Add custom DNS records to connect your site to the third-party tools you use, like Google Site Verification or Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

Use this guide to find where you can add more DNS records to your DNS settings. You'll only need to edit these records if you're using a third-party service that needs access to your domain.

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Note: Our scope of support for DNS records is limited. We can help with showing you where to add records to your DNS settings. We can’t provide technical advice about DNS records or information about how DNS records work with other services. If you need more help, you can get peer-to-peer help in the Domains section of the Squarespace Forum or contact the service you're trying to connect, using our sample message.

When to use this guide

Follow this guide for help editing your DNS settings if:

• Your domain is registered with Squarespace
• Your domain is registered with a third party and connected to Squarespace using Nameserver Connect. At this time, the following records aren't available for connected domains:
  • SSHFP

If your domain is connected via DNS Connect, edit your DNS settings in your account with your third-party domain provider instead of following this guide.

Tip: If you're not sure which of these applies to you, visit Nameserver Connect vs. DNS Connect for domain connections to learn if your domain is using DNS Connect or Nameserver Connect.

Note: Squarespace automatically adds your domain to the Host field. This means if your provider asks you add your domain to the Host field, like yourdomain.com, you’ll enter @. If your provider asks you to enter a specific value and your domain to the Host field, like mail.yourdomain.com, you’ll enter mail.

A records

A records point a domain name to the IP address of the hosting server.

If you’re using an A record to point a Squarespace subdomain, follow the steps in our pointing guide.

To add an A record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select A.
7. In the Host field, enter the host record you’re pointing.
8. In the Data field, enter the IP address you’re pointing to.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

AAAA records

An AAAA record points a domain name to an IP address. You'll need an AAAA record to point to a specific IPv6 address of a server.

To add an AAAA Record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select AAAA.
7. In the Host field, enter the host record you’re pointing to. If you don't have a host value, you can leave the field blank or enter @ to point the AAAA record to your domain.
8. In the Data field, enter the IPv6 address you’re pointing to.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

Tip: If you see an error stating that your IPv6 address is invalid, it may be compressed. You can use AAAA record lookup tools (like dnschecker.org) to find the full record.

ALIAS records

An ALIAS record points one domain to another domain. 

To add an ALIAS record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select ALIAS.
7. In the Host field, enter @.
8. In the Data field, enter the domain name you’re pointing to, like example.com.

Tip: If you've enabled DNSSEC protection for your domain, an "ALIAS records are incompatible with DNSSEC" error message will appear when you try to add ALIAS records. You can fix this issue by turning off DNSSEC, and then adding the ALIAS records by following the steps above.

CAA records

A Certification Authority Authorization (CAA) is a security record that provides additional confirmation for Certification Authorities (CA) when they’re validating an SSL certificate associated with your site. In most cases, you don’t need CAA records, because all Squaresiace sites include free SSL certificates for automatic domain security. Most Squarespace sites don’t need CAA records because Squarespace protects your site and its content by offering free SSL certificates for all domains. 

If you have advanced security needs, you can purchase additional protection from a provider like Cloudflare.

You’ll need the CAA record from your provider to add to the Data field. CAA records contain a flag, tag and CA domain. They look something like this: 0 issue “example.org”.

To add a CAA record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select CAA.
7. In the Host field, enter @.
8. In the Data field, enter data from your provider. It should be in flag, tag and value format: 0 issue “example.org.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

CNAME records

A CNAME record points a subdomain — which is anything that appears before your root domain, including “www” — to another domain name. CNAME records should always point to a URL. The URL can't contain special characters such as slashes (/) or colons (:).

You might need to add a CNAME record if:

• You’re running special services (such as an FTP)
• A third-party service requires a CNAME to verify domain ownership

If you’re using a CNAME record to point a Squarespace subdomain, follow the steps in our pointing guide instead.

To add a CNAME record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select CNAME.
7. In the Host field, enter the host record.
8. In the Data field, enter the name you’re pointing to.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

DKIM and SPF records

DKIM and SPF records are types of TXT records that authenticate your email account and prevent people from sending unauthorized emails from your account. If a third-party provider asks you to add a DKIM or SPF record to your Squarespace domain, you'll add it as a TXT or CNAME record. For many providers, DKIM is sufficient for their systems, but some may require an SPF record too.

You'll need a DKIM or SPF record from your provider to add to the Data field. For SPF records, this starts with v=spf1.

To add a DKIM or SPF record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select TXT or CNAME.
7. In the Host field, enter the host or name information from your provider. If no host or name information is listed, enter @ in this field.
8. In the Data field, enter the DKIM or SPF record from your provider.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

Merge SPF records

You can only add one SPF record to a Squarespace domain. If you need to add multiple SPF records, merge the records into one.

