DNS records for connecting third-party domains

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DNS records for connecting third-party domains

Last updated July 06, 2026 14:19

Review the DNS records you need to copy and paste into your DNS settings along with tips to resolve common DNS panel errors.

Note: This guide is for third-party domains. If you had a Google domain that migrated to Squarespace, you can add custom DNS records to it, or visit our Google Domains migration guide for help with issues including permissions, SSL certificates, verification records, and domain or email forwarding.

This guide has a list of the DNS records you’ll need to add to connect a third-party domain to your Squarespace site. After starting the connection in Squarespace, you'll edit these records in your domain provider account in addition to a few other steps.

For help with the full process, visit Connecting a third-party domain to your Squarespace site. If you're having trouble adding specific records to your domain's settings, try our troubleshooting steps or contact your domain provider using our sample message.

CNAMEs

You need two CNAME records to connect a domain: the verification CNAME and the second CNAME.

Verification CNAME

The first CNAME is for verification, and it’s unique to your site. After following the first steps to connect your domain, your site’s DNS settings panel displays a random code for the verification CNAME. This code is a string of numbers and letters in the first row of the DNS Settings panel.

Add the verification CNAME to your domain provider's DNS manager using the following information:

Second CNAME

The second CNAME connects the “www” version of your domain (like www.yourdomain.com) to your site. In the second line of your Squarespace DNS Settings, www appears directly below the Name column. This record must point to ext-cust.squarespace.com.

Add the second CNAME to your domain provider's DNS manager using the following information:

A records

You’ll need four A records to connect the version of your domain without the “www” to your site. Each A record points to an IP address. Add the A records to your provider's DNS manager using the following information. Some providers only allow adding one A record. If you can't add all four, use the record in the first row:

Troubleshooting

I can’t find or add these records in my provider account

Each domain provider has a different process for adding records to your domain. If you can't find the DNS records in your domain provider, these suggestions can help:

• Ensure that your domain provider offers full editing access to your domain's DNS records. If they don't, you can transfer the domain to Squarespace.
• Review our provider-specific domain connection guides for step-by-step instructions.
• Contact your domain provider and ask how to add DNS records to your domain.

The DNS Settings panel shows errors

It’s normal to see a “Record not found” message immediately after adding these DNS records. Ensure your records are added correctly, and give the domain up to 48 hours to connect.

After 48 hours, if we detect that any DNS records weren’t set up properly during the domain connection process, the DNS record checker in the Domains panel displays the CNAME and A records to fix to get your domain working. For help, visit Troubleshooting third-party domain connections.

Tips:

• If your domain is eligible, we recommend transferring it instead of connecting it. Learn more about the differences between transferring and connecting, or get started with a transfer here.
• For help with managing the DNS records of a Squarespace domain, visit Adding DNS records to your Squarespace domain instead.

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DNS records for connecting third-party domains