How to Add or Change a DNS Record

Overview

DNS records control where different parts of your domain point and how services connected to your domain work.

You may occasionally be asked to add or change a DNS record when:

• Connecting your domain to a website or service

• Verifying domain ownership

• Setting up email

• Adding a subdomain

• Moving a website

• Connecting a third-party service

If your domain's DNS is managed through your Have Freedom Hosting account, you can manage many DNS records directly through cPanel's Zone Editor.

This guide explains how to make common DNS changes safely.

Before You Begin

Before changing a DNS record, make sure you know:

• The domain you're changing

• The type of record you need

• The name or hostname

• The value the record should contain

• Why the record is being added or changed

The service you're connecting should provide the specific DNS information you need.

Don't guess DNS values. If a service tells you to add a specific record, use the exact information it provides.

Where Is My DNS Managed?

Before making any changes, determine where your domain's DNS is actually managed.

If your domain uses Have Freedom Hosting's nameservers, you can generally manage its DNS through cPanel.

If your domain uses nameservers belonging to another provider, changes made in your Have Freedom Hosting cPanel Zone Editor may not control the domain's public DNS.

For example:

Domain → Third-party nameservers → Third-party DNS

In that situation, DNS changes need to be made through the provider managing your DNS.

If you're unsure, contact Have Freedom Hosting Support before making changes.

Managing DNS Through cPanel

If your domain's DNS is managed through your Have Freedom Hosting account, you can use Zone Editor in cPanel.

Open Zone Editor

1. Log in to cPanel.

2. Locate the Domains section.

3. Select Zone Editor.

4. Find the domain you want to manage.

cPanel's Zone Editor provides access to the DNS records associated with your domain.

Depending on your hosting account's configuration, you may see shortcuts for common record types such as:

• A

• CNAME

• MX

You can select Manage next to the domain to view and manage the full DNS zone.

The exact options available in your cPanel account depend on the features enabled for your hosting package.

Understanding the Zone Editor

When you select Manage, cPanel displays the DNS records associated with the selected domain.

You may see information such as:

• Name — The hostname the record applies to

• TTL — How long the record can be cached

• Type — The type of DNS record

• Record — The destination or information stored in the record

• Actions — Options to edit or delete the record

You can also filter the records to make it easier to find a particular hostname or record type.

Adding a DNS Record

To add a record in Zone Editor:

1. Open cPanel → Domains → Zone Editor.

2. Find the domain you want to modify.

3. Select Manage.

4. Select Add Record.

5. Choose the appropriate record type.

6. Enter the information provided by the service you're configuring.

7. Save the record.

Depending on the type of record, cPanel will present the appropriate fields.

For example, an A record requires an IPv4 address, while an MX record requires a destination and priority.

Common DNS Record Types

A Record

An A record points a hostname to an IPv4 address.

For example:

Type:    A
Name:    example.com
Address: 203.0.113.25

A records are commonly used to point websites toward a hosting server.

Use the IP address provided by the service you're connecting.

AAAA Record

An AAAA record performs a similar function to an A record but uses an IPv6 address.

For example:

Type:    AAAA
Name:    example.com
Address: 2001:db8::1

You generally only need to add an AAAA record when the service you're configuring provides an IPv6 address for that purpose.

CNAME Record

A CNAME record points one hostname to another hostname.

For example:

Type:   CNAME
Name:   www
Target: example.com

CNAME records are commonly used for:

• www subdomains

• Third-party services

• Website verification

• Other services that provide a hostname rather than an IP address

A CNAME should point to a hostname, not an IP address.

MX Record

An MX record tells mail servers where email for your domain should be delivered.

An MX record includes a priority and a mail server destination.

For example:

Type:       MX
Name:       example.com
Priority:   10
Destination: mail.example.com

The exact values depend on your email provider.

Be especially careful when changing MX records. Incorrect MX records can prevent email from being delivered.

TXT Record

A TXT record contains text-based information associated with your domain.

TXT records are commonly used for:

• Domain verification

• SPF

• DKIM

• DMARC

• Third-party service verification

• Other security and configuration requirements

TXT records can contain long values and may look complicated.

Copy the value exactly as provided by the service you're configuring.

Other DNS Record Types

Depending on your account and the services enabled by Have Freedom Hosting, Zone Editor may also provide other record types, including:

• CAA

• SRV

• DMARC

• Other supported DNS records

You generally don't need to create these unless a service specifically instructs you to.

If you're not sure what a record does, don't change it simply because it looks unfamiliar.

Editing an Existing DNS Record

If the record already exists, you may need to edit it rather than create another one.

