Mullvad has announced it is shutting down the public encrypted DNS (DNS-over-HTTPS) servers it has operated since 2022. Rather than keep running its own service, the privacy-focused VPN provider will redirect that effort into financially sponsoring Quad9, a nonprofit public DNS provider it considers the clear leader in the space. Anyone who has manually configured Mullvad's DoH servers, uses Mullvad Browser, or has installed a Mullvad DNS profile on iOS or macOS needs to move to Quad9 before the cutover.

What is Quad9? Quad9 is a nonprofit, Switzerland-based public DNS resolver that encrypts DNS queries and blocks known-malicious domains at the resolver level, at no cost to users. It doesn't sell or retain data tied to individual queries and is widely regarded as one of the most established privacy- and security-focused DNS services available.

Why Mullvad Is Stepping Back

Mullvad points out that its own DoH servers were never actually necessary for Mullvad VPN users, since VPN traffic is already encrypted and DNS queries are already handled internally by the VPN. The public DoH servers existed for two other reasons: Mullvad Browser used them by default whenever someone wasn't connected to Mullvad VPN, so their ISP couldn't see which domains they were visiting, and anyone else online was free to use them as a general-purpose encrypted DNS option.

Mullvad says it still wants that kind of public service to exist, but running a privacy-respecting DNS resolver at scale is a specialized job, and it sees Quad9 as already doing that work better than a smaller, duplicate effort could. Instead of splitting resources to replicate part of what Quad9 already provides, Mullvad is putting its resources behind Quad9 directly.

The Migration Timeline

The shutdown affects three groups of users differently, depending on how they were using Mullvad's DoH service.

Manually configured devices: If you set Mullvad's DoH servers directly in your router, browser, or operating system's DNS settings, you need to switch to Quad9 before November 2, 2026. After that date, Mullvad's DoH servers will stop working. Quad9 publishes setup guides for most platforms to make the switch straightforward.

Mullvad Browser users who left the DoH setting on its default option, or on the built-in ad-blocking variant, will be migrated to Quad9 automatically and don't need to do anything. Anyone who customized that setting to a different provider won't be touched, but if you specifically configured one of Mullvad's own DoH variants (base, extended, or family), you'll need to manually switch that setting back to the default so the migration applies to you.

iOS and macOS users who installed a Mullvad DoH configuration profile will see that profile stop working entirely once the shutdown takes effect. Apple's encrypted DNS profiles aren't swapped automatically the way a browser setting can be, so those users will need to manually install Quad9's own iOS or macOS configuration profile to keep encrypted DNS active.

Where to Find the Updates

Full setup instructions for switching to Quad9 on any platform are available at docs.quad9.net, including dedicated guides for iOS and macOS encrypted DNS profiles. Anyone relying on Mullvad's DoH servers in any capacity should plan to make the switch before the November 2 deadline.

Sources

  • Mullvad Blog, "Shutting down our public encrypted DNS servers and sponsoring Quad9 instead," September 3, 2026: mullvad.net
  • Quad9 setup guides: docs.quad9.net

This article was written by DigitalEscapeTools based on Mullvad's official blog post and publicly available information at the time of publication.