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How to connect a domain to your hosting

To connect a domain to your hosting, point the domain’s DNS at your hosting account. Either change its nameservers to your host’s, or keep your current DNS and add an A record with your hosting IP address. Both values are in your welcome email or client area. Changes can take up to 48 hours to reach every network.

Updated · HostUpIndia team

Nameservers or an A record?

Both make the domain open your hosting. The difference is where the domain’s DNS records live.

  • Change the nameservers when your hosting will run the domain’s DNS. You then manage every record in cPanel. This is the simpler choice for most sites.
  • Add an A record when the DNS stays at your registrar or a DNS provider such as Cloudflare. Only the website moves; email and other records stay as they are.

Add the domain in cPanel first

The domain you signed up with is already set up. Add any other domain in cPanel before you point it; until you do, your hosting has no folder or DNS records for it.

  • Sign in to cPanel and open Domains.
  • Select Create A New Domain.
  • Enter the domain name.
  • Clear Share document root to give the domain its own folder.
  • Select Submit.
  • Upload the site to that folder: how to upload a website in cPanel.

How to change nameservers

Use this when your hosting will run the domain’s DNS.

If the domain has email elsewhere, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, copy its DNS records, such as MX and TXT, into cPanel’s Zone Editor before you switch. Then set cPanel’s Email Routing to Remote Mail Exchanger. Otherwise email can stop when the nameservers change.

  • Find your host’s nameservers in your welcome email or client area. There are usually two or more.
  • Sign in at the registrar where you bought the domain.
  • Turn off DNSSEC for the domain if it is on. Left on, it can stop the domain loading on the new nameservers.
  • Open the domain’s settings and find Nameservers, sometimes under DNS or Manage DNS.
  • Choose custom nameservers.
  • Replace the current nameservers with your host’s, one per field.
  • Save the change.

How to point a domain with an A record

Use this to keep your DNS where it is and move only the website.

  • Find your hosting IP address in your welcome email or client area. cPanel also shows it under General Information.
  • Sign in where your DNS is managed: your registrar or your DNS provider.
  • Open the DNS records for the domain.
  • Note the current records, in case you need to switch back.
  • Set the A record for @, the domain itself, to your hosting IP address.
  • Delete any other A or AAAA record for @ that points to an old server.
  • Add a CNAME record for www with your domain as its value, such as example.com, in place of any old www record.
  • Leave the MX and TXT records as they are, so email keeps working. What is an MX record?
  • Save the changes.

How long DNS propagation takes

A new A record usually works within minutes to a few hours. A nameserver change can take 24 to 48 hours to reach every network. Seeing DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN meanwhile? See how to fix it.

  • Look up the domain with a DNS lookup tool, or run dig example.com A in a terminal (nslookup example.com on Windows).
  • Check that it returns your hosting IP address.
  • Check the nameservers with dig example.com NS (nslookup -type=NS example.com on Windows).
  • If you still see the old site, open it in a private window or on another network.

Turn on free SSL

Once the domain points to your hosting, cPanel’s AutoSSL can issue a free certificate for it and renew it on its own.

AutoSSL checks each name, so point www to your hosting too, or the certificate leaves it out.

  • Wait until a DNS lookup returns your hosting IP address.
  • In cPanel, open SSL/TLS Status.
  • Select Run AutoSSL.
  • Open your site with https:// and check that it loads without a warning.

HostUpIndia Web & cPanel Hosting

HostUpIndia Web & cPanel Hosting includes cPanel, free SSL, LiteSpeed, NVMe storage, terminal (SSH) access, the AI Website Builder and daily backups kept 30 days. Plans start at ₹49 a month on 3-year billing. Prices exclude 18% GST.

  • Moving from another host? The in-house team moves your site for you: free website migration.
  • Need a hand with DNS? Support tickets and email are received 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and WhatsApp is open for questions from 10 am to 7 pm IST, Monday to Saturday.
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