November 11, 2020
3min Read
Tomas A.
In this article, you are going to learn how to point a domain to a host by changing the domain’s nameservers. This way, you can move your site to another hosting provider while still keeping the old domain name.
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Let’s say you have just moved your site to another hosting provider. However, your domain name stayed with the old hosting company, and it does not direct visitors to your website.
This problem happens because your domain is not connected to the new web host. You have several options on how to solve this issue, but in practice, we only recommend using one method.
You can transfer the domain to the new hosting provider. However, domain transfer usually includes additional charges as the domain will be renewed for another year.
The second option is to update the domain’s DNS A record with your new IP address. Nevertheless, since A records are designed to point to static IP addresses, it’s advisable not to use this method. If the IP changes, your website will stop working until you update the record.
The last method is changing the domain’s nameservers. This is the most recommended option as you can transfer your domain’s DNS control to the new hosting provider without changing your registrar.
Taking all considerations into account, we are going to show you how to change the domain’s nameservers. Note that we will be using Hostinger as an example, but you can use these steps as an example to point your domain to any web host.
First things first, find a list of nameservers from your new hosting provider. The information is usually provided on the company’s documentation page or in the post-purchase email.
If you still can’t find the info, you should contact your hosting provider.
At Hostinger, you can find all DNS-related information in Hosting -> Accounts -> Details.
The list of nameservers often look like this:
ns1.dns-parking.com ns2.dns-parking.com
Web hosts usually provide two or more nameservers. Take note of all these addresses because you’ll need to enter them into your domain registrar’s control panel.
The next step of pointing a domain name to a new host is to replace the domain’s old nameservers. Here’s how to do it:
NOTE: If you see the Create child nameservers field, you can ignore it.
Keep these tips in mind should there be any difference between the number of nameservers and the number of available fields:
Try to look for the registrar’s Help or FAQ page if you still cannot find the menu to set your nameservers. Alternatively, you can ask Customer Support to add the new nameservers for you.
Once the nameservers are set, you need to wait for the changes to take effect. This period is referred to as worldwide DNS propagation.
The process typically takes a few hours, but it can also last up to two days. You might want to flush your DNS cache to speed up the process.
After moving to another web hosting provider, you need to point your domain to a new host to make your site accessible. Luckily, you can easily do that by changing the domain’s nameservers. Simply get the details of your new nameservers, copy it to the domain’s DNS settings, and wait for the DNS to propagate.
April 24 2018
I appreciate the clarification on setting up Nameservers. I have a number of websites up with different hosting companies over the years. This is always a challenge to the person doing this for the first time. I appreciate the simplicity of your approach ... thanx ~bv
January 17 2020
That was quite helpful. it was self explanatory and straight to the point. thanks so much for the information.
February 05 2020
THAT's a good article! Thank you for your simplicity and clarity!
April 17 2020
A client has purchased several domains with one provider, but has a website hosted with another provider. The domains have all been configured to redirect to the main .com for the website, and the nameservers for the main .com domain have been changed to the host nameservers. What is unclear is whether the nameservers for the remaining domains (that are being redirected anyway) need to have their nameservers changed as well to the nameservers of the hosting provider.
May 01 2020
Hi everyone. Thank you for the article. I just registered my domain in namecheap and just want to update my DNS in there (namecheap) so it can point it to my Hostinger address so I can start working on my website here now. How can I do it? I read the article but it is not clear to me. Thank you!
Replied on May 02 2020
Hey, Victor, glad to have you on board. You can follow this tutorial on how to change point your domain to Hostinger.
July 03 2020
Really, this gave me a lot of clarity. I am a new developer and I am stuck with this issue and this man cleared all my doubts. Thank You.
August 17 2020
how to secure your website name or address so no one and take it? is it called domain name? my host is here i have several names under it. sorry im not the tech person.
Replied on November 06 2020
Hey there Herman. In order to secure a domain name you will need to first buy it here. After that just set it up via your Hostinger dashboard, and other people can't take it! :)
October 17 2020
Here I nice experience for my cloud server .
Replied on February 02 2021
Happy to hear that, Riddhi!
December 03 2020
So if you update your registrar's name server configuration for your domain to point to new nameservers, don't you have to somehow remove the domain configuration records from the original nameservers? Or will they just go away automatically?
Replied on February 09 2021
Hi there, Keith! Your nameservers determine where your DNS zone is active. So if your nameservers are pointing to a new provider, the DNS zone from the old provider will have no effect.
December 18 2020
I have a website running on Godaddy, domain name is also from Godaddy. I use Cloudflare for Free SSL certificate. I also have a Hostinger Hosting plan, I want to migrate my website to Hostinger. To do so, I have already moved all the files, crerated and updated the Mysql database info in wp-config. The problem is, since my DNS is managed by Cloudflare, I can't change the Name Servers of my domain name. If I do so, I will loose my SSL cert. Someone in community told me to just update the A records to match that of my Hostinger hosting. I did that as well, but still getting Errr 525. Can you please guide me, as to what should I do so my website migrates successfully? My website is https://pythoncoursesonline.com Cheers
Replied on February 09 2021
Hi there! I see that your website is loading well now, but just in case any other visitor has the same error 525 - please make sure to check your SSL/TLS settings from Cloudflare.com. If you have an SSL cerificate setup from our side, it should be FULL. If you do not have an SSL from our side, the setting on Cloudflare should be FLEXIBLE.
Andrius S.
Replied on April 21 2020
Hey Josh, If you are redirecting the domains to the main one, it is not necessary to change their name servers.