How to block ads on Windows · Seawall
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Setup guide · Windows 11 and 10

How to block ads on Windows

Windows 11 can send DNS over an encrypted connection to a server you choose. Point it to Seawall and ads stop loading in browsers and apps on the computer, with nothing to install.

  • About a minute
  • No app to install
  • Wi-Fi and Ethernet

In short

Open Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi › Hardware properties, click Edit next to DNS server assignment, choose Manual and enter your Seawall DNS address and template.

  1. Settings
  2. Network & internet
  3. Wi-Fi
  4. Hardware properties
Get your Seawall address

Block ads on Windows 11 with DNS over HTTPS

On Windows 10 the steps are different: see the question about Windows 10 below.

  1. Get your Seawall details

    In your Seawall account, open your computer and copy two things: the DNS address and your personal DNS over HTTPS template.

    Seawall DNS address

    192.0.2.53

    DNS over HTTPS template

    https://dns.seawalldns.com/dns-query/example

    These are examples. Yours appear after you sign up. Get yours

  2. Open DNS settings

    Go to Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi › Hardware properties. On a wired connection, open Ethernet instead. Next to DNS server assignment, click Edit.

    1. Settings
    2. Network & internet
    3. Wi-Fi
    4. Hardware properties

  3. Choose Manual and turn on IPv4

    Choose Manual, turn on IPv4 and type the Seawall DNS address into Preferred DNS.

  4. Turn on DNS over HTTPS

    Set DNS over HTTPS to On (manual template), paste your Seawall template and leave Fallback to plaintext off. Click Save.

  5. Check that it works

    Open the ad blocker test in your browser. All 24 addresses should show “blocked”.

    Run the ad blocker test
Edit DNS settings in Windows 11, illustration

Where to find DNS settings on Windows

Menu names can differ slightly between Windows updates. In a browser, type “DNS” into the search box of its settings.

What you needWhere it is
DNS for Wi-Fi, Windows 11
  1. Settings
  2. Network & internet
  3. Wi-Fi
  4. Hardware properties
DNS for a cable connection, Windows 11
  1. Settings
  2. Network & internet
  3. Ethernet
DNS on Windows 10
  1. Control Panel
  2. Network and Sharing Center
  3. Change adapter settings
Secure DNS in Chrome
  1. Settings
  2. Privacy and security
  3. Security
  4. Use secure DNS
Secure DNS in Edge
  1. Settings
  2. Privacy, search, and services
  3. Security
  4. Use secure DNS
DNS over HTTPS in Firefox
  1. Settings
  2. Privacy & Security
  3. DNS over HTTPS

Seawall works in every browser that uses the Windows DNS settings. A browser with its own secure DNS set to another provider skips them.

If something doesn’t work

Ads still show in one browser

The browser uses its own secure DNS with another provider. In Chrome, set Use secure DNS to OS default (when available); in Edge, to your current service provider. In Firefox, open Settings › Privacy & Security › DNS over HTTPS and choose Off, or choose a custom provider and paste your Seawall template.

Ads show in every browser

Your network may also give out DNS over IPv6. Turn on IPv6 in the same Edit DNS settings window and enter the Seawall IPv6 addresses from your account.

Pop-ups in the corner of the screen

These are notifications from sites you once allowed. In Chrome, open Settings › Privacy and security › Site settings › Notifications and remove sites you don’t know. In Edge, it’s Settings › Cookies and site permissions › Notifications.

Ads built into Windows

Suggestions in the Start menu and on the lock screen come from Windows itself. Turn them off in Settings › Personalization › Start and › Lock screen, and in Settings › Privacy & security › General.

Ads in YouTube, Facebook or Instagram

These apps serve ads from the same servers as their videos and posts, so DNS can’t tell them apart. Seawall blocks the ad networks that other apps, games and websites use.

A site or app stopped working

Add it to your allow list in your Seawall account or pause protection for 10 minutes.

Windows ad blocking questions

Do I need an ad blocker app for Windows?

No. Windows 11 has DNS over HTTPS built into its network settings, so there’s nothing to install, and Seawall covers browsers and apps that use the Windows DNS settings.

Does it work on Windows 10?

Yes, without encryption: Windows 10 has no DNS over HTTPS in its settings. Enter both Seawall DNS addresses in Control Panel › Network and Sharing Center › Change adapter settings › your connection › Properties › Internet Protocol Version 4, then link your network in your Seawall account. This works on the networks you link, such as your home. You can also set Seawall on your router.

Does it work in Chrome, Edge and Firefox?

Yes, as long as the browser uses the Windows DNS settings. If a browser has its own secure DNS turned on with another provider, switch it to the operating system default or to your Seawall template.

Does it work when my laptop is on another network?

Yes. Set Seawall for Wi-Fi, and for Ethernet too if you use a cable. With your personal template, Seawall recognizes your laptop on any network.

Will it slow down my computer?

No. A DNS lookup takes milliseconds, and pages without ads load faster.

How do I turn it off?

Open Edit DNS settings again and choose Automatic (DHCP). To let everything through for a moment instead, pause protection for 10 minutes in your account.

Set up your other devices

Get your Seawall address

Then follow the steps above. It takes about a minute.

Try it freeRun the ad blocker test