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If your domain is registered with us and uses our nameservers, you manage its DNS records yourself in your account. This is where you point the domain at a website, set up email, and add the verification records that services such as Google, Microsoft 365 or an SSL provider ask for.
Where to find it
- Log in to your account.
- Open Domains, then My Domains, and click the domain.
- In the side menu, choose DNS Management.
Each record is one row: a Host Name, a Record Type, an Address (the value) and, for MX records only, a Priority. Fill in the empty row at the bottom to add a record, change a row to edit it, and click Save Changes. Cancel Changes puts the page back as it was. Changes are usually live within a few minutes, though some places on the internet may keep the old answer for longer.
Leave alone any row whose host name is a number followed by .dns, such as 12345678.dns. That record is part of our DNS service itself.
DNS Management is switched on for every domain registered with us. If an older domain doesn't show it, choose Addons in the same side menu and check that DNS Host Record Management is switched on. If you're still stuck, open a ticket.
Host names
The host name is the part in front of your domain. Enter only that part; the domain is added for you.
@means the domain on its own, for exampleyourdomain.co.uk.wwwmeanswww.yourdomain.co.uk.shopmeansshop.yourdomain.co.uk.
A common mistake is entering the whole name, such as www.yourdomain.co.uk, which creates www.yourdomain.co.uk.yourdomain.co.uk.
The record types
| Type | What it does | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| A (Address) | Points a name at a server's IPv4 address. Used for your website. | 203.0.113.10 |
| AAAA (Address) | The same, for an IPv6 address. | 2001:db8::10 |
| CNAME (Alias) | Makes one name an alias of another name. Often used by online shops and booking systems. | shops.example.com |
| MX (Mail) | Says which servers receive your email. Lower priority numbers are tried first. | mx001.cloudus.rs.oxcs.net, priority 10 |
| TXT | Free text. Used for SPF, DMARC, DKIM and “prove you own this domain” checks. | v=spf1 include:spf.cloudus.rs.oxcs.net ~all |
| URL Redirect | Sends visitors to another web address. Handy for a spare domain that should open your main website. | https://www.yourdomain.co.uk |
The example IP addresses above are placeholders. Your own server's IP address is in your hosting welcome email. The list also offers MXE (Mail Easy) and URL Frame; you're unlikely to need either.
Common jobs
Point the domain at your website
Add two A records, host names @ and www, both with your server's IP address. If either already exists, change it rather than adding a second one.
Set up Professional Email
Add the four MX records and the SPF record listed in Pointing your domain at your website and email, and delete any MX records from a previous email provider.
Verify your domain for another service
Google, Microsoft and others give you a TXT record (or sometimes a CNAME) to add. Copy the host name and value exactly as they give them, save, then go back and click their “Verify” button. If it fails, wait half an hour and try again before changing anything.
Before you change anything
- Take a screenshot of the existing records first. If something stops working, you can put them back.
- Don't delete MX or TXT records unless you know what they're for. They're usually what keeps your email working.
- A domain can only have one SPF record. To allow another sender, add its
include:to the existing record instead of creating a second one.
If your domain uses someone else's nameservers, for example Cloudflare, changes here have no effect: make them with that provider instead. See Pointing your domain at your website and email.