Disabling Firefox's 'Choose Your Own DNS' Feature on Windows with Cloudflare DNS

Disabling Firefox's Choose DNS Feature on Windows to Use Cloudflare's 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS

Firefox, the popular web browser, has a feature called "Choose DNS" that allows users to use a custom DNS server. This feature can be useful for accessing websites that are blocked by your ISP's DNS, or for using a DNS server that provides better performance or security. However, if you want to use a specific DNS server, such as Cloudflare's 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS, you may need to disable Firefox's Choose DNS feature.

Understanding DNS

DNS, or Domain Name System, is a system that translates domain names (such as www.example.com) into IP addresses (such as 192.0.2.0). When you type a domain name into your web browser, your computer sends a request to a DNS server to find the corresponding IP address. The DNS server then responds with the IP address, and your web browser is able to connect to the website.

By default, your computer uses the DNS servers provided by your ISP. However, you can change the DNS servers that your computer uses by changing the DNS settings in your connection or network adapter settings. This can be useful if you want to use a DNS server that provides better performance or security, or if you want to access websites that are blocked by your ISP's DNS.

Cloudflare's 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS

Cloudflare is a popular content delivery network (CDN) that provides fast and secure delivery of web content. Cloudflare also operates a public DNS service, which is available at the IP address 1.1.1.3. This DNS service is called the "Family" DNS because it filters out adult websites, making it a good choice for families or for anyone who wants to avoid adult content.

Disabling Firefox's Choose DNS Feature

To use a custom DNS server, such as Cloudflare's 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS, in Firefox, you need to disable the Choose DNS feature. Here's how:

1. Open Firefox and type about:config in the address bar. This will open the Firefox configuration settings.
2. Search for network.trr.mode. This is the setting that controls Firefox's Choose DNS feature.
3. Double-click on network.trr.mode to open the settings. Change the value to 0 to disable the Choose DNS feature.
4. Close the Firefox configuration settings and restart Firefox.

Configuring Your Computer to Use Cloudflare's 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS

Once you have disabled Firefox's Choose DNS feature, you can configure your computer to use Cloudflare's 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS. Here's how:

1. Open the Windows Control Panel and go to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click on Change adapter settings on the left-hand side of the window.
3. Right-click on the network adapter that you want to use and select Properties.
4. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
5. Select Use the following DNS server addresses: and enter 1.1.1.3 in the Preferred DNS server field and click Add.
6. Click OK to save the changes.

• Firefox's Choose DNS feature allows users to use a custom DNS server. However, if you want to use a specific DNS server, such as Cloudflare's 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS, you may need to disable the Choose DNS feature.
• DNS is a system that translates domain names into IP addresses. By default, your computer uses the DNS servers provided by your ISP. However, you can change the DNS servers that your computer uses by changing the DNS settings in your connection or network adapter settings.
• Cloudflare's 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS is a public DNS service that filters out adult websites. This makes it a good choice for families or for anyone who wants to avoid adult content.
• To use Cloudflare's 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS in Firefox, you need to disable the Choose DNS feature. You can then configure your computer to use the 1.1.1.3 "Family" DNS by changing the DNS settings in your connection or network adapter settings.

References

• DNS over HTTPS - MDN Web Docs
• 1.1.1.1 - Family
• How to Change Your DNS Server and Why You Might Want To - How-To Geek