Use this guide to troubleshoot the connection between your third-party domain host and your Squarespace site. If you just finished connecting your domain and you’re seeing errors, this is normal. It can take 24-72 hours for the connection to start working properly.

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Error message: This domain is already connected to another Squarespace site

If you see this message when beginning the connection process, check your other Squarespace sites to find where the domain is connected. Then disconnect it from that site.

Issues adding the CNAME Records

There are two CNAME Records needed to connect your domain: one that points to verify.squarespace.com and one that points to ext-cust.squarespace.com. Try these troubleshooting steps when adding CNAME Records:

• If the CNAME that points to verify.squarespace.com isn’t connecting, this is often due to a miscopied verification code. The unique verification code, which is usually the first CNAME record you add to your provider’s settings, is a string of letters and numbers. We recommend copying and pasting the code from your domain’s DNS panel into your provider's settings to keep it accurate.
• If you're experiencing issues verifying your domain with a CNAME Record or if your domain provider doesn't support CNAME records, verify your domain using a TXT Record.
• If you notice a duplicate domain in your Alias or Host section (like uniquecode.example.com.example.com), add a period to the end of the record's Host value (like uniquecode.example.com.). The period prevents your provider from adding anything else to the end of the hostname.
• If your DNS Settings panel shows the record with your domain at the end (like ext-cust.squarespace.com.example.com), add a period to the end of the record's Data value (like ext-cust.squarespace.com.). This will prevent your provider from adding your domain to the end of the data or points to value. 

Issues adding the A Records

If you see A Records in your account that don’t match the four used to connect your domain, they may need to be deleted. You can take the following actions based on the data in the host field:

• Host: @ - Delete only if it doesn't match the four records used to connect your domain.
• Host: blank - Delete. "Blank" specifies your domain without the www in front.
• Host: Mail or Email - Don’t delete. This connects to your email address. Deleting it could interfere with your email service.

“Record not found” labels in the DNS Settings panel

When we detect an issue with the connection, records in the DNS Settings panel will appear red and may show a “Record not found” label. You may also see a warning message in the Domains panel, such as “Can’t verify domain ownership.” You can fix this issue by ensuring the DNS settings are entered correctly:

1. In the Home Menu, click Settings, click Domains, then click the domain that’s not connecting properly.
2. Click DNS Settings.
3. Look for Record not found labels in the Current Data column. These records aren’t connecting to your site. 
4. Log into your domain account and find where you edit your DNS settings. 
5. Correct the error shown for each record, by ensuring that the Host, Type, and Points To information is entered correctly in your domain account. For help, visit Connecting a domain to your Squarespace site. You can also review the full list of provider-specific guides.
6. Click Refresh in your Squarespace DNS Settings. While waiting for your settings to refresh, keep the following in mind:
• Records can take between 24 and 72 hours to update. If the record appears correctly in your provider's DNS panel but you still see an error, wait 72 hours then click Refresh again.
• Refreshing repeatedly causes the DNS checker to try different servers. Some servers will update with the new records sooner than others. This may temporarily cause your domain to connect for some visitors but not all. If you see inconsistent results, wait 72 hours before refreshing again.
7. Return to the Domains panel. If your DNS Settings display Correct for all values in the Current Data column, your domain will show a yellow flag and read “Connection in progress.” After the changes have fully propagated and your domain is correctly connected, it will show a green flag and read “Connected.”

If you followed the steps above and the DNS Settings panel still shows an error message, contact your domain provider to troubleshoot. You can also contact us as you work on the connection. We may suggest that you retry the connection process. This involves disconnecting the domain from your site and deleting the records from your provider’s account, before starting over.

Deprecated Record label in the DNS Settings

If you see a Deprecated label in the Current Data column, you're using outdated domain records. While most visitors can still access your site through a standard URL (beginning with http://), deprecated records can prevent visitors from loading your site through an SSL secure URL (beginning with https://). To fix this, log into your domain account and ensure your CNAME and A records match our current requirements.

Issues with the nameservers

If you entered all of the required records, waited 72 hours to allow the connection to propagate, and aren’t seeing the domain connect, contact your domain provider to ensure that the domain’s nameservers point to the host where you entered the records.

A nameserver is a server that stores information about your domain, which helps your browser locate the domain’s records. We recommend using your domain provider's default nameservers.

More help

If you've reviewed all the steps here, but you're still seeing errors in your Squarespace settings, we recommend contacting your domain provider for more help.