Note: If you’re seeing a “Custom records not saved” error message, delete your SPF records from your DNS settings before adding new SPF records.

To merge SPF records:

1. Look in your custom domain's DNS settings for one or more TXT records with @ host pointing to a v=spf1 value. These are SPF records.
2. Pick one of these SPF records to keep.
3. In the other SPF record or records, copy everything between v=spf1 and the final ~all, ?all, or -all in the record data.
4. Paste the information from the record or records into the data field for the record you're keeping before the final ~all, ?all, or -all but after the existing data. There should be a space between each record's information.
5. Look at how the other SPF record or records end. If any of them end in -all, change this to ~all. Otherwise, leave it as ~all.
6. Delete all the SPF records except the one you decided to keep and add data to, then save changes.

Here's an example:

When you create your merged SPF record, replace "fancymail.com" and "businessmail.com" with your third-party provider's addresses. If you aren't sure what address they use, contact your providers for more help.

Note: If you have email forwarding setup, and also need to add multiple SPF records, contact us for further assistance.

DMARC records

A DMARC record is a type of TXT record that verifies your domain when you send Email Campaigns or other marketing using your custom email address. By adding a DMARC record and allowing mail providers to verify your domain, you can help minimize how often your marketing emails get flagged as spam.

How you add the DMARC record depends on what service you use to send marketing emails:

• If you're sending Email Campaigns, create your sender details and your Squarespace domain will automatically verify. Should you have trouble verifying or accidentally delete the records, you can delete and recreate your sender details to verify.
• If you're sending marketing emails through a third-party service, contact the service provider for the records needed to verify your email address. Add the DMARC record in your DNS settings panel, noting these details:
  
  • In the Type dropdown menu, select TXT.
  • In the Host field, enter _dmarc without your domain at the end. Our system automatically adds your domain.

DS and DNSKEY records

DS and DNSKEY records contain security keys automatically added to your domain when domain name system security extension (DNSSEC) protection is enabled. DNSSEC is an advanced form of domain security that uses DS and DNSKEY records to authenticate your domain’s DNS records.

Note: Due to regulatory reasons, DNSKEY records are only available for migrated .de and .nl domains migrated from Google.

To add more DS records, you can purchase them from a third party, like Cloudflare. You can add a total of up to eight DS records or DNSKEY records to your DNS settings.

Tip: You can add a maximum of eight records to the DNSSEC panel.

To add DS records or DNSKEY records:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain you're editing.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select DS or DNSKEY.
7. In the Host field, enter the host or name information from your provider. If no host or name information is listed, enter @ in this field.
8. In the Data field, enter the DS record from your provider. It should be in this format: key_tag algorithm digest_type digest.

9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

HTTPS

All Squarespace domains come with free SSL certificates which provides basic HTTPS protection. Most Squarespace sites don’t need additional HTTPS protection. If you have advanced security needs, you can reach out to a third-party provider, like Cloudflare, to purchase additional HTTPS protection.

You’ll need the HTTPS record from your provider to add to the Data field.

To add an HTTPS record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select HTTPS.
7. In the Host field, enter @.
8. In the Data field, enter data from your provider.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

MX records

An MX record tells servers where to route your email. In Squarespace, you’ll need to add MX records if you’re using a third-party custom email address with your Squarespace domain.

Usually, you’ll enter multiple MX records for one domain. Your email provider should provide the priorities to enter for each record.

If you’re using Google Workspace or Zoho Mail, save time by using our preset records instead. If you’re adding any other MX records, use the Custom Records section.

Option 1 - Add Google Workspace or Zoho Mail preset records

• If you signed up for a Google Workspace account through Squarespace, you don’t need to add the Google Workspace MX records — we do this for you automatically when you create your Google Workspace account. If you removed them, you can add them back with the preset.
• If you’re using Zoho Mail with your Squarespace domain, you’ll add the preset when you link the account.
• For more about using presets, visit Accessing your Squarespace domain's DNS settings.

Option 2 - Add custom records manually

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select MX.
7. In the Host field, enter @ (If you’re adding records to a subdomain, enter the subdomain here instead).
8. In the Priority field, enter the priority number for your provider. You can enter any number from 0 through 255.
9. In the Data field, enter the mail server you’re directing to. This is usually a URL.
10. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

Repeat this process for all the MX records you need to add, changing the priority for each record as needed.

