The ULTIMATE Guide to Mastering NextDNS!

NextDNS is an insanely powerful privacy and security tool allowing you to reclaim control across various devices via DNS. In this guide/tutorial, I will be explaining what NextDNS is and how it differs from most other DNS providers, all the settings offered, some of my suggested use-cases, blocklist recommendations, set-up, and many other things so you can feel confident using NextDNS. Enjoy!
➡️ NextDNS Kickback Link: nextdns.io/?from=5v4be7mt
➡️ NextDNS Standard Link: nextdns.io/
References:
Techlore NextDNS/VPN Video 1: • FINALLY! The VPN Confi...
Techlore NextDNS/VPN Video 2: • My Even DEEPER Dive in...
NextDNS GitHub Guide: github.com/yokoffing/NextDNS-...
Techlore Forum Thread for More Help: discuss.techlore.tech/t/the-u...
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00:00 Introduction
00:44 What is NextDNS, why it's unique, what it does
02:48 Security Tab
11:52 Privacy Tab
15:48 Blocklists
22:20 'Parental' Controls Tab
26:38 Deny/Allowlist
28:30 Analytics and Logs
29:26 Settings Tab
32:18 Linking NextDNS To Devices
37:04 Written NextDNS Guide & Other Notes on NextDNS
38:52 Final Words on NextDNS and Conclusion
#techlore #nextDNS #privacy

[@techlore]

*If you enjoyed this long guide and the work that went into it, please consider supporting Techlore on Patreon to keep this content going for free for everyone:* patreon.com/techlore If you have more questions or need any further assistance I'll have a forum thread open for you all: discuss.techlore.tech/t/the-ultimate-guide-to-mastering-nextdns/4564 Note: The author of the GitHub guide I referenced had a few extra things to mention relating to this guide: github.com/techlore/channel-content/issues/43

[@privatechannel1272]

Could you do a tutorial for Crowdsec and how to install, configure and use it on Windows And btw thank you for this video, it really helped me use NextDNS 👍

[@hagezi]

Thank you for the recommendation and feedback. I have nothing to add, great guide! If I can do anything, just let me know.

[@chrrynobaka]

Been using NextDNS for about 3 years now and already have it configured the way I need it, but this is a very nice refresher for many of the options! Great video, Techlore Team!

[@techlore]

Aw thanks so much! I'm jealous you've used it for so long :P I'm late to the party

[@brandonrichuski7759]

Is it noob friendly, I personally use all the best settings you can an only extension is Ublock Origin on medium (That extension is always a learning process and still learning new things every day) and Cookie AutoDelete 3.8.2 (Plan on deleting but only reason I keep it is I have this bug that Hulu just will not let me log in so my browser has no chance of deleting cookies but eventually have no choice to close because of updates. Theres no fix to this bug it just happens to random devices. Anyway have it on strict and all the settings in video delete history, cookies etc but still have it on https because I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to DNS let alone NextDNS. In other video he uses a custom server which he leaves a link to an in this recent video I guess He's saying NextDNS is better stable option either way I'd be fine just being with one that works an does what it is suppose to do decently. Also does it matter if your router isn't set up with DNS if thats a thing an you just have DNS on a computer thats just on the wifi?

[@jlondon8125]

Your guides are awesome btw.... Weird scenario but got in to a very toxic relationship where the person literally started tracking my life. Your guides have been a life saver. Thanks for putting this content out there. It's been a real life saver for me.

[@uChat619]

Henry, I was looking for this video for a long time. Thank you for making it.

[@bluorca]

Thanks to this channel, I have been using NextDNS for 6 months. I absolutely love it! Thank you, Techlore team!!

[@namelessuser666]

What a great video. I subscribed to nextdns a couple of months ago and it's a really great service. I have 2 small kids and it's a great way to see if they keep up with what they tell us. Lol. Thanks for your videos, Henry. They're very informative. Greetings from Portugal

[@llpolluxll]

This is awesome! I didn't realize all of the features that was offered by NextDNS and I feel like I need to try it out now.

[@hippiecollects]

NextDNS is amazing I don’t know why more privacy folks talk about it. Great video techlore

[@Syxnn]

I’ve been getting into getting into a safer browsing experience and this guide helped tons! Great job tech-lore team.

[@DrCSagan]

Appreciate the detailed overview! As someone new to the world utilizing online/network privacy tools, I'd be interested in a overview of conflicting programs, platforms, & security features. E.g., what commonly used software, security features, & settings may interact and degrade my experience with NextDNS (or other security/privacy tools)? It took me a while to wrap my head around why connecting to my employer's vpn while utilizing my own was counterproductive. Also, why using both a DNS resolver and a VPN was problematic. Maybe anything more than a high-level overview would be difficult to tackle, but comprehending the potential conflicts before they arise may help a lot of us non-gurus save time and troubleshooting.

