How to Update Your Domain’s Nameservers

Nameservers tell the internet which company answers for your domain, and so where its website and email live. To point your domain to Blue Arctic, you change its nameservers at your registrar, the company where you bought or renew the domain.

Changing nameservers moves all your domain’s DNS records, for website and email, to Blue Arctic. To keep your DNS where it is (for example at Cloudflare) and move only your website, use How to Point a Domain with an A Record instead.

Step 1: Get your Blue Arctic nameservers

1. Open a support ticket from the Client Portal at my.bluearctic.com and ask for the nameservers for your Shared Web Hosting account.
2. Copy the nameservers from our reply exactly, in the order shown, with no https:// or www in front.

The details we sent when your account was set up may also list them. If anything there looks blank or odd, ask us.

Step 2: Find out where your domain is registered

1. Look up your domain at lookup.icann.org. The results name your registrar and your current nameservers. Take a screenshot or write them down, so you can put them back.
2. If Blue Arctic is your registrar, do Step 3, then ask us in a support ticket to handle DNSSEC and change its nameservers.

Step 3: Copy your DNS records to Blue Arctic first

1. Sign in where your DNS is today (usually your registrar or Cloudflare) and take screenshots of all your records.
2. In cPanel, click Websites, then Manage next to your domain, and open the DNS tab. Add or update every record you still need, not only MX and TXT. That includes CNAME records (such as autodiscover) and records for subdomains (such as shop). See How to Add or Edit DNS Records in cPanel.
3. If your email stays with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or another provider, ask us in a support ticket to set your domain’s email routing to Remote Mail Exchanger.
4. If your email is moving to Blue Arctic, create the same email addresses in cPanel now. Changing nameservers doesn’t copy old messages. If we’re migrating your site, ask us about them; otherwise, save anything you need.
5. Stuck, or not sure which records you need? Open a support ticket with your screenshots before you go on.

Step 4: Turn off DNSSEC if it’s on

1. At your registrar, open your domain’s settings and look for DNSSEC.
2. If it’s on, turn it off. Some registrars call this removing the DS record.
3. If you turned it off, wait at least 24 hours before Step 5. Not sure? Ask your registrar or open a support ticket.

Step 5: Change the nameservers at your registrar

1. Sign in to your registrar’s website.
2. Open your list of domains and select the domain.
3. Find the nameserver setting. Registrars name it differently, for example Nameservers, DNS or Manage Domains.
4. Choose the option to use custom nameservers. It may be called “Custom DNS” or “Use my own nameservers”.
5. Remove the old nameserver entries.
6. Enter the Blue Arctic nameservers, one per box, in the order we gave them.
7. Save the change.

How to tell it worked

1. Look up your domain again at lookup.icann.org. The nameservers should match the ones we gave you.
2. Visit your domain in a private browser window. When you see your Blue Arctic site, or no longer see your old one, the change has reached you.
3. Send an email to your domain address from a different account, such as a personal one, and check it arrives where you expect.

Most nameserver changes show within 48 hours, and a few take up to 72. Until then, some visitors may still see your old site, so keep your old hosting and email open. See How Long DNS Changes Take.

Troubleshooting

• The registrar says the nameservers are invalid: check for typos, spaces, a trailing period, or https:// or www, and paste the values again.
• The nameserver setting is greyed out: some registrars block changes while a domain is expired, locked or being transferred. Renew the domain or contact the registrar.
• Nothing loads and email bounces: DNSSEC may still be on. Turn it off at your registrar and open a support ticket.
• Email stopped arriving after the switch: some email records weren’t copied. Add them on the DNS tab from your screenshots, or open a support ticket straight away.
• If your website or email stopped working and you need it back now: put back the old nameservers from your screenshot at your registrar, then open a support ticket.
• The site still shows the old host after 72 hours: check the lookup again. If the nameservers match the ones we gave you, open a support ticket.

Still need help?

Open a support ticket from the Client Portal at my.bluearctic.com. Include your domain, your registrar’s name, a screenshot of the registrar’s nameserver page, the exact error text, and what you already tried. Never include a password.