Nameservers decide who answers for your domain's DNS. This page is for domains registered through us, where you change them in the portal. If your domain is registered somewhere else, you change its nameservers at that registrar: see Connect your own domain.
Before you start
- Changing nameservers takes the Owner, Administrator or Developer role. See roles and permissions.
- Look at the domain's DNSSEC state on its page. If it says Active and you are moving to another provider, do the DNSSEC step first.
- Moving to another provider? Set up your records there first. We keep your zone here, but the new provider only serves what you give it.
See where the domain points now
Open Domains → your domain. The Nameservers section has a table with three columns: what the Registry has on file, what Public resolvers answer right now, and what is Expected. A ✓ marks a nameserver that matches.
Change the nameservers
- Under Nameservers, press Change nameservers.
- Choose one:
- Use veldhost DNS: your records are managed here, and DNSSEC can be switched on (on request).
- Use my own nameservers: type your provider's nameservers in the boxes. Registries need at least two.
Caution: if the new nameservers don't have all your records yet, your site and email stop working until they do. Copy every record across first.
- Press Save nameservers.
The page confirms the change and says how long resolvers can take to pick it up. When you leave veldhost DNS, we keep your zone and all its records here untouched, so switching back is one click.
Nameservers inside the domain itself (like ns1.YOUR_DOMAIN) need glue records at the registry, which the portal does not set up. Use nameservers on another domain, or contact us and we will arrange it.
Nameservers can't change while a transfer of the domain is pending; the registry refuses it.
If DNSSEC is on
With DNSSEC, the registry vouches for the key we sign your zone with. If you moved the domain to other nameservers while it still does, validating resolvers would refuse the domain: it would stop working for many visitors, not just slow down. So the portal will not let you leave veldhost DNS while DNSSEC is active. You have two safe ways out.
Turn DNSSEC off first (any new provider):
Caution: you can't switch DNSSEC back on yourself; it is done on request.
- Under Change nameservers, press Prepare to move away (turn DNSSEC off) and confirm with Turn DNSSEC off.
- Nothing breaks: your site keeps working and we keep serving the signed zone. This removes our key from the registry and starts the wait resolvers need to forget it. Under DNSSEC the page says from when it is safe to move.
- When that time has passed, change the nameservers as above.
Switching before then? The form shows a box to switch anyway; tick it only if you accept that some visitors may not reach the site until that time.
Hand over without a gap (your new provider also signs the zone):
- Under DNSSEC, open My DNS provider gave me a DS record, enter the values your new provider shows, and publish it. Their DS now sits at the registry next to ours.
- Change the nameservers as above. Because the registry already holds your new provider's DS, the change is allowed while DNSSEC is on.
- Then use Prepare to move away (turn DNSSEC off): it removes only our DS and keeps theirs, so the domain stays signed throughout.
The same form is how you turn on DNSSEC for a domain whose DNS is already with another provider that signs it.
Check it worked
The Nameservers table updates as the registry and resolvers catch up. To read the registry again now, choose Re-read from the registry in the menu beside Renew now.