Configure Secure DNS (DoH) on Chrome with CleanBrowsing

Step 1: What Is Secure DNS (DoH)?

DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) encrypts your DNS queries so they cannot be seen or modified by anyone between your browser and the DNS resolver. Normally, DNS queries are sent in plain text, which means your ISP or anyone on the network can see which websites you are visiting.

By configuring Chrome's Secure DNS to use CleanBrowsing's DoH endpoint, you get:

• Encrypted DNS queries — prevents ISP snooping and man-in-the-middle attacks
• Content filtering — CleanBrowsing still filters domains based on your chosen filter level
• Per-browser configuration — useful when you cannot change DNS at the router or OS level

Step 2: Open Chrome Security Settings

Navigate to Chrome's security settings using one of these methods:

Method 1 (Direct URL):

1. Open Google Chrome
2. Type chrome://settings/security in the address bar and press Enter

Method 2 (Menu navigation):

1. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome
2. Click Settings
3. Click Privacy and security in the left sidebar
4. Click Security

Step 3: Enable Secure DNS

On the Security settings page:

1. Scroll down to the "Use secure DNS" section (under the "Advanced" heading)
2. Toggle the "Use secure DNS" switch to On (if it is not already enabled)

By default, Chrome may be set to use your current service provider's DNS. You need to change this to a custom provider in the next step.

Step 4: Select Custom Provider

Once Secure DNS is enabled, you will see two options:

• With your current service provider — uses your ISP's DNS (if it supports DoH)
• With Custom — allows you to specify a DoH provider

Select "With Custom" to enter CleanBrowsing's DoH URL.

Step 5: Enter the CleanBrowsing DoH URL

In the custom DNS input field, paste the CleanBrowsing DoH URL for your desired filter level:

Family Filter (blocks adult content, malware, and mixed content):

https://doh.cleanbrowsing.org/doh/family-filter

The setting is saved automatically — there is no save button. Simply paste the URL and navigate away from the settings page.

Paid plan users: You can find your personalized DoH URL (which includes your custom filter settings) in your CleanBrowsing dashboard under Settings → Network.

Step 6: Available CleanBrowsing DoH Endpoints

CleanBrowsing offers three free DoH filter endpoints:

CleanBrowsing also supports DNS-over-TLS (DoT) with these hostnames:

• Family Filter: family-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org
• Adult Filter: adult-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org
• Security Filter: security-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org

Step 7: Verify the Configuration

After configuring Secure DNS, verify it is working:

1. Close and reopen all Chrome tabs (or restart Chrome)
2. Visit cleanbrowsing.org/dns-check to see which DNS resolver Chrome is using
3. Try visiting a domain that should be blocked by your chosen filter level — you should see a block page
4. You can also check by visiting chrome://net-internals/#dns and clearing the host resolver cache, then testing again

If it is not working:

• Make sure the DoH URL is entered correctly with no extra spaces
• Check that no browser extension or VPN is overriding DNS settings
• Try disabling and re-enabling the Secure DNS toggle
• If a Group Policy is managing DNS settings, the Secure DNS option may be greyed out — see our Harden Chrome guide for enterprise configuration