Making DNS Changes to the Domain Bought from HostGator

In this article, we will address how you can manage a domain's DNS within cPanel and manage the name servers in the Customer Portal.

• DNS Zone Functions
• Managing a Domain's Name Servers in the Customer Portal
• Managing a Domain's DNS in cPanel

DNS Zone Functions

The following information will assist you in understanding the purpose of each DNS zone.

For more information on the purpose and use of each DNS record, please refer to the following article:

• What is DNS?

Managing a Domain's Name Servers in the Customer Portal

With domains purchased through HostGator, you may update the domain's name servers directly through the Customer Portal. Please refer to the instructions below to guide you through this process.

1. Log into your Customer Portal.
   If you are unable to login, you can request a reset link to be emailed to you by going here and providing your Customer Portal email address.
2. Click on Domains in the side menu.

   

3. Within Manage Domains, you will see the domains you bought from HostGator along with a quick view of the following domain information:

   

   • Expiration: The domain's expiration date.
   • Renew: Whether or not the domain is set to renew automatically.
   • Lock: The lock status of the domain.
   • Privacy: The privacy protection status of the domain.
     Note: There is a yearly fee associated with Domain Privacy.
4. To manage a domain's Name Servers, click on the domain name or the More button.
5. In the side panel tabs, select Name Servers.
6. Configure the name servers for the domain.
   Automatically point my domain to my hosting account — Select this if you have only 1 hosting package in your account.
   Manually set my name servers — Use this if you wish to point your website to another server or if your hosting plan is with another hosting provider aside from HostGator.

   

7. Click Save Name Servers.
   Note: It takes 24 to 48 hours before name server changes are fully propagated as networks around the world update with your domain's new DNS information. Until then, some traffic may go to the old name server(s). Please be patient once name server changes are made as this is normal.

Managing a Domain's DNS in cPanel

Domain Name Servers MUST be Pointed to HostGator: For the DNS changes within cPanel to properly work, the domain must be using HostGator's name servers or private name servers registered with HostGator IPs.

If you need to update individual DNS for your domain, this article will address how you can manage them within cPanel for your HostGator Shared accounts. For more information on changing DNS Zones for Reseller, WHM, and Plesk accounts, please see Changing DNS Zones (MX, CNAME and A Records).

The following DNS will be covered:

• A Record
  How to Add A Record

  To add A records:

  1. Log into cPanel.
  2. In the Domains section, click Advanced Zone Editor.

     

  3. Select the domain from the drop-down menu that you wish to use.

     

  4. Go to the Add a Record section.
  5. Under the Type drop-down menu, select A.
  6. Enter details in the Name, TTL, and Address fields.
  7. Click Add Record to save. If you scroll down the page, the new record should look like this:

     

• CNAME Record
  How to Add CNAME Record

  To add CNAME records:

  1. Log into cPanel.
  2. In the Domains section, click Advanced Zone Editor.

     

  3. Select the domain from the drop-down menu that you wish to use.

     

  4. Go to the Add a Record section.
  5. Under the Type drop-down menu, select CNAME.
  6. Enter details in the Name, TTL, and CNAME fields.
  7. Click Add Record to save. If you scroll down the page, the new record should look like this:

     

  Note: A commonly used CNAME is for www so that it loads the same website as the main domain name. For example, www.snappygator.com will point to the same website as snappygator.com.
• MX Record
  How to Add MX Record

  To add MX records:

  1. Log into cPanel.
  2. In the Email section, click MX Entry.

     

  3. Select the domain you wish to use from the drop-down menu.

     

     Note: Options Automatically Detect Configuration, Local Mail Exchanger, Backup Mail Exchanger, and Remote Mail Exchanger will be displayed. For more information on which one to use, please see Local, Backup and Remote Mail Exchanger.
  4. Go to the Add New Record section.
  5. Enter the Priority and Destination
     What would happen if two MX Records have the same priority?
     The lowest-numbered priority is the most preferred. If two MX Records have the same priority, the SMTP Sending Server will select one at random to use when delivering emails.
  6. Click Add New Record.

  Note: cPanel is not able to display any record ending with a comment. If you include a comment, cPanel indicates no MX records and that it is defaulting to the main A record, but this is not true. While it is legitimate to have comments at the end of your records, cPanel will not understand.
• SPF Record
  How to Add SPF Record

  To add SPF records:

  1. Log into cPanel.
  2. In the Email section, click Authentication.

     

  3. In the SPF section, you will see the current raw SPF record associated with your account. 
     
  4. You can use the Advanced Settings to update the information. If you opt to make changes, click the Add button.

     

  5. Enter the necessary details (host or IP address) in the pop-up box. Click OK.
  6. Click Update at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
• TXT Record
  How to Add TXT Record

  To add TXT records:

  1. Log into cPanel.
  2. In the Domains section, click Advanced Zone Editor.

     

  3. Select the domain from the drop-down menu that you wish to use.

     

  4. Go to the Add a Record section.
  5. Under the Type drop-down menu, select TXT.
  6. Enter details in the Name, TTL, and TXT Data fields.
  7. Click Add Record to save. If you scroll down the page, the new record should look like this: