Switch to Templ-managed DNS

This guide describes how to point your domain name at Templ by switching over to Templ-managed name servers. Pointing your name servers at Templ hands full DNS management to Templ, so we handle the domain's records for you.

This assumes you've already added the domain in the Templ Panel. If you added it with Use external nameservers on (the A records only route) and now want to switch, see Already pointing with A records? below first. If your domain is registered at Templ instead, see Administration of name servers.

Changing your name servers affects all services associated with your domain, including email. Before you switch, copy any existing DNS records you want to keep over to Templ so nothing is lost. If you are unsure about the implications, contact support and we'll help.

Already pointing with A records?

If you previously pointed only your website to Templ with the A records only route and now want Templ to manage your DNS, contact support and we'll switch the domain over to Templ-managed DNS for you.

Before pointing your name servers at Templ, recreate any custom DNS records you still need - such as MX, SPF, DKIM, and TXT verification records - in Templ, so they aren't lost when Templ takes over DNS. See Manage DNS and Import a zone file.

Then follow Update the name servers at your registrar below. Since your site already resolves to Templ through your A records, there's no downtime during the switch, and the A-record preparation step below doesn't apply to you.

Before you update your name servers

To speed up propagation and avoid downtime, we recommend changing your domain's A record to point to your website's IP address at your current DNS provider before switching name servers. That way your old DNS already sends visitors to Templ while the name server change takes effect.

Assign the domain to a website

To make the domain your website's primary domain, open the website in the Templ Panel, click Edit Website Details, and select the domain - see Change a website's domain.

The website's domain change will be pending DNS propagation. Once propagated, an SSL certificate is generated and the website's domain name is changed. In the meantime you can still access the website on the old/temporary domain name. If the certificate doesn't appear after propagation, or you want to trigger it manually, see SSL certificates.

If you instead want the domain to point at a site without changing that site's primary domain, attach it as an additional domain.

Update the name servers at your registrar

To enable Templ to automatically handle your domain, update the name servers at your domain registrar to the correct Templ name servers.

Find your Templ name servers

Navigate to Domains in the left menu of the Templ Panel.
Click on the domain you wish to update. The assigned Name servers will be displayed there.

Registrar guides

Here are links to popular domain registrars and their guides for updating name servers.

Is your registrar not listed? If you're unsure how to update your name servers, send us a message for help, or contact your domain registrar for assistance.

Propagation Time: After updating your name servers, allow 4 to 8 hours for .com and .net domains, and 24 to 48 hours for other domain extensions to be accessible across other networks.

Check if your name servers have propagated

The easiest way to check if your name servers have propagated around the world is to use a DNS Checker tool.

Enter your domain name, select "NS" from the dropdown, and click Search.

DNS Checker tool showing NS record lookup results

Once propagated, the results will show the Templ-assigned name servers you set at your registrar. Note that some domains may take up to 48 hours to propagate globally.

That's it - your domain's DNS is now managed by Templ. The pending domain change and SSL certificate for your website then complete automatically.