Block Ads on a Chromebook Without a Chrome Extension

You can block many ad and tracking requests on a Chromebook without installing a Chrome extension by changing the DNS servers for your Wi-Fi network. AdGuard Public DNS filters known ad and tracker domains before a page can load them. The basic setup is free and does not require an AdGuard account. It will reduce some ads, but DNS filtering cannot remove every ad, especially ads served from the same domain as the content.

What DNS ad blocking can and cannot do

DNS translates a site name into the address a browser needs to connect. A filtering DNS service can refuse requests to domains on its blocklists, so the browser never fetches content from those domains. On a Chromebook, the network setting applies to that saved connection and to apps that use its DNS resolver; it does not install a browser extension or clean up page elements after they load.

That distinction matters: ads embedded by the same service that provides a video or social feed may still appear. Blocking the shared domain could also break the site. AdGuard describes these limits in its DNS filtering guide.

Set up AdGuard Public DNS on ChromeOS

The public default servers block ads and trackers. You can configure IPv4, IPv6, or both. If your Chromebook offers fields for both address types, set both so traffic using either network protocol reaches AdGuard.

1. Open the active Wi-Fi network. Select the time in the lower-right corner, open the Wi-Fi controls, and select your connected network. Choose Network to view its settings. Depending on your ChromeOS version, you can also open Settings, select Network, and choose Wi-Fi. Google documents the custom name-server control in its Chromebook DNS instructions.
2. Choose custom name servers. In the network’s Name servers section, select Custom name servers. Replace the current custom entries with AdGuard’s public ad-blocking addresses. Enter each address in its own field:
   • IPv4: 94.140.14.14 and 94.140.15.15
   • IPv6: 2a10:50c0::ad1:ff and 2a10:50c0::ad2:ff

   These are AdGuard’s public default servers. Do not substitute the different addresses shown for a personal Private DNS device; those are account-linked settings. See AdGuard’s official public DNS setup page for the current server list.

Check ChromeOS Secure DNS

ChromeOS also has a Secure DNS setting. If it is set to a different custom provider, Chrome’s lookups may use that provider instead of the DNS servers configured for the Wi-Fi connection. To use AdGuard with encrypted DNS, open Settings → Security and privacy → Manage secure DNS, turn on Use secure connections to look up sites, choose With a custom provider, and enter https://dns.adguard-dns.com/dns-query. AdGuard lists this as its public DNS-over-HTTPS endpoint.

If you want the Wi-Fi name servers to handle DNS and are not setting up the encrypted endpoint, turn off Secure DNS or select a provider that matches your choice. Google notes that managed Chromebooks or devices with parental controls may not allow Secure DNS changes. Its Chrome Secure DNS help page explains the setting. Plain IP-based DNS is not encrypted; DNS-over-HTTPS sends lookups over an encrypted connection.

3. Reconnect and check the result. Save the network settings, then disconnect and reconnect to Wi-Fi if ChromeOS does not apply them immediately. Visit AdGuard’s test page and find the AdGuard DNS status. A detected server confirms the DNS route is active; it does not mean every ad will disappear.

Want custom rules or more control?

AdGuard Public DNS uses preset filtering and does not provide a personal blocklist dashboard. For device-specific rules, query logs, or selectable blocklists, use Private AdGuard DNS. Add a device in its dashboard and follow the connection method and addresses shown there. In the dashboard, the current path for filters is Servers → select a server → Blocklists. Start with the general ad and tracking list; add a regional list only when it fits the languages and sites you use. Avoid enabling every list at once, since overlapping rules can block sites you need. AdGuard explains the list categories in its blocklists guide.

Troubleshooting and limits

• Ads still appear: DNS filtering blocks domains, not page layout. Ads served from a site’s own domain, including some video and social ads, may remain.
• A page or app stops loading: A filtered domain may be needed for that service. Temporarily switch the network’s name servers back to Automatic to check, or adjust the relevant rule in a Private DNS dashboard.
• It works on one Wi-Fi network only: ChromeOS stores name-server settings per network. Repeat the setup for other saved networks; changing the Chromebook does not change the router or other devices.
• The setting is missing or locked: A school or work administrator may manage network and Secure DNS settings. Ask the administrator before trying to change managed policies.

To undo the change, return to the same network’s Name servers menu and choose Automatic name servers. If you changed Secure DNS, restore its previous provider or setting as well.