Acrylic DNS - Secure DNS Digital Workspace

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Acrylic is a local DNS proxy for Windows which improves performance by caching DNS responses.

Internet And Network Networking And Server Freeware
FREE DOWNLOAD (v2.1.1)
File Size: 1.1MB | Official Download

Key Features of Acrylic DNS Proxy

  • Acrylic DNS Proxy is a premier freeware utility designed for high performance network acceleration and advanced DNS caching management.
  • It provides users with a remarkably robust environment to speed up web browsing by storing DNS lookups locally with absolute precision.
  • The software features an integrated caching engine that handles multiple hosts files and concurrent requests allowing for seamless internet navigation without repetitive server queries.
  • In 2026 it remains a vital tool for developers needing a safe and verified environment for custom domain routing across diverse hardware configurations.
  • Its support for background service operation and lightweight resource footprint ensures that every network task is handled with incredible speed and professional grade accuracy.
  • Acrylic DNS Proxy is the globally trusted choice for powerful and reliable DNS optimization across all modern Windows platforms.

How to speed up your browsing and block ads system-wide

Acrylic DNS Proxy is a local DNS proxy for Windows. It solves two major problems: it drastically reduces page load times by caching DNS queries locally, and it allows you to block millions of ads and trackers using a highly optimized, wildcard-supported HOSTS file that won't slow down your PC. Follow these steps to supercharge your internet connection:

  1. Install as Administrator
    Download the installer and run it with administrative privileges. Acrylic installs as a background Windows Service. By default, it is pre-configured to forward un-cached DNS requests to Google Public DNS, but you can change this later.
  2. Point Your Network to Acrylic
    For Acrylic to work, your computer must actually use it! Open your Windows Network Connections, right-click your active Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter, select Properties, and open IPv4 settings. Change your Primary DNS server to 127.0.0.1 (your localhost).
  3. Customize Your Acrylic HOSTS File
    Open the "Acrylic UI" desktop application and select Open Acrylic Hosts. Unlike the restrictive default Windows HOSTS file, you can paste massive blocklists here, or use powerful wildcards (e.g., >*.doubleclick.net) to instantly block entire ad networks.
  4. Restart the Service
    Whenever you make changes to the configuration or the custom HOSTS file, use the Acrylic UI to select Restart Acrylic Service so your new settings take effect immediately.
Pro Tip: Acrylic's caching allows you to seamlessly survive minor ISP DNS outages. Even if your provider's DNS goes down, Acrylic will remember the IP addresses of your most frequently visited websites, allowing you to keep working uninterrupted!

Frequently Asked Questions

Merely installing Acrylic is not enough; you must manually configure your Windows network adapter to route its DNS requests to the local proxy. If you skip step 2 of the setup and don't change your IPv4 DNS settings to 127.0.0.1, Windows will continue to use your ISP's default DNS, bypassing Acrylic entirely.

The default Windows hosts file is poorly optimized. If you load it with hundreds of thousands of blocked ad domains, it will cripple your DNS Client service and severely slow down your PC. Acrylic's custom HOSTS engine is highly optimized to handle millions of lines without breaking a sweat, and it uniquely supports wildcards and regular expressions, meaning you can block entire subdomains with a single line of code.

This is a common Windows quirk that happens if you have the Windows Task Manager, Process Explorer, or Microsoft Management Console (MMC) open while trying to uninstall the old version of Acrylic. Simply close those system monitoring applications, and Windows will release its lock on the service, allowing your new installation to proceed smoothly.

No. Acrylic only optimizes "name resolution"—the tiny fraction of a second it takes your browser to figure out the IP address behind a URL (like translating google.com to 142.250.190.46). It makes websites feel much snappier and load faster initially, but it does not affect the actual bandwidth or speed at which large files are downloaded.

Technical Specifications

Acrylic DNS Proxy Screenshot

Screenshot of Acrylic DNS Free Download | DNS for Windows