What Is a DNS Leak?

DNS turns a domain name into an address that a browser can connect to. Before your browser loads a website, a DNS resolver usually asks where that domain points.

Your DNS resolver may be operated by your ISP, mobile carrier, router, VPN provider, enterprise network, or a public DNS service such as Google, Cloudflare, or Quad9.

A DNS leak happens when DNS queries are sent through a resolver that you did not intend to use. For example, a VPN user may expect DNS to go through the VPN, but the browser or operating system may still ask the local ISP resolver.

The leak does not reveal your passwords or page contents. It can reveal which resolver handled a test domain, and that may expose your approximate network provider or location.

MyIPRisk creates a short-lived random subdomain under dns.myiprisk.com. When the browser tries to resolve that domain, our authoritative DNS service records which resolver IP queried it.

The page then polls the server for that token and shows the resolver IPs observed for the current test. If no resolver is observed before timeout, the test is shown as unavailable or not found rather than as a confirmed leak.

If you are not using a VPN or private DNS product, seeing your ISP or mobile carrier resolver is usually normal. If you are using a VPN, you generally want the DNS resolver to belong to the VPN provider or a resolver configured inside that VPN profile.

Some browsers and operating systems use encrypted DNS, private relay features, or enterprise DNS policies. Those can make the resolver look different from the HTTP request IP without necessarily indicating a problem.