Simple DNSCrypt is a free Windows front-end that configures dnscrypt-proxy as a system service, letting you pick encrypted DNS resolvers, choose which network adapters use them and block domains from one window.
Simple DNSCrypt is a graphical control panel for dnscrypt-proxy on Windows, not a resolver of its own. You install it, tick the network adapters that should use the local proxy, pick a resolver from the built-in catalogue and start the service; from then on every DNS lookup the system makes is encrypted and authenticated rather than sent in clear text to your provider. The window also exposes the parts people usually abandon at the config file: blacklists, blocked-query logs, routing per interface and the advanced options that dnscrypt-proxy understands. It suits a single machine or a small office where editing TOML by hand is not realistic.
Encrypted DNS is a narrow fix, and it is worth knowing what it does not cover. It stops your provider from reading and logging every domain you resolve, but the destination server still sees your IP, and traffic content is untouched, which is why people combine it with other tools: a messaging client such as Kekulen I2P Chat (Fix Edition) solves a different problem entirely. Simple DNSCrypt also depends on the resolver you choose, so a fast public service and a privacy-focused one can behave very differently under load. Checking the resolver list before switching is worth the minute it takes.
The benefit of Simple DNSCrypt is that it makes encrypted DNS a normal Windows setting rather than a weekend project. You get a service that starts with the machine, adapters configured to point at the local proxy, and a tray icon showing whether the tunnel is live, all without touching dnscrypt-proxy's configuration by hand. Resolver choice stays in your hands, so you can favour a European privacy operator or the nearest anycast service and change your mind later without reinstalling anything. Blacklists cut advertising and tracking domains before a connection opens, and the block log shows exactly what was refused, which is useful when a site stops loading and you need to know why. Simple DNSCrypt is free, MIT-licensed and small enough to leave running on a machine that has little to spare.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Simple DNSCrypt installs dnscrypt-proxy as a Windows service and starts or stops it from the main window, so encrypted resolution survives a reboot without a scheduled task or startup shortcut. Status appears in the tray, which makes a silent failure obvious rather than mysterious.
A built-in list of public resolvers lets you compare options and switch with a click instead of hand-editing a configuration file. Each entry maps to a dnscrypt-proxy stamp, so certificate pinning and provider details travel with the selection rather than being retyped from a forum post.
You choose which network interfaces point at the local proxy, which matters on laptops that move between Ethernet, Wi-Fi and a VPN adapter. Leaving a virtual adapter out of the list prevents the classic loop where DNS is redirected into a tunnel that itself needs DNS to come up.
Lists of advertising, tracker and malware domains can be enabled from the same window, and matching queries are answered locally instead of forwarded. It is coarse filtering compared with a browser extension, but it applies to every application on the machine, including the ones that ignore browser settings entirely.
Every refused lookup is written to a readable log with the domain and the rule that matched, which is how you diagnose a page that half-loads. Reading the log also shows how much background chatter an ordinary browsing session produces behind your back.
The advanced panel exposes the settings dnscrypt-proxy accepts, from caching behaviour to which resolver features are permitted. Changes are written in the format the daemon expects, so an experiment does not leave the service unable to start the next time Windows boots.
Simple DNSCrypt ships as a signed installer for normal deployment and as a portable archive for testing or a restricted machine. Both carry minisign signatures that can be checked before the first launch if you would rather verify binaries yourself than trust a download page.
The application looks for a newer release when it starts and prompts instead of installing quietly, so a machine on a metered connection is not surprised by a download. You decide when to update, and the bundled resolver list stays current enough for day-to-day use.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
No old versions have been added yet.
Common questions about Simple DNSCrypt.
A Windows graphical front-end for dnscrypt-proxy. It handles installing the proxy as a service, choosing an encrypted resolver, directing your adapters at it and reviewing blocked queries, replacing manual configuration files with a handful of switches.
No. The proxy is bundled and managed by the front-end, including installation and removal. If you already run a proxy elsewhere, keeping two would conflict over the same local port, so disable one before enabling the other.
Simple DNSCrypt runs on Windows 7 SP1 and later, so current releases are covered. It depends on the .NET Framework, which modern Windows builds already include, and separate x86 and x64 packages are published for older 32-bit installs.
No. It encrypts DNS lookups only, so your provider cannot read the domains you resolve and cannot tamper with the answers. The sites you visit still see your address, and page content is unaffected, so this complements a VPN rather than replacing one.
Any resolver the bundled proxy supports, which includes DNSCrypt servers and DNS-over-HTTPS endpoints published as stamps. The list shows what each operator offers, and you can add a custom entry if you run your own resolver.
Development has been intermittent, and the bundled proxy version can lag behind the upstream project. It remains functional for the core job, but anyone needing the newest resolver features should check the repository's activity before relying on it.
Simple DNSCrypt is released under the MIT licence and costs nothing to use. The author accepts donations, and translations come from volunteers, but there is no paid tier, account or telemetry attached to the application.
Simple DNSCrypt is a free Windows front-end that configures dnscrypt-proxy as a system service, letting you pick encrypted DNS resolvers, choose which network adapters use them and block domains from one window.
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