NS records

When you register a domain with Squarespace, we automatically create nameservers to store your resource records. Resource records contain information about the underlying components of your domain, like your email provider or web host. You can add additional nameservers set up through another provider to your DNS settings.

You’ll need the NS record from your provider to add to the Data field.

To add an NS record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select NS.
7. In the Host field, enter @.
8. In the Data field, enter data from your provider.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

PTR records

PTR records are used for the Reverse Domain Name System (DNS) lookup. PTR records confirm the validity of your domain’s IP addresses. PTR records are often used when setting up a mail server for a site.

You’ll need the PTR record from your provider to add to the Data field.

To add a PTR record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select PTR.
7. In the Host field, enter @.
8. In the Data field, enter data from your provider.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

SRV records

An SRV record, or a Service Record, helps your domain connect to email or other services.

Step 1 - Get information from your provider

Get the following values from the service you're connecting, and copy them somewhere easily accessible. You'll need them for Step 2.

Value Type	Definition and Tips
Service	The service name of the SRV record Usually begins with an underscore, like _smtp or _sip
Protocol	The protocol that the service uses Usually begins with an underscore, like _tcp or _tls
Priority (optional)	How long the server should cache this information Usually a number without commas, like 2000 or 43200 Might also be called the TTL If your provider didn’t assign a Priority or TTL, leave this blank
Weight	The weight of the SRV record, which determines the target to contact first Should be a single-digit number, like 1 or 5
Port	The port number for the service Usually a number, like 80 or 5060
Target	The host providing the service Should be a URL, like server.test.com

Step 2 - Add SRV record

Create a custom record in your DNS settings using the values from Step 1:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select SRV.
7. In the Host field, delete the @ placeholder and enter the Service and Protocol, separated by a period. For example: _service._protocol
8. In the Priority field, enter the Priority or TTL number, if you have one. If you don’t have a Priority or TTL, leave this blank.
9. In the Data field, enter the Weight, Port, and Target, with a single space between each one. For example: 1 100 target.test.com
10. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

SSHFP records

A Secure Shell Fingerprint (SSHFP) record verifies the trustworthiness of the internet devices you’re connecting to through Secure Shell (SSH). SSHFP records are an option if you have advanced security needs. You can reach out to a third-party provider, like Cloudflare, to generate an SSHFP record.

You’ll need the SSHFP record from your provider to add to the Data field. For SSHFP records, it’s an Algorithm Type Fingerprint format. There are spaces in between the data string, and it looks something like this: 2 1 123456789abcdef.

SSHFP is only available for domains registered with Squarespace. At this time, SSHFP is unavailable for domains that are registered with a third party and connected to Squarespace using Nameserver Connect.

To add an SSHFP record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select SSHFP.
7. In the Host field, enter @.
8. In the Data field, enter data from your provider. It should be in this format: 2 1 123456789abcdef.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

SVCB records

A Service Binding (SVCB) record adds multiple security certificates to a site. Most Squarespace sites don’t need SVCB records because because Squarespace protects your site and its content by offering free SSL certificates for all domains. If you have advanced security needs, you can reach out to a third-party provider, like Cloudflare, to generate an SVCB record.

You’ll need the SVCB record from your provider to add to the Data field.

To add an SVCB record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select SVCB.
7. In the Host field, enter @. (If you’re adding records to a subdomain, enter the subdomain here instead).
8. In the Data field, enter data from your provider.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

TLSA records

A Transport Layer Security Authentication (TLSA) record helps validate any SSL or TLS certificates added to your site. TLSA records provide an additional layer of protection that verify your servers are secure. Most Squarespace records don’t need TLSA records because because Squarespace protects your site and its content by offering free SSL certificates for all domains. If you have advanced security needs, you can use a third-party provider, like Cloudflare, to generate a TLSA record.

You’ll need the TLSA record from your provider to add to the Data field.

To add an TLSA record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select TLSA.
7. In the Host field, enter @.
8. In the Data field, enter TLSA record from your provider.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

TXT records

Use a TXT record to add special text to a hostname. Some providers may ask you to add a TXT record to help verify your domain or email address. The TXT field has a 255 character limit, which is 1024 bits.

To add a TXT record:

1. Open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain name. If you have multiple Squarespace domains, you'll manage their DNS records separately.
3. Click DNS, and then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll down to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select TXT.
7. In the Host field, enter the host name. To add your domain as the host name, enter @ into the Host field.
8. In the Data field, enter the TXT record value. This is a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
9. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

Splitting DNS records

Several groups in charge of administering the internet require some DNS records to be 255 characters or smaller. If ‌any of your records are longer than 255 characters, you can split your long DNS record into smaller strings of characters to add multiple strings under one DNS record. You can use a third-party online DNS record splitter tool to automatically do this for you.

