Connect your domain to IT Solver DNS and keep your current registrar

You can move the DNS for your domain to IT Solver and keep the domain registered with your current registrar. IT Solver then hosts your website and email records, and your registrar still renews the domain.

Before you start

• You must be an Owner or IT manager of your business in the dashboard. A Web designer cannot connect a domain. See What each dashboard role can do.
• You must be able to sign in to your current registrar and change the nameservers for the domain.
• DNSSEC must be off at your current registrar. If it is on, the dashboard stops the connection and tells you.
• Some website builders, such as Shopify, Wix and Square (Block), do not let you change your nameservers. Sign in to your website builder and look for the domain's nameserver settings. If you cannot change them there, transfer the domain to IT Solver instead.
• Keep a copy of your current DNS records from your current DNS provider. You use it to check the imported records.

Step 1: Connect your domain

1. Sign in at dashboard.itsolver.net.
2. Select the plus (+) button at the top of the page, then select Connect a domain. The Add a domain page opens.
3. Make sure that Connect a domain is selected.
4. In Domain name, type your domain, for example example.com.au.
5. To connect more domains, select + Add more and type each domain in a new row. You can connect up to 20 domains at a time. To remove a row, select the cross (X) button next to it.
6. Select Import DNS records, then select one option:
   • Import DNS records automatically. This is the default. The dashboard scans for common DNS records and copies them.
   • Manually enter DNS records. The domain has no DNS records until you add them on the next page.
   • Upload a DNS zone file. Export the zone file from your current DNS provider, then select it in DNS zone file. Use this option for one domain at a time. The file must be 256 KiB or smaller. The dashboard skips the SOA record, the nameserver records for the domain itself and parked records. If the file has a record for another domain, the import stops.
7. Optional: select Configure AI training & search policies to choose how AI crawlers can use your website. For Search, Agent and Training, select Allow (recommended) or Block. Bot Preference Sync is on by default. It adds your choices to your robots.txt file. You can change these settings later.
8. Select Continue. The dashboard prepares IT Solver DNS for each domain. Your website and email do not change yet.
9. Read the What happened section. Each domain shows one result:
   • Pending nameserver update: your DNS records are ready. The section shows the two IT Solver nameservers for the domain. Go to Step 2.
   • Add DNS records: the domain has no DNS records. Add them in Step 2 before you change your nameservers.
   • Needs attention: read the message under the domain. Do not change your nameservers yet.

You can select Continue on this page up to 5 times in one hour.

Step 2: Review the prepared DNS records

Do this step before you change your nameservers. The automatic scan finds common records only. It can miss custom hostnames, verification records and DKIM records.

1. Under the domain in What happened, select Review DNS records or Add DNS records. The Review DNS page opens.
2. Compare the Records table with your copy of your current DNS records. Check the records for your website, your email (MX, SPF and DKIM) and any verification records.
3. To add a missing record, go to Add record. Select the Type, then type the Name and the Content. For an MX record, also type the Priority. Select Add record.
4. To change a record, select Edit on its row. Change the values, then select Save.
5. To delete a record, select Edit on its row, then select Delete record.

Use IT Solver proxy shows for A, AAAA and CNAME records. It is off unless you select it. Select it only for website records, for example the root domain and www. Keep it clear for email and other service records, for example mail or autodiscover. The Proxy column in the Records table shows Proxied or DNS only for each of these records. Use it to check the imported values.

To come back to this page later, select Domains. The domain shows IT Solver DNS prepared. Select DNS on its row.

Step 3: Change the nameservers at your current registrar

1. Sign in to your current registrar, for example GoDaddy or Crazy Domains.
2. Open the nameserver settings for the domain.
3. Replace the current nameservers with the two IT Solver nameservers from the dashboard. Remove all other nameservers.
4. Save the change.

The change can take up to 48 hours. The dashboard does not email you when it is done. To check, sign in to the dashboard and select Domains: the domain shows DNS managed when the change is done. On the domain's Review DNS page, the heading changes from Pending nameserver update to Active on IT Solver DNS.

What you manage in the dashboard and what stays with your registrar

A connected domain shows Registration managed elsewhere on the Domains page.

In the dashboard, you can:

• Manage your website, email and other DNS records. Select the domain, then select Manage DNS records. Owners, IT managers and Web designers can do this. See Add, change or delete DNS records.
• Turn on SPF, DKIM and DMARC. See Turn on email authentication (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) in the dashboard.
• Transfer the registration to IT Solver at any time. Select Transfer domain to IT Solver on the domain page. Only an Owner or IT manager can start a transfer. See Transfer your domain to IT Solver.

Your current registrar still manages:

• The domain registration and its renewal. Make sure the domain renews there. If the registration expires, your website and email can stop working.
• The domain password (authorisation code).
• The nameserver settings.

Other options on the Add a domain page

• Transfer a domain moves the registration to IT Solver as well as the DNS. See Transfer your domain to IT Solver.
• Buy a domain registers a new domain. See Find and buy a domain.

Examples

Your domain is with GoDaddy and you want to keep every record

Your website and email work, and you do not want to move the registration yet.

To do it: in GoDaddy, open the domain's DNS page and choose Export zone file. In the dashboard, select Upload a DNS zone file and upload the file. Check the records on the Review DNS page, then change the nameservers in GoDaddy.

The result says "Do not change your nameservers yet"

The domain shows Needs attention, and the message says that DNSSEC is turned on at your registrar.

To fix it: sign in to your registrar and turn off DNSSEC for the domain. Then do Step 1 again. If the message stays, contact IT Solver.

You bought the domain through Wix and cannot find the nameserver settings

Some website builders do not let you change nameservers.

To fix it: transfer the domain to IT Solver, or contact IT Solver for help.

Email stops for one service after the nameserver change

Your main email works, but a booking system or newsletter service can no longer send from your domain.

To fix it: a record for that service was not copied. Get the record from the service or from your old DNS copy. Add it with Manage DNS records.

Still have a problem?

Questions? Email support@itsolver.net or phone 07 3123 6000.