Windows

NextDNS Blocker fully supports Windows, using Task Scheduler for automatic syncing.

Installation

PowerShell Installer (Recommended)

# Download and run installer
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristeoibarra/nextdns-blocker/main/install.ps1 | iex

The installer:

1. Checks for Python
2. Installs nextdns-blocker via pip
3. Runs the setup wizard
4. Configures Task Scheduler

pip

pip install nextdns-blocker

From Source

git clone https://github.com/aristeoibarra/nextdns-blocker.git
cd nextdns-blocker
pip install -e .

Setup

# Initialize configuration
nextdns-blocker init

# Configure domains
nextdns-blocker config edit

# Install watchdog
nextdns-blocker watchdog install

Task Scheduler Integration

How It Works

NextDNS Blocker creates scheduled tasks:

Task	Purpose	Interval
NextDNS-Blocker-Sync	Run sync	Every 2 minutes
NextDNS-Blocker-Watchdog	Self-heal	Every 5 minutes

Viewing Tasks

# Command line
schtasks /query /tn "NextDNS-Blocker-Sync"
schtasks /query /tn "NextDNS-Blocker-Watchdog"

# GUI
taskschd.msc

Managing Tasks

# Check status via CLI
nextdns-blocker watchdog status

# Run task manually
schtasks /run /tn "NextDNS-Blocker-Sync"

# Delete task manually (if needed)
schtasks /delete /tn "NextDNS-Blocker-Sync" /f

File Locations

Component	Path
Config	%APPDATA%\nextdns-blocker\config.json
Environment	%APPDATA%\nextdns-blocker\.env
Logs	%LOCALAPPDATA%\nextdns-blocker\logs\
State	%LOCALAPPDATA%\nextdns-blocker\

Viewing Paths

# Config directory
explorer $env:APPDATA\nextdns-blocker

# Data directory
explorer $env:LOCALAPPDATA\nextdns-blocker

Timezone Detection

Windows timezone is detected via:

tzutil /g
# Returns: Eastern Standard Time

Mapped to IANA format (e.g., America/New_York).

PowerShell Notes

Execution Policy

If scripts are blocked:

# Check current policy
Get-ExecutionPolicy

# Allow scripts for current user
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Running Commands

# Standard execution
nextdns-blocker status

# If not in PATH
python -m nextdns_blocker status

Path Configuration

Adding to PATH

If nextdns-blocker isn’t found:

# Find installation location
pip show nextdns-blocker

# Common locations:
# %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311\Scripts
# %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python311\Scripts

# Add to PATH (PowerShell)
$env:Path += ";$env:USERPROFILE\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311\Scripts"

# Permanent (User Environment Variables)
# System Properties → Advanced → Environment Variables → Path → Edit

DNS Cache

Flush Windows DNS cache:

ipconfig /flushdns

Viewing Logs

# Application log
Get-Content "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\nextdns-blocker\logs\app.log" -Tail 50

# Sync log
Get-Content "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\nextdns-blocker\logs\sync.log" -Tail 50

# Follow logs
Get-Content "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\nextdns-blocker\logs\app.log" -Wait

Troubleshooting

Task Scheduler Not Running

# Check Task Scheduler service
Get-Service Schedule

# Start if stopped
Start-Service Schedule

# Check task status
schtasks /query /tn "NextDNS-Blocker-Sync" /v

Command Not Found

# Check if Python is in PATH
python --version

# Try running via Python
python -m nextdns_blocker status

# Find pip installation
pip show nextdns-blocker | Select-String Location

Paths with Spaces

Windows usernames with spaces are handled automatically. If issues occur:

# Check for special characters in username
$env:USERNAME

# Avoid characters: < > | & " '

Access Denied Errors

Run PowerShell as Administrator for initial setup:

1. Right-click PowerShell
2. Select “Run as administrator”
3. Run nextdns-blocker watchdog install

Python Not Found

1. Download from python.org
2. During install, check “Add Python to PATH”
3. Restart PowerShell

Tasks Disappearing

If scheduled tasks keep disappearing:

1. Check antivirus software
2. Check Group Policy restrictions
3. Ensure Task Scheduler service is running

The watchdog task should restore the sync task automatically.

Windows Defender

If blocked by Windows Defender:

1. Open Windows Security
2. Go to Virus & threat protection
3. Manage settings → Exclusions
4. Add exclusion for:
   • %APPDATA%\nextdns-blocker\
   • %LOCALAPPDATA%\nextdns-blocker\
   • Python installation directory

File Permissions

Windows uses ACLs instead of Unix permissions:

• Config files are created with user-only access
• No special chmod needed
• Check file properties for permissions

Uninstalling

# Remove scheduled tasks
nextdns-blocker watchdog uninstall

# Or manually
schtasks /delete /tn "NextDNS-Blocker-Sync" /f
schtasks /delete /tn "NextDNS-Blocker-Watchdog" /f

# Remove package
pip uninstall nextdns-blocker

# Remove configuration
Remove-Item -Recurse "$env:APPDATA\nextdns-blocker"

# Remove data
Remove-Item -Recurse "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\nextdns-blocker"

Running at Startup

Task Scheduler tasks run when you log in. For service-level operation (before login), you’d need:

1. Create a Windows Service wrapper
2. Use NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager)
3. Or accept user-session-only operation

For most use cases, user-session operation is sufficient.