To split any long DNS record manually, you can follow our example below.

Tip: This example uses TXT records but is applicable to the following DNS records: A records, AAAA records, CNAME records, DMARC records, SPF records and TXT records.

Here's a TXT record that's over 255 characters:

v=EXAMPLE; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBabcdefgG9w0ABCDEFGHIJKMIIBCgABCDEFGpABCDFGnA12BzPUV46P3GeOoK2tAB1OCd2iefghi4JkLmnoPQ+EFGnA12BzPUV46P3GeOoK2tAB1OCd2iefghi4JkLi4JkLmnoPQ+3aBc1DEFGHIP12eAB!YJ/ABZfCDmnoPQ+3aBc1DEFGHIP12eAB!YJ/ABZfCDJk2LMNoP12eAB!YJ/ABZfCDuJE4HclTjAjrZkFAAhaHdAAA

To add the TXT record to the DNS settings, break the record into multiple strings that are under 255 characters, as seen below:

v=EXAMPLE1; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBabcdefgG9w0ABCDEFGHIJKMIIBCgABCDEFGpABCDFGnA12BzPUV46P3GeOoK2tAB1OCd2iefghi4JkLmnoPQ+EFGnA12BzPUV46P3GeOoK2tAB1OCd2iefghi4JkLi4JkLmnoPQ+3aBc1DEFGHIP12eAB!

YJ/ABZfCDmnoPQ+3aBc1DEFGHIP12eAB!YJ/ABZfCDJk2LMNoP12eAB!YJ/ABZfCDuJE4HclTjAjrZkFAAhaHdAAA

Individually add each TXT record using the steps above, repeating the steps to add the remaining strings of characters.

 

Troubleshooting

The record isn't saving.

Replace placeholder values

When adding a custom record, ensure you replace the gray placeholder values in the Host and Data fields. These placeholders are examples of the correct format for your reference, but they aren't real. If you add the record without replacing these two fields, the record won't save properly.

The Priority field, however, is optional. You can save a record without entering a Priority.

Check the Host field for the correct format

If you’re adding custom records, your domain name is automatically added after any Host value.

For example, if your provider asks you to use a Host value of mail.yourdomain.com, you only need to enter mail in the Host field. Squarespace automatically adds .yourdomain.com, even though it’s not visible in the panel.

If your provider asks you to enter your domain without a value in front of it, like yourdomain.com, enter @ in the Host field.

Note: It’s not possible to enter two CNAMEs with the same Host value.

If you receive a “This host is already in use" message, you’re adding information to a Host field that’s already in use by another Host field.

For example, if you try adding "www" to the Host field of a CNAME record and a TXT record, the records won't save. Your domain can only have one record using "www" as the host.

To fix this, consider editing the Host field of the record you're adding so it doesn't conflict.

Check the Data field for the correct format

If you receive an "Invalid IP address" or "Host name error" message, review the Data field to ensure the information is entered correctly. Remove any periods at the end of the value, as our system can't save records formatted this way.

Check for conflicting records

If you receive a "We were unable to save this record because it conflicts with an existing record" message, review the DNS settings already in place. This message appears due to conflicting DNS records.

To fix this, consider editing or deleting the domain's current records. You can also change the custom record you're adding so it doesn't conflict.

Can't change the Priority field

You can only edit the Priority field when creating custom MX or SRV records. If you're adding any other type of custom record, the Priority field appears, but you can't click it.

Error message in AAAA records: Not a valid IPv6 address

If you're adding an AAAA record, ensure that you've added the fully expanded version of the IPv6 address to the Data field. You'll know you're using a shortened address if there's a "Not a valid IPv6 address" error in DNS records, or if there's a double colon in the address instead of a single one.

For example, here are both versions of the same IPv6 address:

• Incorrect, shortened address: 2620:12a:8000::3
• Correct, expanded address: 2620:12a:8000:0:0:0:0:3

Error message: Enter valid alias data

There are two reasons this error might happen. Your DNS record is longer than 255 characters, or there's an extra character in a text string.

To fix the issue:

1. If your DNS records are larger than 255 characters, follow our steps to split the records into shorter text strings. Then, add each string to your DNS settings.
2. Look for any typos in your DNS settings, and check for any extra characters at the end of the text string. For example, this error can sometimes occur if there's a "." at the end of a text string. Delete any extra characters and try adding the record again.
3. If you still have trouble, contact us and we'll investigate.