PowerShell Get-DnsClient

last modified February 15, 2025

In this article, we will cover the Get-DnsClient cmdlet in PowerShell. This cmdlet retrieves DNS client configuration information. It helps manage and troubleshoot network name resolution settings.

DNS Client basics

The DNS client service resolves hostnames to IP addresses. It caches recent lookups to improve performance. The Get-DnsClient cmdlet shows current DNS settings. This includes server addresses, cache contents, and interface-specific configurations.

Basic Get-DnsClient usage

The simplest way to use Get-DnsClient is without parameters. This shows DNS client settings for all network interfaces. The output includes server addresses and interface indexes. Each interface has its own DNS config.

dns1.ps1

Get-DnsClient

This command retrieves DNS client settings for all interfaces. The output shows server addresses and interface details. Multiple entries appear for systems with several network adapters.

Get DNS server addresses

To view only the DNS servers configured for name resolution, use the ServerAddresses property. This shows the IP addresses of all DNS servers used by the system. The list includes both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.

dns2.ps1

Get-DnsClientServerAddress

This command returns all configured DNS server addresses. The output is organized by network interface. Each interface may have different DNS servers.

PS C:\> .\dns2.ps1

InterfaceAlias               Interface Address ServerAddresses
                             Index     Family
--------------               --------- ------- ---------------
Ethernet                         12 IPv4      {192.168.1.1, 8.8.8.8}
Wi-Fi                             7 IPv4      {192.168.1.1}
Ethernet                         12 IPv6      {fec0:0:0:ffff::1}

Get DNS cache entries

The DNS client caches recent name resolutions to improve performance. Use Get-DnsClientCache to view these cached entries. The cache includes hostnames, record types, and TTL values. This helps troubleshoot name resolution issues.

dns3.ps1

Get-DnsClientCache

This command displays all cached DNS records. The output shows hostnames, record types, and expiration times. The cache refreshes automatically as entries expire.

Get DNS settings for specific interface

To view DNS settings for a particular network interface, use the -InterfaceIndex parameter. First identify the interface index with Get-NetAdapter. Then filter DNS settings for that interface.

dns4.ps1

Get-DnsClient -InterfaceIndex 12

This command shows DNS client settings for interface index 12. The output includes server addresses and other interface-specific configurations.

Check DNS suffix settings

DNS suffixes are used for incomplete hostname resolution. Use Get-DnsClientGlobalSetting to view suffix configurations. This shows the suffix search list and other global DNS client settings.

dns5.ps1

Get-DnsClientGlobalSetting

This command returns global DNS client settings. The output includes the suffix search list and connection-specific suffix settings. These affect how incomplete hostnames are resolved.

Source

PowerShell documentation

In this article, we have covered the Get-DnsClient cmdlet in PowerShell.

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My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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