- Short answer
- No: keep your DNS host's nameservers and point the A, AAAA and www CNAME records at Shopify; a Shopify-managed domain needs Shopify's defaults.
- DNS at Cloudflare
- No move back needed; set every record pointing to Shopify to DNS only
- Shopify-managed domain
- Default Shopify nameservers required; email forwarding troubleshooting asks you to verify them
- Where you connect
- Settings > Domains > Connect existing, after the records change
Do you change nameservers for a third-party domain?
No. Shopify states the nameserver rule itself:
Use your domain provider's default nameservers unless you manage your DNS somewhere else. Custom or external nameservers can cause connection and email problems when they aren't set up correctly.
You connect it with DNS records at whoever hosts your DNS: the A record to 23.227.38.65, plus the AAAA and www CNAME records. Your domain provider stays the registrar, with billing and renewals.
Then, in your Shopify admin, open Settings > Domains, click Connect existing and enter the domain without www.
- Settings
- Domains
What if Cloudflare or another provider already hosts your DNS?
Leave the nameservers there. Shopify doesn't need you to move back to your registrar's defaults, but your nameservers must respond and publish the Shopify records: a domain with unreachable nameservers can't connect.
Does a Shopify-managed domain need Shopify's nameservers?
Yes. It must keep Shopify's default nameservers, whether bought through Shopify or transferred in. Shopify's troubleshooting checklist for a missing email forwarding option asks you to verify that the domain uses Shopify nameservers.
An unexpected nameservers alert means the domain returns values different from your admin's, sometimes because of a hold, and customers may not reach the store: contact Shopify Support.
Before you transfer a domain into Shopify, save your custom DNS records, such as MX: Shopify won't copy them.
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