DNS Leak Test.
Prevent DNS Leaks with a VPN connection.

There are actually four types of server involved in any sort of DNS query: DNS recursor, TLS nameserver, root nameserver, and authoritative nameserver. It's not strictly important how each of these work, but know that every one of them can potentially result in a DNS leak with a VPN.

When you try to go to a website and type in the URL, your computer will first go to a DNS server and ask it what IP address is connected to that name. The DNS server will check its records and tell your computer where to go to get the information you want.

The whole process takes 8 steps, but it happens almost instantaneously in most cases.

A DNS leak is when your default DNS server is unsecured, despite having access to a secure one. The Internet is wide open if you know how to look, and without an encrypted connection, anyone can watch your activity online.

A service like a VPN goes a long way toward preventing those types of issues by routing all traffic through a secure server. Sometimes your Internet provider might still try to make you use their DNS servers so they can continue to track you. That's why it's so important to use a no log VPN that will make sure you always access secure servers online.

A DNS leak test runs a query and sees what comes back. It's fairly simple to perform and doesn't take long.

What this test shows you is whether you are using secure DNS or not. If your query passes the test, the resulting information should not show your actual ISP or IP. If the test does have your location, ISP, or other identifying information, your connection is vulnerable to spies online. A VPN could help improve your security and privacy by fixing this.

The easiest and most effective way to protect your device from a DNS leak is by using a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN guards you from leaks by making sure that your device never uses an unsecured DNS or one controlled by your ISP. Instead, a good VPN will have their own secure servers and use those rather than the default ones from your Internet provider.

On top of stopping DNS leaks, a VPN also offers a number of other benefits, including effective masking of your connection (IP address) so that you can't be identified online. And all of your data will be encrypted by the VPN during transit from one computer to another, that way you can be sure that nobody will be able to see your online activity, no matter what device you use.

In short, a VPN is the best way to prevent DNS leaks. Take our VPN leak test to get a better idea of whether you need DNS leak protection.

I don't think you'll be surprised to learn that we think the best free VPN for avoiding DNS leaks is PrivadoVPN. On top of using our own secure servers, we also offer the following benefits to our free users:

1. You get 10 GB of data for free every month. That's up to 5 times more than almost every VPN on the market. Your privacy is safer, longer.
2. Users can access VPN servers from around the world, so it's possible to set your location for the fastest possible speed and best security/privacy.
3. You'll be able to stream high quality content and use download services with a free VPN account.
4. Because we are committed to our users' privacy, PrivadoVPN doesn't ask for anything other than a verified email to sign up for VPN service.

PrivadoVPN can be used on several devices including your computers, cellphone, tablet, or TV. So long as you're using the VPN service, you can be confident in greater security and Internet privacy due to dns leak protection.