To edit a record:

1. Open cPanel → Domains → Zone Editor.

2. Select Manage next to the appropriate domain.

3. Locate the record.

4. Select Edit.

5. Make the required change.

6. Save the record.

Before changing an existing record, make sure you understand what it currently does.

For example, an existing A record may be directing your website to its current hosting server.

Changing it could move your website somewhere else.

Deleting a DNS Record

Zone Editor also allows you to delete DNS records.

However, you should be careful when doing so.

A record you don't recognize may be required for:

• Your website

• Email

• SSL certificates

• Domain verification

• A third-party application

• A subdomain

• Another service

Don't delete a DNS record simply because you don't recognize it.

If you're unsure what a record does, contact Have Freedom Hosting Support before removing it.

Email-Related DNS Records

If you're using Have Freedom Hosting for email, cPanel provides several tools that can help with your email configuration.

Email Accounts

Use cPanel → Email → Email Accounts to create and manage email accounts associated with your hosting account.

From there, you can also access the available connection information for an email account.

Email Deliverability

cPanel's Email Deliverability tool can help identify and manage important email authentication records, including SPF and DKIM-related configuration.

If you're having trouble with email delivery, this is a useful place to check before manually changing records.

Don't manually replace email-related DNS records unless you know what you're changing or have been instructed to do so.

Adding a Record for a Subdomain

DNS records can also be used for subdomains.

For example:

blog.example.com

When using Zone Editor, cPanel allows you to specify the hostname for the record.

For a subdomain such as blog.example.com, the record name may be entered as:

blog.example.com

or handled using the format expected by the cPanel interface.

Follow the format shown in your Zone Editor rather than assuming that every DNS provider uses the same format.

Don't Create Duplicate Records Without Checking

It's tempting to simply add another record when something isn't working.

That isn't always the right solution.

For example, if an A record already exists for your website, adding another A record with an unrelated destination may create unexpected results.

Before adding a new record:

1. Check whether a record for that hostname already exists.

2. Determine what the existing record does.

3. Compare it with the instructions you're following.

4. Decide whether the existing record should be changed or whether a new record is actually required.

If you're unsure, ask for help.

DNS Changes May Take Time

DNS changes aren't always visible immediately.

DNS information is cached by systems throughout the internet, so a change made in Zone Editor may take some time to become visible everywhere.

During this period, you may see situations such as:

• Your website works for you but not someone else.

• An old website is still appearing.

• A new subdomain isn't working yet.

• Email behaves differently between networks.

• A third-party service still reports that a record is missing.

Avoid repeatedly changing the same record while waiting for the first change to take effect.

Checking Your Changes

After making a DNS change, test the service you were configuring.

For example:

Website

Visit your domain in a browser.

Subdomain

Visit the new subdomain.

Email

Send and receive a test message.

Domain Verification

Return to the service that requested the DNS record and complete its verification process.

If the change doesn't appear to be working, verify the record before making additional changes.

Common Problems

"I Added the Record but Nothing Changed"

Check that:

• You changed DNS in the correct location.

• The record was saved.

• The record type is correct.

• The hostname is correct.

• The value is correct.

• Enough time has passed for the change to become visible.

"The Service Says My DNS Record Is Missing"

Double-check the instructions from the service you're connecting.

Pay particular attention to whether they expect:

example.com

or:

www.example.com

or simply:

www

Different DNS management systems may display or request hostnames differently.

"My Website Stopped Working"

If you changed an A, AAAA, CNAME, or nameserver configuration, your website may now be pointing somewhere different.

Review the change you made.

If you're unsure what happened, contact support rather than continuing to change records.

"My Email Stopped Working"

Check your MX records and other email-related DNS records.

If you recently changed nameservers or moved DNS management, make sure your email provider's required records are still present.

If you're using Have Freedom Hosting email, also check cPanel → Email → Email Deliverability for available email authentication information.

Keep Track of Important Changes

If you're making several DNS changes, it's helpful to keep a simple record of what you've changed.

For example:

Date: October 6
Domain: example.com
Record: CNAME
Name: www
Old Value: old.example.com
New Value: new.example.com
Reason: Website migration

This can make troubleshooting much easier later.

Need Help?

DNS is an important part of your hosting account, but you don't need to be an expert to use it.

If you're unsure about a DNS record or don't know what needs to be changed, contact Have Freedom Hosting Support before making the change.

When asking for help, provide:

• Your domain name

• What you're trying to accomplish

• The service you're connecting

• The DNS record type

• The instructions you were given

• Any changes you've already made

• Any error message you're receiving

Never send your passwords or other sensitive account credentials.

We're happy to help you understand what needs to be changed.