How to Add or Edit DNS Records in cPanel

DNS records tell the internet where to send visitors and email for your domain. Your domain’s nameservers decide which company’s DNS is used. If your domain uses Blue Arctic’s nameservers, you edit its records in cPanel, on your domain’s DNS tab. If it uses another company’s, make the change there instead, because edits in cPanel won’t have any effect.

Before you start: check where your DNS is

1. Look up your domain at lookup.icann.org and find the nameservers in the results.
2. If they’re the nameservers we gave you, carry on. If they belong to another company, such as your registrar or Cloudflare, change your records there. If you’re not sure, open a support ticket.

Step 1: Open your domain’s DNS records

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Click Websites in the sidebar, click Manage next to your domain, and open the DNS tab. If you see a Zone Editor icon instead, click it, then Manage next to your domain. Or type DNS in cPanel’s search box (Ctrl+K or Cmd+K). If you can’t find it, open a support ticket and tell us which record you need.
3. Your records are listed in a table, with each record’s name, type and value.

Step 2: Add a record

If you were given @ or a blank host: the record is for your domain itself. For MX records, follow How to Set Up MX Records for Your Email. For SPF, follow How to Set Up SPF, DKIM and DMARC in cPanel. For any other record, open a support ticket with the exact record you were given, and ask us to add it or tell you what to type.

1. On the DNS tab, start a new record and choose its type, for example TXT.
2. In the name (host) box, enter only the host you were given, such as www or _dmarc. Don’t type your domain after it.
3. Fill in the value: an IP address for an A record, a name (never an IP address) for a CNAME record, a priority number and a mail server for an MX record, and the text you were given for a TXT record.
4. If you see a TTL box, leave the number that’s already in it.
5. Save the record.

Step 3: Change a record

1. On the DNS tab, find the record in the table.
2. Copy the record’s current value into a note, so you can put it back if something stops working.
3. Edit the record and change the value.
4. Save the record.

Step 4: Delete a record

1. Copy the record’s name, type and value into a note, so you can add it back.
2. Delete the record.
3. Read the confirmation before you go ahead. Cancel if you’re unsure.

How to tell it worked

The record appears in the table on the DNS tab with the type and value you entered, and its name reads like www.yourdomain.com. If your domain appears twice in the name, edit the record and fix the name. Other networks may keep the old value for a while. A public DNS checker (search for “DNS propagation checker”) shows when the new value has spread. See How Long DNS Changes Take.

Troubleshooting

• Your change has no effect after 48 hours: your domain may use another company’s nameservers. Check at lookup.icann.org (see “Before you start”) and edit the DNS there.
• You can’t find the DNS tab, or the record type you need isn’t offered: open a support ticket and tell us which record you need.
• A service says your TXT record is wrong: edit the record and compare it character by character with the value you were given.
• You changed or deleted a record by mistake: put it back with the values from your note. If you have no note, open a support ticket straight away.

Still need help?

Open a support ticket from the Client Portal at my.bluearctic.com. Include your domain, the record name, type and value you’re trying to add, the exact error text, a screenshot, and what you already tried. Never include a password.