Resources and scripts to help you contact a third-party domain provider for support.

When transferring or connecting a third-party domain to Squarespace, you'll need access to its DNS records and other settings. For help with these settings, we recommend contacting your domain provider. They're more familiar with how their service works and can look into your domain setup directly.

This guide covers situations where you might need support from your domain provider and example messages you can copy and paste into an email to get the conversation started.

Note: This information applies to most domain providers. If the steps in our guides conflict with what your provider suggests, follow their recommendations.

Transfer help

Ask if your domain is eligible

While we can transfer in most domains, not all domains are eligible. During the transfer process, we'll prompt you to check if your domain can be transferred. To be extra sure, you can contact your domain provider and ask them to check for you. Use this example message as a starting point:

I want to transfer my domain, enter your domain here, to Squarespace. Is my domain eligible for a transfer? Here are their requirements:

• The domain’s TLD must be on Squarespace's supported TLD list. 
• The domain can't be a registry premium domain.
• Sixty days must have elapsed since I registered or transferred the domain.
• The domain must be active and not past-due.
• The domain must be unlocked.
• I must have less than 9 years left in its registration term.

Ask about other services

Some providers require keeping your domain with them because some services, like email, won’t transfer to us. If you need help, you can ask them directly with a message like this:

I’m preparing to transfer my domain, enter your domain here, to Squarespace. Are there any services, like email, currently linked to my account that will break or stop working if I move to Squarespace?

If your domain is ready for a transfer, follow our steps to move it to Squarespace.

Ask if your provider released the domain

If you click the domain your transferring on your domains dashboard and a Transfer In Progress message appears, we might be waiting for your current domain provider to acknowledge the transfer and release your domain. Some providers let you know they’ve done this, either by sending you an email or alerting you in your DNS settings, while some do it automatically. This timing is out of Squarespace’s control, but most providers automatically approve the transfer five days after you confirm the transfer in Squarespace.

If you haven’t received an email or an alert in your settings, you can email your provider to see if they’ve acknowledged the transfer. Use a message like this:

I’m trying to transfer my domain, enter your domain here, to Squarespace, and I’m still waiting for it to connect. Have you already acknowledged the transfer and released the domain on your end? Is there anything else I need to do to approve the transfer?

If your provider replies that they have acknowledged the transfer and released the domain, it may still take a few more days to fully connect to your site. During this time, Squarespace can’t speed up the process.

If the transfer failed

If your transfer failed, try troubleshooting by fixing common reasons why this might happen. If you still can’t solve the issue, ask your provider if they can see what went wrong. Here's an example message:

I’m trying to transfer my domain, enter your domain name here, to Squarespace, and the transfer failed. I confirmed that it was eligible for transfer and that all information was entered correctly.

Do you know why the transfer was denied?

If your provider says the domain is still eligible for transfer, you can restart the transfer process.

Verifying domain administrator contact information

After making changes to your domain contact information, your domain provider is required to lock your domain for 60 days, unless you've opted out of the lock at the time of the change. To check if your domain is locked and confirm your domain contact information, you can contact your provider directly. We recommend using the language below:

I want my domain administrator to transfer my domain, enter your domain name here, to Squarespace. How can I check my domain’s contact information settings to ensure the email address listed under domain administrator is correct?

Will my domain be locked for 60 days after I change my domain contact information?

If your domain provider confirms your domain will be locked, you can link your domain to your site by following our guide on Connecting a domain to your Squarespace site. After the 60-day lock has ended, you can transfer your domain to Squarespace. 

To learn more about the two domain processes, visit Transferring vs. connecting domains.

Connecting help

Adding DNS records

If you're connecting your domain and are having trouble entering A records and CNAMEs in your third-party provider account, we recommend asking them for help.

Before you begin

• Complete Steps 1, 2, and 3 of this guide. 
• The second CNAME record includes a unique verification code from Squarespace. After following Steps 1, 2, and 3, find this code in the first row of your DNS Settings panel to share with your provider. Here’s an example of how your unique code might appear:

I’d like to map my domain, enter your domain name here, to a Squarespace site. To do this, I need to add the following two CNAME records and four A records to my DNS settings. Can you help me with this process?

#1

• Record Type: CNAME
• Alias or Host Name: www
• Points To: ext-cust.squarespace.com

# 2

• Record Type: CNAME
• Alias or Host Name: Copy and paste the unique code from the first row of your Squarespace DNS settings
• Points to: verify.squarespace.com

#3

• Type or Record Type: A record
• Alias or Host: @ or leave blank
• Points To: 198.185.159.144

If your DNS settings only allow one A record, I can use the one above. If you support adding more A records, I need three more records with the same alias or host pointing to these addresses:

• 198.185.159.145
• 198.49.23.144
• 198.49.23.145

Checking for custom DNS records when your domain uses DNS Connect

If you have special features attached to your domain, you can use DNS Connect to connect your domain to your Squarespace site. Your custom DNS records will automatically move with your domain.

Tip: If you're not sure if you're using DNS Connect, visit Nameserver Connect vs. DNS Connect for domain connections.