[@wdotme]

Been using it on an old mobile device and now on the newest one it's been almost a year. There is also a setting mode on the PC that can use one setting from the same account. It is really interesting and fun to see what goes in and out and control/regulate what is and isn't allowed, with a little effort and figuring it out. That's like elevating the privileges of managing your own device to a few more and more degrees.

[@keithfrasier]

Just started using NextDNS a couple days ago and am really impressed with all the features. 10 times more than OpenDns which is still pretty good. Thanks for a detailed review!

[@rbq426]

You were definitely made this❤great explaining

[@leer8672]

Great video :) i would love to see a video on Blocklist

[@Salim-px8bm]

Great video & breakdown appreciate your work always 😀

[@smol_wolf]

Thank you for the comprehensive and very clear guide.

[@thesobercoder]

Absolutely loved the video!

[@WereCatStudio]

Thanks a lot. I've already set up a "trial" account to give this a shot.

[@holyindian]

Thanks i was looking for Parental control options for home network wide setup, your video helped. Got the paid version for the year right away. And you know what, it works great!!!

[@ThinkGenius]

Great! As a NextDNS user this guides sound for me. 👍

[@ManleyWalker]

Incredibly helpful. Thank you! 👍

[@Phobos666]

I rarely comment but this video is a godsend. I never heard of NextDNS but this made my day. Thanks for this video.

[@techlore]

❤️

[@spidaxs1204]

This is a very good guide! Thanks! ❤

[@tasteofcremettv6716]

great video! love nextdns

[@redeyesdrogon786]

This was a great guide!

[@andreyyy18]

great material, thank you 🙂

[@Pinefenario]

Useful vid! Thanks.

[@mnageh-bo1mm]

Dude! This a GOD TIER VIDEO 🔥🔥

[@JSNOLEVIII]

Great video! Was hoping you'd go into Ndns router configuration a little bit, but otherwise thank you for the insight 👍🏼

[@softwelveone]

this would be great... I've done some research (on my router) it's a no-go... you'd have to go thru A LOT OF hoops to get it done... I'm talking about getting DNS over TLS, DNSSEC AD-Blocking etc...

[@gizzmoguy.]

Great Information!

[@bizar1270]

thanks for the guide!

[@jonathandagle6935]

Thanks!

[@jensumland]

**Really** love this video ❤ Did I hear it right, you have not enabled logs, right? Because in the video they are not disabled 🐱

[@Skyman12808]

Great Video Mr Henry I love your guides hope you can Make up For Adguard

[@Carittech]

I am a pi-hole user, looking at Next DNS given its capability for outside of the network features. Next DNS logging, is it granular like pi-hole , client names and site visited per client or will listed behind my public IP? Likewise am I able to create local DNS records and or ping by hostnames?

[@lukaswesely3502]

Hello, great video! Can you make that detailed video on web apps? And PWA's? You speak about them very often, but I couldnt find any guide how to install them and use them. Also how to customize settings for them. For example when I click install application in brave on instagram page, it works until I exit it, after I have to log in again because I have delete all data on exit option. I still think this is not PWA (progressive web app). Can you please make video on that topic so we can dive deeper into privacy matter? Btw, I started to want to really use web apps after we had conversation with my friend and that evening I had instagram full about topic we discussed... Thank you.

[@pr4efectus]

You can enable "Block Page" and this will show you what blacklist blocked the URL you want to visit. As simple as that. So it's actually recommended to add more than one.

[@zaluq]

Would you say i could reduce the webfiltering in sophos xg and do most of them with nextdns ?

[@tonya.2645]

Good video. Is it possible to use NextDNS on my kid's android phone to block certain sites for them only, no matter which WIFI or mobile network they're on, and not have them be able to change those settings themselves?

[@duser]

I just set up nextDNS on my phone and laptop. Unfortunately, my comcast router does not let me put my own dns but hey, its comcast.

[@DunOpondo]

Great video. Not all android devices support the id feature or inputting the DoH under private dns option coz it doesn't exist, a good example is android TV

[@IdkG7]

Where did you get the Monero tshirt?

[@zer0r00t]

Adding 'too many' lists on nextdns does not slow down browsing. The processing happens in their servers and cached on their servers

[@techlore]

I got mixed info on this. Where should I look to verify this? Exciting if true!

