How to Change Nameservers for Domains (Point to Another Provider)
In this article, you are going to learn how to point a domain to a web hosting by changing the domain’s nameservers. This way, you can move your site to another hosting provider while still keeping the old domain name.
Watch Our Video Tutorial
Tired of reading? Find out how to change nameservers at Hostinger to correctly point your domain to the hosting provider in this video tutorial.
Pointing a Domain to a Host
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 domain renewal price depends on the TLD you are using. For .com it is $13.99/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.
How to Change Your Domain’s Nameserver?
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.
1. Get the New Nameserver Values
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.
2. Apply the New Nameservers Values
The next step of pointing a domain name to Hostinger or a new host is to replace the domain’s old nameservers. Here’s how to do it:
- Login to your domain registrar. Remember, this is the place where you bought your domain.
- Look for the option to set your domain’s nameservers. Every registrar has a different way of doing this. However, in general, you can find the appropriate settings on the menu called Domain Management, or Domain Overview, or something along those lines.
- In hPanel, go to Domains -> [your domain name] -> DNS / Nameservers. Expand Change Nameservers and select the Change nameservers option.
You should see several fields, such as Nameserver 1 (primary nameserver), Nameserver 2 (secondary nameserver), that will most likely be filled with Hostinger’s default nameservers. - Enter the nameservers into the appropriate fields. For example, a nameserver that begins with ns1 should be put into the Nameserver 1 field, if it starts with ns2 to Nameserver 2, and so on.
Pro Tip
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:
- If your hosting provider only gives you two nameservers, but your registrar provides you with four or more fields, enter the first two, leaving the other ones empty.
- If your hosting provider gives you three nameservers, but your registrar only allows you to enter two, use the first two nameservers.
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.
3. Wait for DNS Propagation
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.
Conclusion
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.
Comments
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.
April 21 2020
Hey Josh, If you are redirecting the domains to the main one, it is not necessary to change their name servers.
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!
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.
November 06 2020
Hey there Herman. In order to secure a domain name you will need to first purchase it using a domain checker. 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 .
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?
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
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.
April 14 2021
Thanks for this write up, it was concise and clear enough for even a newbie to know exactly what to do.
April 26 2021
Hi Emmanuel, Glad to hear it was helpful :)
May 03 2021
What a fantastic resource. Thanks for writing.
February 04 2022
I have two current email addresses.....one of them is with a service provider ( Anything Email ) who has just informed me that they "are no longer accepting domain renewals. Please transfer your domain to another provider if you wish to renew it." Can you please advise how i can transfer my domain? If I don't renew it, by May of this year, I will lose all my contact info and stored emails
February 04 2022
Hi there! You can find a full guide on how to transfer your domain to Hostinger over here :)
September 06 2022
Hi there! does Hostinger support .co.com domains and would the process here be the same to change server names and point to hostinger instead. Thanks
September 09 2022
Hey there! At the moment, we do not register .co.com domains, however if you have this TLD registered elsewhere, there's no need to worry as you can still use it at Hostinger! All you have to do is point it to our nameservers at your current domain provider 😊
December 07 2022
I am using CDN on one of my subdomains. How can I change nameservers of subdomain only?
December 09 2022
Hey! A subdomain is not a separate domain, it's still part of the main domain, hence it shares the DNS zone and the nameservers of the domain, hence you would need to point the subdomain via A records to the CDN or your desired hosting services.
December 23 2022
So, once change the nameservers and the new nameservers have the DNS Zone, should you be able to add CNAME and TXT with the new nameservers? I can do this with BigCommerce, Domain is on GoDaddy and nameservers point to Bigcommerce and I can create create records within BigCommerce. I try to do the same with Network Solutions who automatically create DNS records but give me no option to add any CNAME or TXT records. If I move DNS back to GoDaddy nameservers, it breaks my SSL issued and hosted on Network Solutions platform. NS supports says they have no way to give us access to add records or to add the records for is. Seems odd I can do it one place but not another. Ideas? Thanks in advance
January 02 2023
Hi! Your DNS zone is managed where the domain's nameservers are pointed, hence if you point your domain to BigCommerce's nameservers, you will need to add all of your DNS records in your DNS zone at BigCommerce, as your DNS zone at GoDaddy (where the domain was registered) is currently inactive, as it's not pointing to GoDaddy's nameservers. So, if you want to add CNAME and TXT records, you will need to do it at BigCommerce. Once the DNS records are added, please allow up to 24 hours for them to propagate fully.