Set up AdGuard DNS on Android

AdGuard DNS on Android: the short answer

To set up AdGuard DNS on Android, open the Private DNS setting, choose Private DNS provider hostname, type dns.adguard-dns.com, and tap Save. You do not need to install an app for this. Then open AdGuard's test page on the phone to confirm that it works. To undo the change, go back to the same screen and choose Automatic.

DNS (domain name system) is the service that turns a name such as example.com into an IP address. If that is new to you, read what DNS is and how a lookup works first. AdGuard DNS is a public DNS service that blocks ads and trackers at the network level. Your phone sends its lookups to AdGuard, and AdGuard blocks the names on its lists.

Android's setting for this is called Private DNS. It sends lookups over DNS-over-TLS (DoT), which is DNS inside an encrypted connection. For more background, see what Private DNS does on a phone.

Which AdGuard DNS hostname should you enter?

AdGuard lists three public DoT servers on its public DNS page. We checked them on 4 November 2026. Pick one:

• dns.adguard-dns.com is the default server. It blocks ads, trackers and phishing. Most readers want this one.
• family.adguard-dns.com is Family protection. It adds adult-site blocking and Safe Search, which AdGuard applies where possible.
• unfiltered.adguard-dns.com is Non-filtering. AdGuard says it "will not block ads, trackers, or any other DNS requests". Use it only if you want AdGuard as your resolver with no blocking.

AdGuard writes these addresses with a prefix, for example tls://dns.adguard-dns.com. The prefix names the protocol. Android labels its field Private DNS provider hostname, so it asks for the hostname. Neither AdGuard nor Google states this as a rule, but that is the plain reading of the label: type dns.adguard-dns.com, with no tls:// in front of it.

AdGuard also publishes DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) URLs and plain IP addresses. Do not use them here. AdGuard's Android page says "Android devices only support DNS-over-TLS protocol", so the hostname is the form that fits this field.

Set up Private DNS on stock Android and Pixel

These steps come from Google's Pixel help page:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Network & internet.
3. Tap Private DNS.
4. Choose Private DNS provider hostname.
5. Type dns.adguard-dns.com.
6. Tap Save.

The screen has three options: Off, Automatic and Private DNS provider hostname.

AdGuard's own page gives a slightly different path: Settings, Network & Internet (or Wi-Fi & Internet), Advanced, Private DNS. Google's page has no Advanced step. The path varies with the Android version, so if you see Advanced, tap it and continue.

Set up Private DNS on a Samsung Galaxy

Samsung puts the setting under Connections. These steps come from Samsung's support page:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Connections.
3. Tap More connection settings.
4. Tap Private DNS.
5. Select the option that lets you type a hostname, and type dns.adguard-dns.com.
6. Tap Save.

Samsung's page says only "Select one of the available options". It does not name those options, so the labels on your phone may differ from the stock Android labels above.

Where is Private DNS on other Android phones?

Other manufacturers can put the setting in a different menu, and we have not checked each brand. The fast method is search: open Settings, tap the search box, and type Private DNS. Google gives the same advice. If the search finds nothing, Google says to ask your device manufacturer for help.

How to check that AdGuard DNS is working

AdGuard publishes a diagnostics page at adguard.com/test.html. It is the "AdGuard diagnostics" link in the footer of the AdGuard DNS site.

1. Open https://adguard.com/test.html in a browser on the phone, before you change the setting.
2. Note what the page shows.
3. Save the hostname in Private DNS.
4. Return to the page and tap Check again.

A healthy result shows AdGuard DNS with the status running. The page gives no other pass or fail rule, so read the status labels and compare them with your first result.

You may also see a warning such as AdGuard DNS can't recognize your device and apply device-specific rules. The wording may differ on your phone. This line is about device-specific rules, and the public hostname has no device ID in it. Check the status label first.

If websites stop loading after you tap Save, look for a typing mistake in the hostname. Then choose Automatic and tap Save. If sites load again, the setting was the cause, so enter the hostname again with care.

How to turn AdGuard DNS off

Open the same Private DNS screen, choose Automatic, and tap Save. On a Samsung phone, use the same path as above and select an option other than the hostname option.

Off also removes AdGuard, but Automatic is the better choice for most people, because Google says "We recommend keeping Private DNS turned on". Automatic uses no custom hostname, so AdGuard is gone from the setting either way. If you want to compare the two modes, read whether Private DNS mode should be on or off.

