How to Create and Edit A, CNAME, MX, and TXT Records in cPanel

To create or edit a DNS record in cPanel, open Zone Editor, choose the domain with Manage, and save the record with the type, name, and value provided by the service you want to connect. First, check that the domain's DNS is managed by that hosting provider: if it's managed by Cloudflare or another provider, make the change there.

You need access to cPanel and the exact destination values, such as the website's IP address, the mail server name, or a verification code. If you don't have access yet, see how to log in to cPanel.

Confirm where your DNS is managed

The DNS zone that responds publicly depends on the nameservers delegated for your domain. The fact that the domain appears in cPanel doesn't prove that the zone is in use.

1. Check the nameservers in the panel where you registered the domain.

2. Compare them with the NS records announced by the parent zone in the HostingFAQ DNS delegation report.

3. Identify the provider that manages those servers and edit the records in its panel.

If you're using our nameservers, you can compare the values with the Duplika DNS guide. If you don't recognize the nameservers or use a custom delegation for a subdomain, contact us before changing the zone.

Editing a record and changing nameservers are different tasks. To connect a service using A, CNAME, MX, or TXT records, you don't need to move all your DNS to another provider.

Choose the right record type

The service provider must tell you which record to publish. Each type accepts a different value, and they aren't interchangeable.

The Name field identifies the name you want to configure. To avoid ambiguity, check the full name that will be saved, such as www.example.com.; the final period represents a fully qualified name, and cPanel may add the domain automatically when you enter only part of the name.

TTL is the record's cache duration, expressed in seconds: 3600 equals one hour. Keep the value recommended by the provider, or the current value if there's no reason to change it; lowering the TTL now won't clear responses already cached with the previous TTL.

Open the zone and save the current settings

A copy of the current values lets you revert an individual change without resetting the entire DNS zone.

1. Open Zone Editor in cPanel, under the Domains menu.

2. Click Manage next to the correct domain.

3. Check whether a record with the same name and type already exists.

4. Save a screenshot or copy of its name, type, TTL, value, and priority, if applicable.

If you're replacing a destination, use Edit on the existing record. Adding another A or MX record doesn't remove the previous one and may leave multiple destinations active.

Create or edit an A record

Use A when the service provides an IPv4 address. Creating the record doesn't install a website or configure the SSL certificate or domain within the application by itself.

1. Use Add Record for a new name, or Edit to modify the existing record.

2. Enter the name you want to point in Name, for example example.com. or store.example.com..

3. Choose A under Type.

4. Enter the confirmed IPv4 address in the record field and keep or adjust the TTL as planned.

5. Click Save Record.

Also check whether an AAAA record exists for the same name. AAAA uses IPv6; if it points to a different server, some connections may still reach another destination even if the A record is correct.

If the site isn't associated with the hosting account yet, follow the guide to add the domain or subdomain.

Create or edit a CNAME record

Use CNAME when the service gives you a destination name, for example to connect www or a subdomain.

1. Choose Add Record or edit the existing CNAME record.

2. Enter the alias in Name, for example www.example.com..

3. Choose CNAME under Type.

4. Enter the full destination name as the value, without https:// or a path such as /store.

5. Click Save Record.

A CNAME must not coexist with A, AAAA, or other records for the same name. If you need to replace an incompatible record, save its value first and confirm that the service can already use the alias.

Don't use a standard CNAME at the domain root, where the zone's other records also exist. If a provider asks you to point the main domain to a name instead of an IP address, contact us to find out which alternative your configuration supports.

A CNAME also doesn't redirect a page to another URL: to change what the browser displays, you need a web redirect.

Create or edit an MX record

MX records control email delivery. Before changing them, the mailboxes must exist on the destination server.

1. Choose Add Record or edit the relevant MX record.

2. Enter the domain name that will receive email, usually the main domain.

3. Select MX and enter the priority provided by the provider.

4. Enter the full mail server name in Destination, not its IP address or an email address.

5. Click Save Record and repeat the process only for additional MX records specified by the provider.

6. Check the final set of records and Email Routing for the domain.

A lower numerical priority takes precedence. Don't keep MX records from the previous provider as a supposed backup unless both services are configured for that purpose: they don't copy messages between servers.

In cPanel, Local Mail Exchanger applies when the mailboxes are on that server; Remote Mail Exchanger applies when they're hosted elsewhere. Automatic detection is based on the local zone, so check it carefully, especially if you manage DNS with another provider.

Create or edit a TXT record

The TXT record's name and value depend on the service that queries it. Copy both from that service's settings; don't reuse codes from another domain.

1. Choose Add Record or edit the TXT record for that setting.

2. Enter the requested name in Name. It may be the main domain or a specific name such as _dmarc.example.com..

3. Select TXT under Type.

4. Paste the exact text as the value, without adding line breaks or making changes when copying it from a document.

5. Click Save Record.

Multiple different TXT records can coexist, for example, to verify different services. But don't publish two SPF policies starting with v=spf1 for the same name: authorized senders must be combined into a single policy. If cPanel won't accept a new TTL when you edit a TXT record because another TXT record with the same name has a different TTL, first remove the verification TXT record you no longer use.

For email authentication values, follow our guide to SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Adding a verification TXT record doesn't replace an A record or change MX records.

Verify the change and the service

Saving the record in cPanel and seeing it published on the internet are separate checks. Afterward, you also need to test the website or email service that depends on the record.

1. In Zone Editor, check the full name, type, and saved value.

2. Look up that same name and type in WhatsMyDNS: for a CNAME for www, search for www.example.com, not just the main domain.

3. Compare the responses with the expected value. For MX, also check the priority and destination name.

4. Test the service: open the website, verify the domain on the platform, or send a test email from an external account, depending on the change.

If different networks show different values, see our DNS propagation guide. If all of them still show the previous value, first check that you edited the authoritative zone and the correct name.

If the DNS is already correct but you see a certificate error or the wrong page, check the destination service's settings. Continuing to change the same record won't fix that configuration.

How to undo an incorrect change

Revert only the records you changed, using the values you saved. The correction may also take time to appear because of existing caches.

Don't use Reset DNS Zone to undo an individual edit: it resets the zone and may remove settings for other services.

If you need help, send us an inquiry with the domain, record name and type, previous value, expected value, DNS provider, and time of the change. Include a screenshot of the public lookup; don't attach panel credentials.