Connecting a custom domain | Cloudflare

Some DNS providers limit the configurations they provide, such as only accepting a single A record, or not supporting SSL on the root domain. For more flexibility, you can point your custom domain to a third-party DNS provider, like Cloudflare. 

Before you get started: Create an account with Cloudflare and add your site. Learn more about adding a site to Cloudflare.

In this lesson: 

1. How to point your Cloudflare domain to Webflow with the www subdomain as the default
2. How to point your Cloudflare domain to Webflow with the root domain as the default 
3. FAQ and troubleshooting tips

Important: Webflow hosting is not compatible with the Cloudflare proxy. To avoid issues with SSL provisioning and renewal on your custom domain, you’ll need to set the proxy status of your DNS records to DNS Only in Cloudflare.

How to point your Cloudflare domain to Webflow with the www subdomain as the default: 

1. Direct NS records from your registrar to your Cloudflare account – learn more about changing your domain nameservers to Cloudflare
2. Add a CNAME record with the name www and target proxy-ssl.webflow.com
3. Click the proxy status switch to set the proxy status to DNS only 
4. Set the TTL to auto
5. Add two A records with the name @ and targets of 75.2.70.75 and 99.83.190.102
6. Click the proxy status switch to set the proxy status on each of your A records to DNS Only 
7. Set the TTL on each of your A records to auto 
8. Log in to Webflow and open Site settings > Publishing tab
9. Add your custom domain to Webflow 
10. Set the www subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com) as the default domain
11. Scroll down to Advanced publishing options and make sure SSL is enabled 
12. Publish your site

Note: If you already manage your custom domain with Cloudflare, you can use the Quick connect domain option to point your Cloudflare domain to Webflow and set your DNS records automatically.

How to point your Cloudflare domain to Webflow with the root domain as the default: 

1. Direct NS records from your registrar to your Cloudflare account – learn more about changing your domain nameservers to Cloudflare
2. Add a CNAME record with the name www and target proxy-ssl.webflow.com
3. Click the proxy status switch to set the proxy status to DNS only
4. Set the TTL to auto
5. Delete any A records set on the root domain from your DNS settings
6. Add a CNAME record with the name @ and target proxy-ssl.webflow.com
7. Click the proxy status switch to set the proxy status to DNS only 
8. Set the TTL to auto
9. Log in to Webflow and open Site settings > Publishing tab
10. Add your custom domain to Webflow 
11. Set the root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) as the default domain
12. Scroll down to Advanced publishing options and make sure SSL is enabled 
13. Publish your site

Important: DNS changes may 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 you’re experiencing issues with your custom domain after 2 days, please contact Webflow’s customer support team.  

FAQ and troubleshooting tips

I added my DNS records in Cloudflare but my domain isn’t available 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, 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 live and pointing to Webflow and view the propagation status using a tool like whatsmydns.

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

Help! There’s a “525 Handshake Error” from Cloudflare on my domain. 

Double-check that your DNS records are set to DNS Only in Cloudflare. To set your records to DNS Only, click the “orange cloud” icons next to each record in your Cloudflare DNS settings. 

Webflow hosting is not compatible with the Cloudflare proxy, particularly because the Cloudflare proxy causes issues with SSL provisioning and renewal. The “525 Handshake Error” will occur when SSL provisioning or renewal is attempted, as the Cloudflare proxy sits in front of the Webflow DNS records used for domain validation, breaking the provisioning process. 

If you need to continue using the Cloudflare proxy, you may toggle the proxy off to allow for SSL renewal and toggle the proxy back on. However, we recommend against this as a long-term solution, because the issue will continue to occur whenever the SSL certificate is up for renewal (approximately every 90 days).

‍Additional resources: 

• Troubleshoot your DNS settings
• Too many redirects error