Troubleshooting Ad-blocking

While our DNS Privacy service is designed to work seamlessly across most devices and networks, you may occasionally encounter issues. This guide will help you identify and resolve common problems.

Common Issues

Websites Not Loading or Displaying Incorrectly

If you encounter websites that don’t load properly or appear broken:

1. Try reducing your protection level:
   • Log in to your DNS Privacy dashboard
   • Navigate to the Protection section
   • Select a lower protection level (e.g., from Extreme to High, or from High to Medium)
   • Click Save Changes
   • Try accessing the problematic website again

DNS Resolution Not Working

If your device doesn’t seem to be using our DNS service:

1. Verify your IP address is registered:

   • Log in to your DNS Privacy dashboard
   • Check that your current IP appears in the Known IPs section
   • If not, click Add Current IP

2. Check your device configuration:

   • Review your device’s DNS settings to ensure they point to our DNS servers
   • Try using different DNS protocols (DoH, DoT, or DoQ) if available on your device

3. Test with a different network:

   • If possible, try connecting to a different network (e.g., mobile data instead of Wi-Fi)
   • This can help determine if the issue is network-specific

Ad Blocking Not Working

If you’re still seeing ads despite having enabled ad blocking:

1. Verify your protection level:

   • Check that you’ve selected an appropriate protection level (Low or higher)
   • Remember that “None” provides no ad blocking functionality

2. Clear your browser cache:

   • Advertisements may be cached from previous sessions
   • Clear your browser’s cache and reload the page

3. Check for browser extensions:

   • Some websites can bypass DNS-based blocking with certain techniques
   • Consider supplementing with a browser-based ad blocker for complete protection

Safe Search Not Working

If safe search enforcement isn’t working:

1. Verify Force Safe Search is enabled:

   • Check that the Force Safe Search toggle is turned on in your protection settings
   • Allow up to 15 minutes for changes to take effect

2. Try different search engines:

   • Our safe search enforcement works with major search engines, but some may handle it differently
   • Test with Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo

Device-Specific Issues

Mobile Devices

• Battery optimization: Ensure any DNS apps aren’t being restricted by battery optimization features
• VPN conflicts: If using a VPN, check if it’s overriding your DNS settings

Home Routers

• Cached DNS entries: Try rebooting your router to clear its DNS cache
• ISP DNS settings: Some ISPs force their DNS through DHCP; configure DNS directly on each device if necessary

Corporate Networks

• Network policies: Corporate networks may enforce their own DNS; check with your IT department
• VPN requirements: You may need to configure DNS privacy only when not on your corporate VPN

Protection Level Adjustment

If you’re experiencing issues with specific websites or services, adjusting your protection level is often the quickest solution:

Remember that reducing your protection level will result in more ads and trackers getting through.

Still Having Problems?

If you’ve tried the steps above and are still experiencing issues:

1. Check our status page: Visit dnsprivacy-status.org.uk to check if there are any known service disruptions
2. Check our Getting Help page: Visit Getting Help to see how to get support