01What Mullvad announced
On 3 September 2026, Mullvad announced on its blog that it is shutting down the public encrypted DNS servers (DNS over HTTPS) it had run since 2022, and that it now sponsors the Quad9 foundation instead. Those who set a Mullvad DNS server by hand are asked to switch before 2 November 2026; after that date, a device still set to these servers can no longer resolve names.
Mullvad VPN users are not concerned: inside the VPN, its own DNS answers the queries. In Mullvad Browser, the default settings, ad-blocking variant included, are moved to Quad9 automatically; settings changed by hand are left as they are, and the Mullvad DNS profiles for iPhone, iPad and Mac stop working.
02Mullvad DNS shutdown: who loses ad blocking
Mullvad offered several variants of its DNS (base, extended, family…), several of which blocked advertising and trackers. Quad9 blocks malicious domains — malware, phishing, scams — but says it plainly: it does not block advertisements or web trackers.
Who replaces Mullvad DNS with Quad9 keeps a privacy-minded resolver and the blocking of threats, and loses the blocking of advertising and trackers, without any message saying so.
03Replace Mullvad DNS: the options
Three ways, with their trade-offs:
- Quad9 alone: the advice of Mullvad. Encrypted DNS, malicious domains blocked, no ad blocking.
- Another public resolver that blocks ads: check its privacy policy and the country of its servers; it sees every name your devices ask.
- A filter at home in front of an encrypted resolver: the names are filtered on a box of your network, which then asks a resolver such as Quad9 for those it lets through.
04Warda: keep Quad9, block ads for the whole home
Warda is the third way. It runs on a box at home (Raspberry Pi, Docker or Debian) and answers the DNS queries of every device of the network: phones, computers, smart TV, game consoles, connected objects — even those where nothing can be installed. Its built-in list blocks advertising, trackers, malware and phishing from the installation, in the free plan.
For the names it lets through, Warda asks Quad9 by default, over encrypted DNS (DNS over TLS or HTTPS), with Cloudflare as a second choice: the advice of Mullvad and the blocking of ads go together. Away from home, a phone keeps its rules with the protection outside the home (subscription): the online service of Warda passes its queries to your box.
05Before 2 November: what to change
Look for every place where a Mullvad DNS server was set by hand:
- Browser: in the secure DNS settings, remove the Mullvad address; with Warda at home, turn the secure DNS off or give it the address of your Warda box.
- Android: if the private DNS names Mullvad, choose Automatic, or the name of your Warda box.
- iPhone, iPad and Mac: remove the Mullvad DNS profile, in the profiles of the device settings.
- Mullvad VPN: nothing to change.