Protecting your browsing activity from ISP surveillance and network-level tracking.
Every time you visit a website, your Mac sends a DNS (Domain Name System) query. This query reveals exactly which domain you are trying to reach — and by extension, what content and services you are accessing. In 2026, protecting these queries has become one of the most important aspects of online privacy.
Standard DNS queries are sent in plain text. This means your Internet Service Provider (ISP), network administrators, and anyone on the same network can see every domain you visit. This creates a detailed profile of your browsing habits, interests, and online behavior.
DoH encrypts DNS queries by sending them over HTTPS, the same protocol used to secure web traffic. This makes it extremely difficult for ISPs or network operators to inspect or tamper with your DNS requests.
DoT uses a dedicated TLS connection on port 853 to encrypt DNS traffic. It provides strong encryption while maintaining compatibility with many enterprise network environments.
The newest standard (2024–2026), DoQ combines the benefits of DoH with the performance advantages of QUIC protocol — faster connection establishment and better handling of network changes.
NetworkMonitor - Network Monitor for Mac provides native support for all modern encrypted DNS protocols. Unlike system-wide solutions, NetworkMonitor allows you to configure encrypted DNS on a per-application basis, giving you unprecedented control.
For maximum privacy, we recommend the following setup:
As more services move to encrypted connections and tracking becomes more sophisticated, DNS remains one of the last unencrypted protocols that can reveal significant information about your online activity. Protecting your DNS queries is now considered a baseline privacy practice — not an advanced technique.
NetworkMonitor gives you the tools to implement enterprise-grade DNS privacy without requiring technical expertise or complex configuration.