[@zer0r00t]

@@techlore You can test it yourself. That info apply to browser extensions like ublock origin. The lists have to be cached (in RAM) and processed locally in the browser hence that specific browser becomes slow(er). But if you run something like AdGuard Home (simulates nextdns) on another device and set the browser's DNS to that (with no extension in the browser), that processing and caching happens there. The browser then only either receives a valid DNS answer (allowed or not blocked) or NXDOMAIN (blocked). To the browser, that is the truth and it's unaware of any filtering

[@techlore]

@@zer0r00t Will do some testing then, thanks for the info!

[@santiagom1210]

How could I implement NextDNS in a company that already has a domain controller and active directory. Correct me if I'm wrong but the focus of this video is more for personal use?

[@desaidevang]

Apple AirPlay cast over WiFi to Samsung TV stop working with NextDNS, how to fix it?

[@stasis_]

What do you think is better in terms of privacy: using Ndns or something local like portmaster?

[@techlore]

They offer different benefits, I use both OS firewalls like Portmaster AND NextDNS. I made a more thorough response to this here for anyone curious: discuss.techlore.tech/t/the-ultimate-guide-to-mastering-nextdns/4564/15

[@thisislilraskal]

Does it use up more system resources like ram, CPU etc for it to run at its best and be effective ?

[@lblitzer]

No, you use it as your DNS resolver and configure your privacy and security settings through their site.

[@Joesbeasty]

I.woah I could figure out how to allow whatever ads my local weather stations app use because having it blocked on my phone makes the video clips they post not play too. Doesn't do that with any other apps

[@tron111]

Currently using adguard dns which offers the same features. But having used nextdns in the past, I can say its an awesome service.

[@DealazonDaily]

Ok then my question is I am using AdGuard DNS and AdGuard Ad blocked premium which is best can you tell me please

[@Robot_420]

Do its protocols support encryption?

[@rlocone]

They seriously need to place a search function for all of those TLDs.

[@tcasex]

ctrl+f

[@rubysamachisuru5584]

Review Adguard DNS server in the next video!

[@BengaliAntiks]

I recommend it

[@justrightlizard]

I used NextDNS for a month and then I used ControlD for a month. I ended up sticking with NextDNS because of a few key features. But, ControlD is also very good and has some features NextDNS does not. They are both $2/month (with proxies, ControlD is $4/m). Overall, you can't go wrong with either one.

[@mahalordx]

The Device configuration in ControlD has really confused me. I was trying to create a Device specifically for VPN use, but I didn't know which operating system (Windows, Apple, etc.) to select during the configuration process. NextDNS is way simpler compared to that.

[@finalsak]

@@mahalordx Did you try selecting the actual OS you use?

[@finalsak]

Can you share these key features?

[@mahalordx]

@finalsak I was configuring the router, but ControlD didn't show me any option on how tp configure that. It didn't work, so I moved on to NextDNS. It was super easy there.

[@justrightlizard]

@@finalsak I never made a list but the two that come to mind are: 1. you can see detailed logs (each request) for up to 6 months. With controld, you can only see detailed logs for 24 hours. 2. Nextdns has the option to enable a blocked page. So when you go to a blocked domain, it will tell you it's blocked by nextdns and what filters blocked it. With controld you just see a generic content not loaded page.

[@savasral]

anyone share benefits of nextdns over adguard home - especially if one was able to host the latter in personal servers?

[@AcordHachi]

Kinda off topic, but that is some dope background music. First time i'm noticing. Does anyone know what it is?

[@techlore]

Kyle Preston - Paragon

[@AcordHachi]

Thank you! And of course it has an even more badass name (perfection, used usually in describing 100 carats or more dimonds and the biggest flawless diamond is also named Paragon).

[@wzzupp548]

21:17 source for the "slow down web traffic"?, and by how much, are we talking going from 5ms to 15ms per query?, I would be interested to see some real world data on this also We're assuming the service just puts them in an endless list one after the other, Imagine maybe it has a different method, like aggregating the domains into a single list, while removing duplicates It could even still create accurate logs as long as it created a records file at the same time when aggregating the lists into 1 As for the second issue, you already mentioned how to find out where the block came from using logs, or if you are sure the domain is safe, you would whitelist it yourself and be good to go

[@wzzupp548]

regarding how hard it was to track down issues with multilists, it was not hard at all, set logs to blocked only, run app having problem, watch for block, and either remove the offending blocklist (1hosts xtra) or add site to whitelist. Also during my testing, I noticed no speed difference vs a standrd dns. All of that being said, your 2 main problems with using multi list are no big deal at all, and the slower speed one was just incorrect

[@user-dy8uk1ot8h]

I noticed with block bypass methods turned off and do an adblock test I noticed that I get more ads compared to having it turned on. I personally turn it on and just whitelist my vpn provider.