To review your custom DNS records before connecting your domain, contact your domain provider for help with finding your custom DNS records. You can use this sample message to ask for help when contacting their support team:

I’m trying to connect my domain, enter your domain name here to Squarespace and I have custom DNS records. I want to double-check my custom DNS records to ensure everything I have attached to my domain carries over with my domain.

How can I access my domain's DNS settings to view my custom DNS records?

If your provider doesn't support CNAMEs

If you're having trouble editing CNAME Records, or if your provider doesn't allow you to edit them, ask them to help you try a TXT Record. You can start with this example message:

I’d like to map my domain, enter your domain name here, to a Squarespace site. I’m having trouble verifying it with a CNAME. I'd like to try using a TXT record instead. To do this, I need to add the following record to my DNS settings. Can you help me with this process?

• Record Type: TXT
• Alias or Host Name: @ or leave blank
• Points to: Copy and paste the unique code from the first row of your Squarespace DNS settings

You can also send a link to our guide on verifying with a TXT record.

After your provider confirms that these values are entered, return to your domains dashboard. Click your domain, click DNS, then click Refresh below your records. This should successfully connect your domain to Squarespace. Note that it can sometimes take up to 24 hours for the Current Data column to reflect the changes.

If your domain provider says they don't offer full DNS access, note that this is required to successfully connect a domain. If this is the case, you’ll need to transfer the domain to a new provider before connecting it to Squarespace.

Custom email address questions

If you have a custom email address with your third-party domain and need help connecting to Squarespace, you can usually use the same instructions and sample email as above.

If your email provider is different from your domain provider, contact your email provider for help adding these records.

To learn more, visit Using a custom domain email you already own with Squarespace.

If your email provider says they don't offer full DNS access, note that this is required to connect a domain and third-party email associated with it to us. If this is the case, we recommend asking your domain provider about your custom email options.

If the domain isn't connecting

If you’ve already completed the steps to connect your domain to Squarespace and it's not connecting, you can ask your provider for troubleshooting help.

We recommend taking a screenshot of your Squarespace DNS settings to attach to your email. Your provider can use it to compare to the settings on their end and correct anything that doesn’t match. You can ask them using this example message: 

I’m trying to use my domain, enter your domain name here, with a Squarespace site. It’s not connecting properly. Can you verify that my DNS records on your end match the required values in this screenshot from my Squarespace site? 

Here’s an example of how your DNS settings might look: 

If the SSL certificate has an issue generating

If your SSL certificate is showing an unresolved issue message, try our troubleshooting steps first. If the issue persists, it may be a problem with a CAA record. This type of record is used by some domain providers to limit which companies can generate certificates for their domains. 

Ask your domain provider to review their system's settings and add a CAA record. If they don't support CAA records, they will need to ensure that their system is replying properly to our system's query. You can use this sample message to ask for help when contacting their support team:

I've connected my domain, enter your domain name here, to my Squarespace site and I'd like to use the SSL certificate they offer. When the certificate attempts to generate they're receiving an error message that might be caused by a CAA record. Does enter your domain provider here use CAA records?

If so, can you add a CAA record to allow the SSL certificate to generate? Here are the specifics of the record to add:

• My domain: enter your domain name here
• Type: CAA
• Flag: 0
• Tag: issue (or issuewild if connecting a subdomain)
• CA issuer: letsencrypt.org

If your system doesn't support CAA records, Squarespace's system needs to receive a "NOERROR" response for CAA and unknown query types. Would you confirm that your system returns this response for those two query types?

Adding verification records for Email Campaigns

If you need to verify a third-party domain to use with Email Campaigns, but you’re having trouble entering the verification records, you can ask your provider for help.

Before you begin

• Create sender details. You can’t verify a domain until you’ve first linked it to your sender details.
• Find your verification records. Since your domain provider can’t access your Squarespace account, we recommend taking a screenshot of the records shown in the Update DNS Settings panel of Email Campaigns and attaching it to your message. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the three unique values from the Data column into the example message below, but ensure you keep track of the row each record belongs to. 

I’d like to verify my domain, enter your domain name here, so I can build email campaigns with my Squarespace site. To do this, I need to add the following records to my DNS settings. Can you help me with this process?

#1

• Record Type: CNAME
• Alias or Host Name: squarespace_domainkey
• Points To: Copy and paste the unique code in the first Data row of your Campaigns settings

# 2

• Record Type: TXT
• Alias or Host Name: @
• Points To: Copy and paste the unique code in the second Data row of your Campaigns settings 

#3

• Record Type: TXT
• Alias or Host Name: for _DMARC
• Points To: Copy and paste the unique code in the third Data row of your Campaigns settings

Ask technical questions about your third-party DNS records

Technical help with advanced DNS records falls outside the scope of our Customer Support team. If you need technical support with other services that use DNS records, contact the service you're trying to connect and ask for help. Use this example message as a starting point:

My domain, enter your domain here, is managed by Squarespace. I'm trying to connect your service to my domain using this record: enter DNS record here. Can you help me with some technical questions I have about this record?