Set up DNS filtering

Secure Web Gateway allows you to inspect DNS traffic and control which websites users can visit.

​​ 1. Connect to Gateway

​​ Connect devices

To filter DNS requests from an individual device such as a laptop or phone:

1. Install the WARP client on your device.
2. In the WARP client Settings, log in to your organization’s Zero Trust instance.
3. (Optional) If you want to display a custom block page, install the Cloudflare root certificate on your device.

​​ Connect DNS locations

To filter DNS requests from a location such as an office or data center:

1. Add the location to your Zero Trust settings.
2. On your router, browser, or OS, forward DNS queries to the address shown in the location setup UI.

​​ 2. Verify device connectivity

1. In Zero Trust Open external link , go to Settings > Network.
2. Under Gateway logging, enable activity logging for all DNS logs.
3. On your device, open a browser and go to any website.
4. In Zero Trust, go to Logs > Gateway > DNS.
5. Make sure DNS queries from your device appear.

​​ 3. Add recommended policies

To create a new DNS policy, go to Gateway > Firewall Policies > DNS in Zero Trust. We recommend adding the following policy:

​​ Block all security categories

Block known threats such as Command & Control, Botnet and Malware based on Cloudflare’s threat intelligence.

​​ 4. Add optional policies

Refer to our list of common DNS policies for other policies you may want to create.