Manually connect a custom domain

In addition to the Webflow staging subdomain (e.g., yoursite.webflow.io), you can publish your site to any custom domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) or subdomain (e.g., subdomain.yourdomain.com) you own. Using a custom domain or subdomain promotes your brand, increases SEO discoverability, and makes it easier for people to find and remember your site. 

Before you get started: Add a Site plan to your Webflow site, and make sure you own the domain you want to connect. If you’re moving your domain to Webflow from another hosting service, reset your DNS settings (i.e., delete any previously set A and CNAME records) to minimize and even eliminate issues or conflicts that might require troubleshooting later.

‍Note: If you want to buy a domain and connect it directly to your Webflow site, check out our lesson on buying a custom domain. Or, if you already own your custom domain and want to connect it to Webflow and automatically set your DNS records, check out our lesson on Quick connecting a custom domain.

In this lesson, you’ll learn: 

1. How to connect your custom domain
2. How to set your DNS records
3. How to set the default domain
4. How to confirm your domain is pointing to Webflow
5. How to verify and publish your site
6. FAQ and troubleshooting tips

How to connect your custom domain

Note: If you want to connect your custom domain to Webflow and automatically set your DNS records, check out our lesson on Quick connecting a custom domain.

To find and connect your custom domain: 

1. Go to Site settings > Publishing tab > Production 
2. Click Add a custom domain
3. Choose Manually add domain
4. Enter the domain you want to connect with Webflow (e.g., yourdomain.com) 
5. Click Add domain

These steps connect both the root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) and the www subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com) to your site.

Important: Your default domain should be set to the www subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com). Setting the root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) as the default requires a different setup for your DNS records. Learn more about setting the root domain as the default domain on SSL hosting. 

‍Note: DNS changes may take up to 48 hours to propagate in all geolocations as the DNS cache expires, although this typically occurs within a few hours.

How to set your DNS records

Note: If you want to connect your custom domain to Webflow and automatically set your DNS records, check out our lesson on Quick connecting a custom domain.

To update your DNS records, you’ll need to access your domain’s DNS settings in your domain registrar or DNS host’s dashboard. Every DNS provider has their own process for updating DNS records. We recommend reading the documentation of your DNS provider and contacting their help desk for assistance with their interface and settings if needed. Check out this list of DNS providers and links to their documentation on updating DNS settings. 

Important: To connect your domain to Webflow, you must use a DNS provider that offers the ability to create TXT records. If your DNS provider does not offer this feature, you can point your domain nameservers (NS records) to a service such as Cloudflare so you can manage your DNS records there. Learn more about connecting a custom domain with Cloudflare.

DNS records for SSL hosting (recommended) 

Important: The DNS records you’ll need to point your domain to your Webflow site differ depending on whether SSL is enabled or disabled on your site. Each time you enable or disable SSL on a Webflow-hosted site, you’ll need to update your DNS records. SSL is enabled by default on all Webflow sites created after November 14th, 2018. Learn more about enabling and disabling SSL. 

To point your custom domain to your Webflow site when SSL is enabled: 

1. Go to Site settings > Publishing tab > Production (you’ll need to copy the necessary DNS records from here) 
2. Go to the DNS settings for your custom domain (in your domain registrar or DNS host’s dashboard) 
3. Create an A record with the hostname @ and the value 75.2.70.75 
4. Create an A record with the hostname @ and the value 99.83.190.102 
5. Create a CNAME record with the hostname www and the value proxy-ssl.webflow.com
6. Create a TXT record with the hostname _webflow and the value shown in Site settings beginning with “one-time-verification=” (e.g., “one-time-verification=01ab2345-cd67e-89f0-11gh-12i13456j789k”) 

Note: Some DNS providers prefer that you set the root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) as the hostname instead of @. Some DNS providers prefer that you set the www subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com) as the hostname instead of www. Additionally, some DNS providers require a trailing dot at the end of CNAME records (e.g., proxy-ssl.webflow.com.). We recommend that you check your DNS provider’s documentation to confirm their preferences and requirements. Check out this list of DNS providers and links to their documentation on updating DNS settings. 

Important: Some DNS providers only allow you to add a single A record. Webflow uses 2 different A records to help with load balancing and redundancy — that way, if the primary server (one of the IPs) goes down, there’s a backup server to serve your site and avoid any downtime or outages. In cases where you’re unable to add both A records with your DNS provider, we recommend pointing your domain nameservers (NS records) to a service such as Cloudflare so you can manage your DNS records there. Learn more about connecting a custom domain with Cloudflare.

