How to Prevent DNS Leaks
You're connected to a VPN, so your browsing should be private. But there's a catch most people miss: your DNS queries might still be leaking to your internet provider, completely bypassing the VPN tunnel. This is called a DNS leak, and it's more common than you'd think.
What is a DNS leak?
Every time you type a website address into your browser, your device sends a DNS (Domain Name System) request to translate that domain name into an IP address. When a VPN is working properly, these DNS requests go through the VPN's own DNS servers. But sometimes they don't. They slip out through your ISP's default DNS servers instead. That's a DNS leak.
The result? Your ISP can see exactly which websites you're visiting, even though the rest of your traffic is encrypted. The VPN is doing its job on one front while DNS requests quietly go out the back door.
Why DNS leaks matter
A DNS leak defeats the main purpose of using a VPN. Your ISP, and potentially your government, can log every domain you visit. In countries with heavy internet surveillance like China, Russia, or the UAE, this isn't a theoretical risk. People have faced consequences for accessing blocked content, and DNS logs are one of the easiest things for authorities to monitor.
Even in countries with less censorship, ISPs routinely collect and sell browsing data. If your DNS is leaking, that data includes yours.
How to test for DNS leaks
Testing takes about 30 seconds:
- Connect to your VPN.
- Go to dnsleaktest.com.
- Run the "Extended Test".
- Check the results. If you see DNS servers from your own country or ISP listed, you have a DNS leak.
You should only see DNS servers that belong to your VPN provider or are located in the country you're connected to. Anything else means your DNS requests are going somewhere they shouldn't.
A real test: Tegant VPN's XRay protocol from a restricted country
We ran this test ourselves from a country with heavy internet filtering, connected to Tegant's XRay server in London. The results showed only UK-based DNS servers. No local DNS servers appeared at all, which means every DNS request was going through the encrypted tunnel.
This is what a clean result looks like. If your test shows something different, your VPN has a DNS leak problem.
How to prevent DNS leaks
1. Use a VPN that handles DNS internally
The most reliable fix is using a VPN that routes DNS queries through its own servers by default. Not all VPNs do this well. Tegant VPN handles DNS within both its WireGuard and XRay protocols, so DNS requests never touch your ISP's servers.
2. Test after every connection
DNS leaks can appear inconsistently. Your VPN might work fine on your home WiFi but leak DNS on a hotel network. Run a quick test at dnsleaktest.com or ipleak.net whenever you connect from a new network.
3. Avoid manual DNS settings
If you've manually configured DNS servers on your device (like Google's 8.8.8.8 or Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1), those settings can override your VPN's DNS. Unless you specifically need a custom DNS setup, let your VPN handle it.
4. Keep your VPN app updated
DNS leak bugs do get patched. If you're running an outdated version of your VPN app, you might be exposed to a leak that was fixed months ago.
Why DNS leaks happen in the first place
Most DNS leaks come down to how your operating system handles DNS resolution. Windows is particularly prone to this because it can send DNS queries through multiple network interfaces simultaneously. Even with a VPN active, Windows might send a duplicate DNS request through your regular connection.
Other common causes include IPv6 traffic that bypasses the VPN tunnel, and "smart multi-homed name resolution" on Windows 10 and 11, which sends DNS requests to all available interfaces to see which responds fastest. Your VPN might win the race for your web traffic but lose it for DNS.
How Tegant VPN prevents DNS leaks
Tegant routes all DNS queries through the VPN tunnel on both WireGuard and XRay protocols. There's no split-path where DNS can escape. We also enforce a strict no-logs policy, so even the DNS queries that do pass through our servers aren't recorded or stored anywhere.
If you're in a country where DNS monitoring is a real concern, the XRay protocol adds another layer: it disguises VPN traffic as normal HTTPS traffic, making it harder for network filters to identify and block the connection in the first place.
Stop DNS leaks for good
Tegant VPN prevents DNS leaks on both WireGuard and XRay protocols. No configuration needed. Learn more or download the app below.