[@The_work_grind]

There any new updates

[@jasonekratz]

With NextDNS having more blocklists doesn't cause more latency.

[@techlore]

Yep, another user corrected this as well-thanks for the correction!

[@jasonekratz]

@@techlore sorry not trying to be a dick. I didnt see the other comment. This was a great vid and much appreciated. Oddly saw this the day I discovered the Hagezi lists. Never really looked at the options Next provides as the list is...long...and as you point out many not updated.

[@fyzbit]

More blocklists doesn’t hinder performance

[@Parakeet-pk6dl]

Can I support you through a one time donation instead of a monthly subscription like Patreon?

[@techlore]

Of course, tons of options on the Techlore support page: techlore.tech/support

[@Parakeet-pk6dl]

Alright, great! Just donated $5 :)

[@techlore]

@@Parakeet-pk6dl Thanks so much!!

[@jondoe6608]

Blocking Dynamic DNS Host-names is kinda upsetting, duckdns has non malicious users like me. That option could be blocking lots of self hosted personal sites & blogs -_-

[@TheEliteRobloxian]

this video doesnt explain how to setup dynamic dns, ive been trying to fu=ind out how to use and i still doont know how

[@Davidhodges93]

I still have no idea how to connect to router

[@srjwari]

Learn.. You have access to the Internet so search and learn.

[@Davidhodges93]

Yea I spent hours and hours to learn not all routers can be connected to nextdns like mine for example

[@lato_o]

Android 13 support DoH only for famous DNS providers

[@wintrywind]

dayum i didn't know NextDNS was this customizable, i guess bye bye Adguard DNS.

[@ih_yt]

How you could make an ad for a service that’s located in the USA, follows US laws and, obviously, has a backdoor, like everything made in the USA (android, ios, whatsapp etc)

[@Fr_g]

1. Some people have different thread models. 2. Stock Android is opensource, how can it have a backdoor. 3. NextDNS isn't just for privacy but also security, so even if it isn't up to the ultra paranoid standards it can still help a lot.

[@ih_yt]

@@Fr_g 2. Android you have on your Pixel, Xiaomi, Huawei is not open source. Google Services are closed source. 3. How we can talk about security when software (likely) can have a backdoor, because it's closed source software for the usa?

[@Fr_g]

​@@ih_yt There are multiple opensource Android forks you can use. There is also zero proof NextDNS has a backdoor. If you don't want to use then don't, it's that easy

[@Mrigendra-B]

@@ih_yt You are on KZbin. Why do you comment here when it is from Google and ''obviously'' has a backdoor like everything made in USA?

[@bobbyjohnson116]

It has a GitHub github.com/nextdns so look all you want at code etc. Find that nasty backdoor!

[@secsett]

One thing you need to know is that nextdns servers are located in Russia

[@tairikuokami]

I did a little test with malicious/phishing links and NextDNS came first. What suprised me was that Quad9 came after Cloudflare. 10/10 - NextDNS . 05/10 - ControlID . 04/10 - Cloudflare . 02/10 - OpenDNS .00/10 - Quad9, CleanBrowsing, Adguard, DNS0. I am using it and I block all TLDs except like 10. I do not block ads, just tracking and GAFAM and it takes care of all. I have a separate profile for Windows/browsers - each dedicated to a single service like Google, Facebook, MS.

[@ultrasonico5709]

What about things like social media, betting, porn, piracy, etc? Do you think NextDNS would still come first in blocking these?

[@tairikuokami]

@@ultrasonico5709 NextDNS is definitelly the first, when it comes to blocking porn, it blocks even less known webpages, like e621 or atfbooru. Cloudflare was great, when they launched their family filter, but a week later they decimated it, because of the pressure from *** community. When blocking google, I have to allow google sometimes to be able to login because of googleapis and captcha. I have to make exceptions, because blocking scial, betting, etc works very well.

[@The_Dude_Abides117]

@@ultrasonico5709 Only if nipples are involved...

[@softwelveone]

@@ultrasonico5709 hey ultrasonico, I don't know about the other sites but I have teenage kids and block instagram, snapchat, WhatsApp & Facebook this is the only software I've used that does a thorough job of blocking ALL domains and subdomains...

[@gomutpinewalarandikabacha6749]

Abe ghochu dns start karna kon batayega Mera bap😑