DNS records for non-SSL hosting (not recommended) 

Important: SSL is enabled by default on all Webflow sites created after November 14th, 2018. We strongly advise against disabling SSL, as sites that don’t use SSL may be labeled “not secure” by some browsers, strongly discouraging people from visiting your site. For security, you cannot disable SSL on sites with Users, Ecommerce, or Logic enabled. Learn more about enabling and disabling SSL.

To point your custom domain to your Webflow site when SSL is disabled: 

1. Go to Site settings > Publishing tab > Production (you’ll need to copy the necessary DNS records from here) 
2. Open the DNS settings for your custom domain (in your domain registrar or DNS host’s dashboard) 
3. Create an A record with the hostname @ and the value 23.235.33.229
4. Create an A record with the hostname @ and the value 104.156.81.229 
5. Create a CNAME record with the hostname www and the value proxy.webflow.com 
6. Create a TXT record with the hostname _webflow and the value shown in Site settings beginning with “one-time-verification=” (e.g., “one-time-verification=01ab2345-cd67e-89f0-11gh-12i13456j789k”) 

Note: Some DNS providers prefer that you set the root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) as the hostname instead of @. Some DNS providers also require a trailing dot at the end of CNAME records (e.g., proxy-ssl.webflow.com.). Additionally, some DNS providers prefer that you set the www subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com) as the hostname instead of www. We recommend that you check your DNS provider’s documentation to confirm their preferences and requirements. Check out this list of DNS providers and links to their documentation on updating DNS settings. 

Important: Some DNS providers only allow you to add a single A record. Webflow uses 2 different A records to help with load balancing and redundancy — that way, if the primary server (one of the IPs) goes down, there will be a backup server to serve your site and avoid any downtime or outages. In cases where you’re unable to add both A records with your DNS provider, we recommend pointing your domain nameservers (NS records) to a service such as Cloudflare so you can manage your DNS records there. Learn more about connecting a custom domain with Cloudflare.

How to set the default domain

If you’ve connected more than one domain to your site, you’ll need to set a default domain to redirect all traffic from other domains to the default domain. This helps to avoid SEO penalties due to duplicate content. 

To set the default domain: 

1. Open Site settings > Publishing tab > Production
2. Click Make default next to the www subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com)

Important: The default domain on SSL hosting must be served on a domain that has a CNAME record, so you’ll need to set the www subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com) as the default domain. If you’d like to set the root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) as the default, this is possible, but requires a different setup for your DNS records. Learn more about setting the root domain as the default on SSL hosting. 

Note: If you add a new domain or subdomain to your site after you’ve already set a default domain, the new domain or subdomain won’t appear within the publish menu. To resolve this, go to Site settings > Publishing tab > Production and click Make default next to the default domain. Then, publish your site to the new domain or subdomain and set the default domain again. 

How to confirm your domain is pointing to Webflow

To verify that your DNS settings are correct and that your domain is pointing to your Webflow site, go to Site settings > Publishing tab > Production and click Check status under your domain name. 

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate in all geolocations as the DNS cache expires, although this typically occurs within a few hours. If your site verification doesn’t work right away, you can return later to check the status again. 

If your DNS records are live and pointing to Webflow, and you’re still experiencing issues with domain verification after 2 days, please contact Webflow’s customer support team.

How to verify and publish your site

Important: To verify your domain, you must use a DNS provider that offers the ability to create TXT records. If your DNS provider does not offer this feature, you can point your domain nameservers (NS records) to a service such as Cloudflare so you can manage your DNS records there. Learn more about connecting a custom domain with Cloudflare.

Before you can publish your site, you’ll need to verify ownership of any custom domains you’ve connected to Webflow. By following the steps above to set your DNS records, you’ll create a TXT record in your DNS settings with a one-time verification code to confirm that you own the connected domain. 

To complete the verification process and publish your site from Site settings: 

1. Click Verify domain
2. Wait for the “Custom domain verified” confirmation message
3. Click Publish to open the publish menu
4. Check the domain(s) to which you want to publish your site
5. Click Publish to selected domains

Note: If your custom domain was transferred between sites in your Workspace during a hosting transfer, you don’t need to re-verify the domain before publishing.

Important: If you add a new domain or subdomain to your site after you’ve already set a default domain, the new domain or subdomain won’t appear within the publish menu. To resolve this, go to Site settings > Publishing tab > Production and click Make default next to the default domain. Then, publish your site to the new domain or subdomain and set the default domain again. 

Learn more about publishing your site.

