How do I register my nameservers?

“Register nameservers” can mean two different things: assigning a provider's existing nameservers to your domain, or registering custom child nameservers such as ns1.example.com at your registrar. Use the steps that match the names your hosting provider gave you.

Using your provider's nameservers

1. Find the exact nameserver hostnames in your provider's welcome email or account panel.
2. Sign in to the company where the domain is registered and open its nameserver or DNS delegation settings.
3. Replace the current nameservers with the provider's values and save the change.
4. Keep a copy of the previous DNS records until you confirm the website and email work as expected.

The registrar's menu names vary. Do not use sample nameserver values from an unrelated tutorial.

Registering custom child nameservers

If you want branded names such as ns1.example.com, the registrar may require you to create host or child-nameserver records and associate them with IP addresses supplied by your hosting provider. Some registrars call this “Register Nameserver” or “Glue Records.” This step is separate from setting your domain's delegation to those nameservers.

Use only the IP addresses and instructions provided for your reseller or hosting account. After the child names are registered, set the domain's nameservers to those names and make sure the authoritative DNS zone contains the required records.

Protect website and email DNS

Before changing nameservers, copy the current DNS zone, including MX records, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, verification TXT records, and subdomains. If DNSSEC is enabled, check whether the registrar's DS record must change with the DNS provider. Missing or mismatched records can interrupt website or email access.

DNS resolvers cache records according to their TTL, so a change may appear at different times for different visitors. See nameservers vs. DNS records and how DNS changes become visible.