Connect your domain: Namecheap

Use these steps if your domain uses Namecheap BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or FreeDNS. You will add the DNS records shown in your Press Mage DNS Setup Instructions so your domain points to your Press Mage service.

DNS changes are made at the company that manages your domain's nameservers. That is usually where you registered the domain, but it can be a separate DNS provider. If your domain's nameservers point to Cloudflare, use Connect your domain: Cloudflare instead. Domains you bought through Press Mage are set up for you and do not need these steps.

Before you begin

Open your Press Mage DNS Setup Instructions in another browser tab: open the service, find the domain in its Domains section and click Instructions. For a domain in My Domains, the Manual DNS Setup box on its DNS page shows the same records.

You will copy these values from there:

• The A-record IP address
• The CNAME destination (your service's Press Mage hostname)
• The domain or subdomain each record is for

Always use the values shown in your own DNS Setup Instructions. The examples on this page use placeholders, not real values. Each service has its own hostname, and the IP address can change, so never copy a value from an example or from another customer.

Add every record your instructions list, with the type they show. A root domain such as example.com needs both the A record and the www CNAME; a subdomain such as portal.example.com needs only its own CNAME.

How to enter the host name

Press Mage shows the complete domain name, but Namecheap only wants the host portion. Namecheap adds your domain name automatically.

Do not enter https://, http://, a page path or a trailing slash in a DNS record.

Open the DNS settings

1. Sign in to your Namecheap account.
2. Select Domain List from the left menu.
3. Find your domain and select Manage.
4. Open the Advanced DNS tab.
5. Locate Host Records.

Namecheap's own A-record instructions describe the same screens.

Connect the root domain

1. Select Add New Record.
2. Select A Record as the type.
3. In Host, enter @.
4. In Value, enter the IP address from your DNS Setup Instructions.
5. Leave TTL on Automatic.
6. Select the green checkmark, or Save All Changes.

Connect the www address

1. Select Add New Record.
2. Select CNAME Record.
3. In Host, enter www.
4. In Value, enter the hostname from your DNS Setup Instructions.
5. Leave TTL on Automatic.
6. Select the green checkmark, or Save All Changes.

Namecheap covers this in its CNAME-record guide.

Connect a custom subdomain

For a custom address such as portal.example.com:

1. Select Add New Record.
2. Select CNAME Record.
3. In Host, enter only portal.
4. In Value, enter the hostname from your DNS Setup Instructions.
5. Leave TTL on Automatic.
6. Save the record.

Do not enter the complete portal.example.com in the Host field; Namecheap would turn it into portal.example.com.example.com.

If a record already exists

You cannot normally have two conflicting records for the same host. Before adding a Press Mage record, look for an existing record with the same Host:

• For the root domain, look for @.
• For www, look for a record with the Host www.
• For a custom subdomain, look for that subdomain, such as portal.

If a conflicting record exists, either edit it to use the value from your DNS Setup Instructions, or delete it and create the new record. New Namecheap domains often have a URL Redirect Record for @ and a CNAME Record for www pointing to a parking page; those are the ones to replace.

Do not delete unrelated email records: MX records, SPF or DKIM records, DMARC records or other TXT records. If you are unsure, contact Press Mage Support before removing anything.

Verify the domain

1. Return to your Press Mage DNS Setup Instructions.
2. Select Verify DNS Now.
3. If verification does not succeed yet, wait and try again later.

Many changes appear within minutes or a few hours, but full DNS propagation can take 24 to 48 hours.

Troubleshooting

Press Mage cannot verify the domain. Check that:

• The root record is an A Record with the Host @.
• The www or custom subdomain record is a CNAME Record.
• The CNAME value exactly matches the hostname in your DNS Setup Instructions.
• You did not include https:// or a page path.
• No conflicting A, AAAA, CNAME, URL Redirect or parking record exists for the same host.

I cannot find Advanced DNS or Host Records. Your domain may use custom nameservers, which means another provider manages its DNS. Check the Nameservers setting on the domain's Domain tab, or ask Namecheap: "Which provider currently manages the DNS records for my domain?" The changes must be made at the provider that controls the domain's nameservers.