How do I change my DNS or Name Servers?

For people to find your website, you will need to configure DNS and set name servers. You can either use HostGator's name servers or use third-party name servers. Either way, you must configure them so your domain works with your HostGator web hosting account.

• Option 1: Use HostGator name servers ⤵
  • Step 1: Locate your HostGator name servers ⤵
  • Step 2: Change your name servers ⤵
• Option 2: Use Non-HostGator name servers ⤵

Setting up name servers is an essential feature of domain management. For this, we created our consolidated guide of domain-related articles that you can use. Please see the article Domain Overview.

For our go-to articles for managing your domains, please check out the Domain How-To's articles.

Option 1: Use HostGator name servers (Recommended)

The recommended route for most customers is to use HostGator's name servers since they are automatically configured to work with HostGator web hosting accounts.

Step 1: Locate your HostGator name servers

The first step would be determining which name servers you should use for your HostGator hosting account. This varies by server and hosting type. Here are ways to check your hosting account's name servers. Please take note of these name servers.

• In your Order Confirmation email ⤵
• In your Customer Portal ⤵

In your Order Confirmation email

Regardless of the hosting plan you purchased from HostGator, a HostGator Order Confirmation or Welcome email will be sent to your primary email address on file. You can use these name servers on all sites you want to host with your HostGator account. The Order Confirmation email is similar to the sample image below.

In your Customer Portal

To find your name servers in your Customer Portal:

1. Log in to your Customer Portal.
   You will be asked for your billing email address and password to access any domains attached to that billing account.
2. Once logged in, click on Domains on the left-hand menu.

   

3. Locate the domain you want to update the name servers.
4. Scroll down to the Advanced Tools section to find your name servers.

   

For more information on how to find out your name servers, please read the article: What are my name servers?

Step 2: Change your name servers

The domain was purchased from HostGator

1. Go to the Customer Portal. You will be asked for your billing email address and password to access any domains attached to that billing account.
2. Once logged in, click Domains on the left-side menu.

   

3. Locate the domain you wish to update the name servers.
4. Scroll down to the Advanced Tools section.

   

5. Click the Manage beside Name servers (DNS).

   

6. Click Continue on the popup screen.

   

7. Enter the HostGator name servers you got from Step #1.

   

For more information on changing name servers for domains registered with HostGator, please refer to the following article.

• Change name servers for domains registered with HostGator

The domain was NOT purchased from HostGator

If you did NOT purchase your domain from us, we cannot change the name servers because we don't control the domain. Please contact the company where you registered the domain and ask how to make the name server updates on their systems.

Some registrars may call these nameservers or name servers when you are looking for information on how to make this change. (Most domain registrars have their own tool, so you can do this yourself.)

To point your domain to HostGator, you need to replace your current registrar's name servers with HostGator name servers you got from Step #1.

To make things easier, we have compiled instructions from popular registrars. 

• 1&1
• Bluehost
• Domain.com
• Enom.com
• FastDomain
• GoDaddy
• Hover
• Launchpad
• Name.com
• Network Solutions
• Public Domain Registry (PDR)
• Register.com
• Registry Rocket (Enom Resellers)
• Tucows
• Wild West Domains

These instructions are up-to-date as of the day we posted them. However, some registrars frequently change their website and may use different terms (such as referring to your name servers as name servers), so expect variations from the instructions provided.

Option 2: Use name servers elsewhere (Advanced)

For some advanced users, it may be desirable to use different name servers (registrar instructions provided above. This requires more maintenance since it is not automatically updated like HostGator name servers are. If you wish to point your domain to HostGator while using third-party name servers, you will need to manage your domains' DNS records and point them to HostGator. For more details on how to do this, read the following article:

• How to point my domain to HostGator when using DNS elsewhere

Please note, if only the name servers were changed and no customization is done on a domain's DNS records at the host where the name servers are pointed, then all DNS records will automatically point to that name server's hosting provider. For example, a domain using Google's name servers without customizing the DNS records at Google will automatically point (host) that domain to Google.