DNS Leak Test: How to Check if Your Browsing History Is Exposed

Every time you visit a website, your device looks up its address through DNS. Whoever answers those lookups sees a list of the sites you visit. A DNS leak is when those lookups go to your internet provider, even though you think a VPN is handling them.

What DNS reveals

• The names of the sites you visit, such as example-bank.com, though not the specific pages.
• When you visit them, and from which network.
• Apps and devices that contact servers in the background.

Normal DNS lookups aren't encrypted, so your internet provider, or the operator of a public Wi-Fi network, can see and log them.

Run a DNS leak test

1. Connect to your VPN, if you use one.
2. Open a DNS leak test site, such as dnsleaktest.com (use the extended test) or browserleaks.com/dns.
3. Look at the list of DNS servers and who runs them.

Reading the results

• Servers belonging to your VPN provider: no leak.
• Servers belonging to your internet provider while the VPN is on: a leak. Your provider can see your lookups.
• A public DNS service you chose, such as Cloudflare or Google: your lookups go there instead of your VPN. That may be fine if the connection is encrypted, but it isn't what most VPN users expect.

Fix a leak with a VPN

• Turn on your VPN's DNS leak protection or "use VPN DNS" setting.
• Turn on its kill switch, so nothing goes out if the VPN drops. See kill switches explained.
• Check for IPv6 leaks too, which often come with DNS leaks. See IPv4 vs IPv6 leaks.
• Retest after updates and on new networks.

Without a VPN: encrypt your DNS

In Chrome, go to Settings → Privacy and security → Security and turn on Use secure DNS, choosing a provider. Your lookups are then encrypted, so your network can't read them. Your provider can still see which servers you connect to, but not the lookup list.

Windows 11 can also encrypt DNS for the whole system in its network settings, covering apps as well as the browser.

Other leaks that expose you

DNS isn't the only leak. Chrome's WebRTC feature can reveal your real IP address to sites even with a VPN on. WebRTC Privacy Shield closes that gap. For a full checklist, see free VPN leak tests and DNS leak testing in Chrome.