Run the test page again after the change, and compare the status with your earlier result.

What does DNS blocking not stop?

A DNS server sees a request for a name. It does not see the page, and it cannot edit the page. That one fact explains most of the limits, and AdGuard states them in its DNS filtering guide.

Ads served from the same domain as the content. DNS blocks by name, so it blocks a whole domain. If one domain delivers both the ad and the content you want, blocking the ad also blocks the content. AdGuard says many complicated ads "can't be blocked on DNS-level (or rather, they can, but only by blocking the entire domains which are being used for other purposes)". So some ads will still appear.

Empty space on the page. AdGuard says DNS filtering "doesn't remove whitespace left behind a blocked ad or apply any sorts of cosmetic filtering". You may see a blank box where the ad was. This is normal.

Knowing which app asked. AdGuard says "It's not possible to know the origin of a DNS request". The filter cannot treat one app differently from another.

Traffic other than DNS. Google says "Private DNS helps secure only DNS questions and answers. It can't protect anything else." The rest of your traffic gets no extra protection from this setting.

AdGuard presents its Ad Blocker app as the more precise option, and it recommends using DNS filtering alongside network filtering rather than instead of it. Expect this setup to remove many ads, but not all of them.

What happens when a VPN app is active?

We cannot give you a firm rule here. We found no Google or Android page that says what happens to Private DNS while a VPN (virtual private network) app is running. Android's developer documentation for VPN apps says "If none is set, the DNS servers of the default network will be used", but that sentence does not mention Private DNS. AdGuard also warns that "Not all VPN services support encrypted DNS", in a passage about its own VPN and app.

So test your own phone:

1. Turn the VPN off and open the test page.
2. Note the status.
3. Turn the VPN on and tap Check again.
4. Compare the two results.

If AdGuard DNS stops showing as running while the VPN is on, open the DNS setting in your VPN app. If you run your own VPN, the resolver is your choice: a self-hosted WireGuard VPN sets it with the DNS = line in the client config, and fixing DNS over WireGuard covers what to check when names stop resolving.

What if you need exceptions or more control?

The public hostname gives you a fixed filter. AdGuard says that with public DNS you "have little control over it and can't see what and where it's blocking". If a site you need is blocked, the quick fix is to switch to unfiltered.adguard-dns.com or back to Automatic.

For exceptions, AdGuard says: "To add certain domains to exclusions, go to the profile constructor to create a personal link." The link is on the public DNS page, and AdGuard ties that tool to iOS and macOS. On Android, AdGuard's page uses a personal address from an AdGuard DNS account instead, in the form {Your_Device_ID}.d.adguard-dns.com.

If you want your own block lists and logs, you can run the filter yourself. Start with the difference between AdGuard DNS and AdGuard Home, then compare Pi-hole and AdGuard Home. A DNS filter also fits well with the other services in what to self-host in 2026.

FAQ

What hostname do I enter for AdGuard DNS on Android?

Enter dns.adguard-dns.com in the Private DNS provider hostname field. This is AdGuard's default server, which blocks ads, trackers and phishing. For Family protection, use family.adguard-dns.com. For no blocking, use unfiltered.adguard-dns.com. Do not type the tls:// prefix that AdGuard shows on its page, because the field asks for a hostname.

Does AdGuard DNS on Android work on both Wi-Fi and mobile data?

Google says "your device uses Private DNS with all networks that can use Private DNS". That sentence does not promise that every network can use it. To be sure, open https://adguard.com/test.html once on Wi-Fi and once on mobile data, and compare the status on each.

Why do I still see ads with AdGuard DNS?

DNS blocking works on whole domains. If an ad comes from the same domain as the content, the filter cannot block the ad without also blocking the content. DNS filtering also does not remove the blank space left by a blocked ad. For more complete blocking, AdGuard points to its Ad Blocker app.

How do I remove AdGuard DNS from my Android phone?

Open Settings, go to the Private DNS screen, choose Automatic, and tap Save. On stock Android the path is Settings, Network & internet, Private DNS. On a Samsung Galaxy it is Settings, Connections, More connection settings, Private DNS. Google recommends keeping Private DNS on, so choose Automatic rather than Off.

Does AdGuard DNS still work when a VPN is on?

Google's Private DNS help page does not say, so do not assume either result. Open https://adguard.com/test.html with the VPN off, then turn the VPN on and tap Check again. If the status changes, check the DNS setting in your VPN app.