How to make a quick command to enable/disable dns server

FunkoFun wrote:

How to make a quick command to enable/disable dns server

Are you running the DNS server locally on macOS 14, or remotely on some other box?

Which DNS server? BIND was used with macOS server, though there are other fine choices. This identity controls how to enable and disable the DNS server, as different DNS servers use different commands.

Or are you referring to reconfiguring the local DNS resolver, as seems more likely?

macOS won’t run very well, if at all, without DNS configured.

Background details on DNS? https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/dns/what-is-dns/

FunkoFun wrote:

Oops! I meant enable/disable the selected dns server on iOS 18

Okay, so not a DNS server, and not macOS 13.

I’m not aware of any supported means to do that within iOS, and have not encountered any way to change the setting. That limitation likely due to malware and security concerns.

A Shortcut can be used to open Settings in the general neighborhood of the DNS settings using the following (apparently-undocumented) URL in the Open URL operation:

prefs:root=General&path=VPN/DNS

That URL opens Settings on iOS 17 in more or less the right spot.

I’ve not tested this Shortcut on iOS 18.

I’m unaware of any pref:root that can get any closer than that.

Easiest (and fully supportable) means is to tweak the upstream resolver (or DNS server) assuming you have control of that, though that means running an upstream resolver (or server) that can itself be scripted and remotely controlled. Using different VPNs to vary the setting might work here too, within the limits of VPN switching.