 267 (The Script Kick)

This is the most misunderstood error. Error 267 is not your internet’s fault. It means the game’s code actively executed a player:Kick() command against your account.

To fix this, you have to read the fine print. Look at the secondary message right below the error code. It usually tells you exactly why you were kicked.

Common reasons for a 267 kick:

Account Age Restrictions: Many trading or competitive games automatically kick accounts that are less than 7, 30, or 60 days old to prevent botting and alt-account abuse. The only fix here is to wait until your account ages up.
Anti-Cheat False Positives: If your game suddenly lagged, froze, or you experienced a massive FPS drop, the server might have registered your character teleporting across the map. The anti-cheat script interprets this as "speed hacking" or "noclip" and kicks you. Fixing your Roblox FPS drops usually solves this.
VPN or Proxy Usage: Many developers use IP reputation tools that instantly kick players connecting from known commercial VPN data centers. If you’re using a VPN, turn it off and try again.

The Bottom Line

Troubleshooting is just process of elimination.

If you see 277, reset your network stack.

If you see 279, check your firewall.

If you see 267, read the kick message and check your account status or VPN.

Stop guessing and start targeting the actual root cause. It saves time, and it gets you back in the game a lot faster.

For more no-nonsense troubleshooting guides, performance tweaks, and networking tips, check out the rest of the guides on the KocakZ Blog.

How to Actually Fix Roblox FPS Drops on PC

Tzukizy — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:15:18 +0000

You're having a great run in Roblox. The frame rate is smooth, everything is clicking, and then it happens: you walk into a crowded hub, turn the camera, or trigger a few particle effects, and suddenly your game turns into a slideshow.

It's incredibly frustrating. But before you start randomly toggling every graphics setting in sight or blaming your hardware, take a breath.

"Low FPS" doesn't automatically mean your PC is obsolete. Roblox is a unique engine, and performance can be bottlenecked by your CPU, GPU, RAM, thermals, background apps, or even just how a specific game developer coded their map.

Let's figure out what's actually happening so you can fix it properly.

Step 1: Diagnose, Don't Guess

Not all "lag" is created equal. Before tweaking any settings, you need to identify what you're actually dealing with. Are you experiencing:

A consistently low frame rate?
Sudden, violent stuttering or micro-freezes?
Unstable frame pacing?
Network lag masquerading as a performance issue?

These issues have completely different root causes. For example, if your FPS counter says 100, but the game freezes for a split second every few minutes, cranking up the max FPS limit won't fix it. Similarly, if your character is rubber-banding across the map, lowering your graphics quality won't magically repair your Wi-Fi connection.

Step 2: Establish a Baseline

Go to the exact spot in the game where the lag usually happens. Open Windows Task Manager or your GPU's performance overlay (like MSI Afterburner or Nvidia GeForce Experience).

Keep an eye on a few key metrics:

GPU and CPU utilization
RAM usage
CPU and GPU temperatures

You're looking for one specific answer: What resource hits its limit right when the game stutters? Knowing what is struggling is infinitely more useful than just knowing that the game is struggling.

Step 3: The GPU Bottleneck (Usage near 100%)

If your GPU is maxed out while your FPS is low, it's your rendering bottleneck. The fix here is straightforward. Open the in-game Roblox menu, go to Settings, switch Graphics Mode to Manual, and lower the quality slider.

Don't just slam it to 1 immediately. Drop it a notch or two, test it, and see how the GPU usage responds. If your FPS jumps up and the stuttering stops, you've found the culprit.

Step 4: The Sneaky CPU Bottleneck

This is where things get tricky. Your GPU usage might be sitting at a lazy 40%, but your FPS is still in the gutter.

Roblox is notoriously dependent on CPU performance, especially in experiences packed with complex scripts, physics calculations, NPCs, or massive maps. Here's the catch: your overall CPU usage might look perfectly fine (say, 45%), but Roblox might be maxing out a single core (100%) while the others chill. If one core is choked, the whole game chokes, leaving your GPU waiting for instructions.

Step 5: The "Is It Just This Game?" Test

Don't blame your PC just yet. Load up a few different Roblox experiences.

If a simple obby runs at a buttery 120 FPS, but a massive, unoptimized RPG drops to 40 FPS, your hardware is fine. The issue is likely poor optimization in that specific game. No amount of Windows tweaking or driver updating will fix a badly coded map.

Step 6: Check the Usual Suspects

If the problem persists across multiple games, run through these quick checks:

Background Apps: Chrome tabs, Discord overlays, recording software, and RGB utilities eat up CPU cycles and RAM. Close what you don't need.
Power Settings: If you're on a laptop, plug it in. Windows aggressively throttles CPU and GPU performance on battery power. Desktop users should check their GPU control panel to ensure power management is set to "Prefer Maximum Performance."
Thermals: A hot PC is a slow PC. If your GPU or CPU hits 90°C+, it will throttle its clock speeds to prevent damage. Check your temps while the game is running, not while the PC is sitting idle.

Step 7: Don't Confuse Network Lag with FPS Drops

High ping feels exactly like low FPS. If your frame rate is a solid 120, but players are teleporting, actions feel delayed, and the server appears to freeze, you have a network problem, not a hardware one.

Don't waste time lowering graphics settings to fix a routing issue. If you're dealing with delayed inputs, packet loss, or high ping, I've put together a separate, deep-dive guide on how to reduce input lag and fix network issues in PC games.

Step 8: Chase Consistency, Not Just High Numbers

Chasing a high average FPS number is a trap. A game bouncing wildly between 60 and 120 FPS will feel much worse to play than a rock-solid, consistent 75 FPS.

Why? Frame times. A sudden spike in how long a single frame takes to render (a "hitch") is what your brain registers as stutter. Consistency is king. Aim for a frame rate your system can maintain smoothly, rather than an unstable peak.

Your Quick Diagnostic Checklist

Next time Roblox acts up, run through this mental checklist before panicking:

[ ] Does this happen in every Roblox experience, or just one?
[ ] Is my GPU or a single CPU core hitting 100% usage?
[ ] Are my temperatures spiking and causing clock speeds to drop?
[ ] Do I have heavy background apps or overlays running?
[ ] Is this actually a network/ping issue disguised as low FPS?

The Bottom Line

Fixing Roblox performance isn't about finding a magic "FPS boost" setting. It's about process of elimination. Measure the bottleneck first, then apply the targeted fix.

If your GPU is saturated, lower the rendering load. If your CPU is choking, close background tasks. If it's just one specific game, the developer's optimization is the real issue.

Once you stop guessing and start measuring, troubleshooting becomes a lot less stressful.

Looking for more ways to optimize your setup? The KocakZ Blog regularly publishes no-nonsense guides covering FPS optimization, input latency, ping reduction, and general PC gaming troubleshooting.