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Guidelines 🔖

1. Prevent overblocking by utilizing the law of diminishing returns (e.g., using sane, quality blocklists; allowing most TLDs; etc.).
2. Pass the girlfriend test with few exceptions. These deviations are documented throughout the guide.

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Create your account

Sign up for NextDNS here!

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Security 👮‍♂️

Security settings protect your data from harm, theft, and unauthorized use.^{^why does this matter?}

Threat Intelligence Feeds ¹

Use Threat Intelligence Feeds

AI-Driven Threat Detection ¹

⚠️ This feature is still in beta and may cause false positives.

Enable AI-Driven Threat Detection

Google Safe Browsing ^{1 2 3 4}

💡 Unlike the version embedded in some browsers, this does not associate your public IP address to threats and does not allow bypassing the block.

Enable Google Safe Browsing

Cryptojacking Protection ¹

⚠️ If you use something other than the recommended blocklists, then you should leave this enabled.¹

Enable Cryptojacking Protection

DNS Rebinding Protection ^{1 2}

Enable DNS Rebinding Protection

IDN Homograph Attacks Protection ^{1 2}

Enable Homograph Attacks Protection

Typosquatting Protection ¹

Enable Typosquatting Protection

Domain Generation Algorithms (DGAs) Protection

Enable DGA Protection

Block Newly Registered Domains (NRDs) ¹

⚠️ Blocking NRDs may cause false positives occasionally. Be selective when adding NRDs to your allowlist; and, if you do, NEVER give sensitive information to a NRD. If you plan to set-and-forget your configuration, disable this setting.

Block Newly Registered Domains (NRDs)

Block Dynamic DNS Hostnames ^{1 2}

⚠️ This feature is still in beta and may cause false positives.

💡 If you are using Dynamic DNS (DDNS), this setting will not block the DDNS services' own website or their update API.

Enable Block Dynamic DNS Hostnames

Block Parked Domains ¹

Block Parked Domains

Block Top-Level Domains (TLDs) ^{1 2 3 4 5}

⚠️ Blocking TLDs may cause false positives since this feature blocks both site nagviations and subrequests. However, the entries below should allow for everyday browsing while offering protection against commonly abused TLDs since they have no known legitimate uses.

.bid
.cfd
.discount
.gdn
.loan
.loans
.ooo
.sbs

🛑 Below are additional TLDs you may block, but you may need to allowlist sites on occasion. If you plan to set-and-forget your configuration, skip this setting.

.fit
.surf
.cn
.monster
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.agency
.buzz
.cf
.ga
.gq
.ml
.pw
.ru
.tk
.top
.zone

📝 If you would rather block TLDs with an adblocker (e.g., easier to troubleshoot breakage), add the first two filterlists here.

Block Child Sexual Abuse Material

Block Child Sexual Abuse Material

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Privacy 🔒

Privacy features limit the amount of data that companies can collect about you. Privacy is a spectrum. What you need varies on your threat model, interest, and skillset.^{^why should I care? I have nothing to hide}

Blocklists ¹

Blocklists are community generated lists that block ads and trackers. Filters can be categorized into five tiers of coverage:

1. None: no breakage; NextDNS still protects against malicious threats (à la security settings) but will allow ads and trackers
2. Basic: rare breakage; prioritizes functionality over blocking; very forgiving
3. Balanced: minimal breakage; largely set-and-forget but you may need to allowlist occasionally to unsubscribe from junk email
4. Strict: moderate breakage; prioritizes privacy over user experience; must manage your allowlist regularly
5. Aggressive: frequent breakage; only for experienced users; use on a separate profile to lockdown single-purpose devices

We recommend you remove the NextDNS Ads & Trackers Blocklist and select the minimum number of useful lists. Here are the suggested blocklists for each category:

	Recommended	Alternate
Basic	HaGeZi - Multi LIGHT	1Hosts (mini)
Balanced	HaGeZi - Multi NORMAL	1Hosts (Lite) + oisd
Strict	HaGeZi - Multi PRO++	1Hosts (Pro) + oisd
Aggressive	HaGeZi - Multi ULTIMATE

💡 The Balanced tier is recommended for everyday browsing, based on my testing and user feedback.^{1 2 3 4 5 6}

❓ You may wonder why other lists are not utilized. This is because many list maintainers:

• do not remove false positives and/or are no longer active ^{1 2}
• already aggregate common blocklists into their own list (Easylist/Fanboy, AdGuard, Steven Black, etc.) ^{1 2 3}
• offer no meaningful additional coverage when compared with the chart combinations above ¹

Native Tracking Protection ¹

Add all the device brands that you use. There's no advantage in adding brands you don't have; however, there’s no disadvantage in adding unused brands, either.

Windows
Apple
Samsung
Xiaomi
Huawei
Amazon Alexa
Roku
Sonos

Block Disguised Third-Party Trackers ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Block Disguised Third-Party Trackers

Allow Affiliate & Tracking Links ^{1 2}

💡 Your IP address will automatically be hidden (via TCP proxying) to preserve your privacy.

⚠️ Disabling may cause false positives when opening some emails.

Allow Affiliate & Tracking Links

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Parental Control 👨‍👩‍👦

YouTube Restricted Mode

Enforce YouTube Restricted Mode

Block Bypass Methods ¹

⚠️ Enabling may cause unintended breakage.

