DNS over TLS comes to Windows 11

Networking

Microsoft has added another feature to Windows 11. This one is a networking enhancement for the operating system that few would find useful, but those who will are sure to appreciate.

DoT is the name of this new addition.

If you are wondering what in the world is DoT, then wonder no more. It is a technology intended for encrypted network traffic, and is an alternative to the DNS over HTTPS protocol that is more commonly known as DoH.

DoH is present in both Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022, and it enables DNS traffic to be routed as HTTPS stream over port 443.

DoT, short for DNS over TLS, on the other hand routes encrypted traffic over a TLS tunnel on a dedicated port 853. And while this new technology offers better network performance in some use cases, those who use it lose some flexibility offer by DoH.

This feature is now online with build 25158 that Microsoft recently rolled out in the Dev Channel of its preview program. It is also available in the latest Windows Server 2022 preview that the software titan made available a little while back.

The former build, of course, is the one that activated a bunch of new features including different Search styles, notification badges in Widgets, CD ripping capabilities in Media Player, a new Camera, and more such goodies.

Microsoft briefly mentioned this feature in the announcement post, confirming that this new option is now available for Insiders.

If you are interested, the company has put together guidance for enabling DoT. It includes setting things up in the Network panel of Settings, and then running a few commands in Command Prompt with admin privileges.

Worth a mention that port 853 in the only port that can be designated for DoT at this time, as custom configurations are not currently supported.