FAQ and troubleshooting tips

Does Webflow have any top-level domain (TLD) restrictions? 

Webflow doesn’t have any top-level domain (TLD) restrictions as long as the domain is visible in public DNS and you can connect the domain to domain nameservers (NS records) and create A and CNAME records. 

I connected my custom domain to Webflow but my site isn’t live yet. What’s going on? 

While most DNS providers try to update your DNS records as fast as possible, many factors impact how long it takes for your site to appear on your custom domain, including TTL (time to live) and internet service providers. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate in all geolocations, although this typically occurs within a few hours, so it may be a matter of waiting a bit longer for the site to “come online.” 

You can double-check that your DNS records are correct and view the propagation status using a tool like whatsmydns. It may also help to clear your browser cache to ensure you’re loading the latest version of your domain.

If your site isn’t appearing on your custom domain after 48 hours, please troubleshoot your DNS settings or contact your domain provider’s help desk. If your DNS settings are correct but you’re still experiencing issues with your published site, please contact Webflow’s customer support team.

What should I do if my DNS provider doesn’t accept @ as the hostname? 

Try entering the root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) as the hostname instead of @. Some DNS providers prefer this method. We recommend that you check your DNS provider’s documentation to confirm their preferences and requirements. Check out this list of DNS providers and links to their documentation on updating DNS settings. 

Why is my new domain not showing up in the publishing menu? 

If you add a new domain or subdomain after you’ve already set a default domain, the new domain or subdomain won’t appear in the publishing menu. To resolve this, open Site settings > Publishing tab > Production and click the “Make default” button next to the domain previously set as the default. Then, publish your site to the new domain or subdomain, and set the default domain again. 

Why is there a “too many redirects” error on my site? 

Double-check that the default domain is set to the www subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com). Setting the root domain as the default without adjusting your DNS settings can cause unexpected behavior, including redirect loops that cause the “too many redirects” error and prevent people and site crawlers from reaching your site. Learn more about setting the root domain as the default domain on SSL hosting. 

Can I connect more than one domain to my site? 

You can add up to 50 custom domains to a site at a time. If you wish to use more than 50 domains, we recommend using a domain forwarding system.

Using multiple domains can also help redirect old domains to a new domain. To do this, connect all of the domains (old and new!) to your site, and set the new domain as the default. This ensures that all domains connected to your site are redirected to the new domain. Learn more about setting a default domain. 

Why do I need to set a default domain? 

Setting a default domain helps to avoid penalties from Google for having duplicate content on the web. Additionally, not setting a default domain or setting the root domain as the default can cause unexpected behavior such as loading issues in some geolocations and problems with site crawling due to excessive redirects.

Is my site published to all domains I connect to my site? 

When you publish your site, the site is published to all connected domains and subdomains that are checked in the publishing menu. If you’ve set a default domain, the site will be published to that domain, and all other domains will redirect to that default URL. If you don’t want to publish your site to all of your connected domains, you can open the publish menu and uncheck any domains to which you don’t want to publish. 

Can I publish different pages to different domains or subdomains? 

It’s not possible to publish specific pages to specific domains or subdomains. If you need to publish different pages to different domains or subdomains, you’ll need to set up separate sites for each page. You’ll also need to add a separate Site plan to each site and add the specific custom domain(s) or subdomain(s) to each site.

Is SSL enabled for my site? 

SSL is enabled by default for sites created after November 14th, 2018. If your site was created before that date, you can enable SSL by opening Site settings > Publishing tab > Advanced publishing options, toggling Enable SSL to “on,” and clicking Save changes.

Important: Every time you disable or enable SSL on a Webflow-hosted site, you’ll need to update your DNS records. Learn more about DNS records for SSL and non-SSL hosting. 

Can I turn SSL off? 

You can switch SSL off, but we strongly advise against doing so. Sites that don’t use SSL may be labeled “not secure” by some browsers, discouraging people from visiting your site. Learn more about enabling and disabling SSL. 

For security, you cannot disable SSL on sites with Users, Ecommerce, or Logic enabled.

Important: Every time you disable or enable SSL on a Webflow-hosted site, you’ll need to update your DNS records. Learn more about DNS records for SSL and non-SSL hosting. 

Can I add a custom domain with special characters?

Webflow supports Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) and domains with special characters (e.g., ä, ê, ó) in Punycode format. You can use a tool like Verisign to convert your custom domain to Punycode, though keep in mind that it doesn’t always work.

‍Note: Punycode format is only needed to add the custom domain with special characters to your site. A site visitor who types your domain with its special characters into their browser will still be able to visit your site.