Block Bypass Methods

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Denylist ⛔

Denylist entries block any requests from that source. The entries below may further harden Balanced blocklist profiles while not interfering with everyday browsing.

Apple tracking domains ^{1 2 3 4}

Not currently in NextDNS's Native Tracking Protection list: ¹

xp.apple.com (unblock for device updates!)
acfeedbackws.icloud.com
api-adservices.apple.com
feedbackws.fe.apple-dns.net
feedbackws.icloud.com
iadsdk.apple.com
notes-analytics-events.apple.com
notes-analytics-events.news.apple-dns.net
weather-analytics-events.apple.com
weather-analytics-events.news.apple-dns.net

Twitter tracker

syndication.twitter.com

NVIDIA Gefore Experience ¹

events.gfe.nvidia.com

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Allowlist ✅

Allowlist entries override any blocks. These entries may be needed for Strict and Aggressive blocklist profiles.

Facebook / Instagram ¹

graph.facebook.com
graph.instagram.com
i.instagram.com
b-graph.facebook.com

Apple device updates ^{1 2 3 4}

A known tracking domain, but it's needed for device updates

xp.apple.com

Apple iMessage GIFs ¹ / Spotlight Search ²

smoot.apple.com

Apple Store ¹

amp-api-edge.apps.apple.com
amp-api-search-edge.apps.apple.com

Xiaomi device updates ¹

update.intl.miui.com

Google Nest usage metrics ¹

logsink.devices.nest.com

Yahoo Mail ¹

consent.yahoo.com
guce.oath.com
pr.comet.yahoo.com

Spectrum login ¹

pov.spectrum.net

Zoom ^{1 2}

logfiles.zoom.us
us04logfiles.zoom.us
us04zpns.zoom.us

YouTube history ¹

s.youtube.com

Hulu ¹

ads-fa-darwin.hulustream.com

Epic Games Launcher ¹

eulatracking-public-service-prod06.ol.epicgames.com

NVIDIA Gefore Experience ¹

gfe.nvidia.com
nvgs.nvidia.cn

Chick-Fil-A App ¹

tmetrix.my.chick-fil-a.com

imgur ^{1 2}

js.media-lab.ai

CBS News livestream ^{1 2}

doppler-config.cbsivideo.com
production-cmp.isgprivacy.cbsi.com
pubads.g.doubleclick.net
tags.tiqcdn.com 

FiveThirtyEight videos / National Geographic website ¹

dcf.espn.com

Men's Health videos ¹

glimmer.hearstapps.com

Ghostery Analytics (opt-in)

User data is removed. Contributes to the Human Web and WhoTracks.me data.

collector-hpn.ghostery.net
collector-hpn.privacy.ghostery.net
d.ghostery.com

NextDNS

Just in case a filterlist goes haywire and blocks your access

nextdns.io

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Settings ⚙️

Logs

Storage location → Switzerland

Block Page

⚠️ Enabling may cause breakage if the NextDNS Root CA is not on your devices. This setting also breaks iCloud Private Relay, Yahoo! Mail, and the NAVER app.

Enable Block Page

Anonymized EDNS Client Subnet ¹

Enable Anonymized EDNS Client Subnet

Cache Boost ¹

Enable Cache Boost

CNAME Flattening ^{1 2 3}

⚠️ Enabling may cause breakage with Yahoo! Mail and cause issues with some blocklists.

Enable CNAME Flattening

Web3 ^{1 2}

Enable Web3 → (optional)

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FAQ ❓

How do I signup for NextDNS?

Click here!

"I'm thinking about having as less as possible activated so that NextDNS doesn't get slow, or does it not affect the speed of NextDNS?"¹

The amount of settings your enable/disable does not affect your DNS latency.

Is it redundant to set DoH at browser-level if I'm already using it at system-level?

Unless you use a separate profile for the browser, it is not neccessary.¹ However, I recommend setting it in your web browser anyway.

If I have a profile for my router and another profile for my device, which one will my device use?

The device will use the profile set by the NextDNS app or the installed root CA. However, if the device has not been configured to use a separate profile, then it will use the wifi/router configuration.¹

Can I block YouTube ads with NextDNS only?

No, you cannot block first-party ads using only DNS-level blocking. You will need an adblocker.

What browser should I use that has adblocking?

• Brave is a great choice if you prefer Chrome, want uninstrusive fingerprint protection, and don't enjoy doing a lot of tweaking.¹
• Firefox with uBlock Origin¹ or Ghostery, and configured using Betterfox.
• Safari with Ghostery or AdGuard.
• Orion is a promising, up-and-coming browser for Apple devices with native adblocking.

Here are the suggested browsers for each operating system:

Browser	Windows	macOS	Linux	iOS	Android
Brave	x	x	x	x	x
Firefox	x	x	x
Safari		x		x
Orion		x		x

What is the difference between security, privacy, and anonymity?

See article | video

Does NextDNS hide activity from my Internet Service Provider (ISP)?

No. NextDNS is only concerned about DNS traffic. You would need a quality VPN to hide all activity from your ISP.

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Mentions 📚

User Comments

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Articles

• Knot Resolver — with ad blocking (Dec 2022)

Guides

• FMHY: DNS Adblocking → NextDNS → Guide
• hagezi/dns-blocklists → Online DNS services

Contributions

• Hagezi | mentions
• 1Hosts
• Easylist
• uBlock Origin
• AdGuard

since 23 July 2022