Set your nameservers

Managing records in the panel only does something once your domain is actually using our nameservers. Nameservers are the servers that answer DNS questions about your domain, and the place that decides which nameservers are in charge is your domain registrar (where you bought the domain), not us.

What to do

1. Open the DNS page and pick your domain. The nameserver bar at the top shows the two nameservers to use, for example ns1.twelveinks.com and ns2.twelveinks.com. Use the Copy button.
2. Log in to your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare Registrar, and so on).
3. Find the domain’s nameserver setting. It may be called “Nameservers”, “DNS”, or “Manage DNS”.
4. Choose the option for custom or third-party nameservers, remove the ones already there, and enter the two from the panel.
5. Save. Nothing else needs to change at the registrar.

How long it takes

Registrars pass nameserver changes up to the internet on their own schedule. It is usually quick, but it can take up to a day to be seen everywhere. During that window some people may still reach the old host, so don’t switch off your old service until the new one is answering.

Checking it worked

Once the change has spread, your records from the panel start resolving. You can confirm the domain is pointing at us from the DNS page. Until then, edits you make in the panel are saved but won’t be visible on the public internet.

Common mistakes

• Editing records at the registrar instead of switching nameservers. If the domain still uses the registrar’s nameservers, the records you add here are ignored. Switch the nameservers first.
• Leaving one old nameserver in place. Replace all of them with the two from the panel.
• A typo in the nameserver name. Copy them from the panel rather than typing by hand.