Changing the nameservers of your domain

Nameservers decide which server has the final say over your domain name. Changing them moves the entire DNS management of your domain — and therefore your email as well. That is why this task goes wrong more often than it should.

Before you start

First write down your current DNS records at your current provider. After the change, the records on the new nameservers are the ones that count, and anything you did not carry over is gone. Make sure you have at least:

• the A record for your domain and for www
• the MX records (where your mail arrives)
• the TXT records, especially those for SPF, DKIM and DMARC
• any CNAME records for subdomains or external services

How to do it

1. Have the zone with all those records created at the new party first. Only once everything is ready there do you flip the switch.
2. Lower the TTL on your records a day in advance if you can. The switch then takes minutes instead of hours.
3. Change the nameservers at the registrar: the party where your domain name is registered. That is not necessarily your hosting provider — you can host with us using a domain registered elsewhere.
4. Wait for propagation. Expect a few hours, with an outlier up to 48 hours; it varies by your visitor's provider.
5. Then check your website and your email. Send and receive a test message — that is the check that actually matters.

The most common mistake

Changing nameservers and forgetting the mail records. Your website works right away, and you only notice a day later that no mail is coming in — exactly when someone calls to ask why you are not replying. Always carry over the MX and TXT records.

Is your domain with us?

Then we change the nameservers for you. Send us the new nameservers and let us know whether your mail should move along or stay where it is.

To move your domain to us yourself, read transfer a domain name. If your website moves too, the right order is in migrate your hosting.