How do I manage my domains DNS?

Manage your domain's DNS in cPanel's Zone Editor for the hosting account the domain is assigned to. If your domain uses Hostworld nameservers (ns1.serverworld.uk, ns2.serverworld.uk, ns3.serverworld.uk, ns4.serverworld.uk), changes in Zone Editor control live DNS. If your nameservers point elsewhere, make changes there or move to ours after you have copied the records.

Before you start

• Know where your domain's nameservers point. If they are not our ns1.serverworld.uk to ns4.serverworld.uk, changes in cPanel will not affect live DNS.
• Have cPanel access for the correct hosting account. Resellers may use WHM's DNS Zone Manager if their package enables it.
• If changing mail host, have the required MX records ready and plan to set Email Routing in cPanel.

Step 1: Open Zone Editor in cPanel

Zone Editor manages the DNS zone for your domain in your Hostworld hosting account. Log in to cPanel for the account the domain is assigned to, open Domains, then Zone Editor, and select Manage next to the domain to see its records.

For the click-by-click version of adding, editing and deleting records, follow managing DNS records in cPanel's Zone Editor. The rest of this guide explains what each record does and what to watch for.

Step 2: Add or change web records (A, AAAA, CNAME)

These records point hostnames to your website or other services. You add and edit them from the Manage view for the domain.

• A points a name to an IPv4 address. Use this for the apex (yourdomain.co.uk) or a subdomain such as www.
• AAAA points a name to an IPv6 address.
• CNAME makes one name an alias of another name. Do not use a CNAME at the zone apex. Do not point MX or NS to a CNAME.

Step 3: Add or change mail records, then set Email Routing

MX records direct mail for your domain. The target must be a hostname with an A or AAAA record, not an IP address. Add one MX record per mail host your provider lists, each with its priority.

Changing MX is only half the job on a cPanel account. In cPanel, open Email, then Email Routing, and set Automatically Detect Configuration. If you host mail elsewhere and detection does not pick it up, set Remote Mail Exchanger and save. Otherwise cPanel will keep delivering mail to itself.

For TXT records such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC, add a TXT record with the exact value provided by your mail provider. If your cPanel shows an Install Suggested Record option for DMARC, you can use that, then adjust the policy as needed.

Step 4: If moving DNS to Hostworld, change nameservers after copying

If your domain is still on another DNS provider and you want Hostworld to host DNS:

1. Create all required records in cPanel's Zone Editor first, matching your current working zone. Check web, mail, and any third-party services.
2. If DNSSEC is switched on for the domain, deal with it before you move. The DS record held at the registrar tells resolvers which keys to trust. Remove the DS record at the registrar first and let it clear from caches, then change the nameservers. Removing or replacing the signing keys while the old DS record is still published makes validating resolvers treat the domain as broken, and the site and mail go offline rather than simply pointing somewhere else.
3. At your domain registrar, change the nameservers to:
   ns1.serverworld.uk
   ns2.serverworld.uk
   ns3.serverworld.uk
   ns4.serverworld.uk
4. Wait for caches to refresh. Record TTL controls how quickly individual changes are seen. Avoid deleting NS or SOA records in Zone Editor.

If it does not work

• Nameservers or caches: If you changed a record and do not see it yet, query our authoritative nameserver to confirm the zone itself is updated. This asks a specific server directly.

  dig +short @ns1.serverworld.uk yourdomain.co.uk A
  dig +short @ns1.serverworld.uk www.yourdomain.co.uk CNAME
  dig +short yourdomain.co.uk MX

  If ns1.serverworld.uk returns the new value but your local resolver does not, you are waiting on caching or still using other nameservers at the registrar.
• Mail goes missing or bounces: If you moved MX to an external provider but Email Routing is set to Local, cPanel will try to deliver mail to itself. In cPanel, open Email Routing and set Automatically Detect or Remote Mail Exchanger to match your MX.
• Record type mistakes: A CNAME at the apex breaks the zone. MX or NS pointing to a CNAME is invalid. Use an A or AAAA at the apex. Ensure MX points to a hostname that resolves to A or AAAA.
• The domain stops resolving everywhere at once: check whether DNSSEC is still active at the registrar. A DS record left in place after the keys changed will fail validation, and that looks like a total outage rather than a wrong answer.

If you are stuck, open a support ticket and tell us the domain, the record you are changing and a dig output if you have it.

What next

If you are ready to make the change, the step-by-step version is in managing DNS records in cPanel's Zone Editor. If you would rather we checked the zone and your nameserver setup before you touch anything, open a support ticket with the domain name and what you are trying to achieve.