Fix · Domains and DNS

Nameservers are wrong or my records have no effect

Blocks your workNot checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

I edit records at my registrar but nothing changes
I moved to a new DNS service and the site went down

Most likely cause

DNS answers come from the nameservers the domain points to; editing records anywhere else has no effect.

Check first (about two minutes)

Look up the domain's nameservers with a public tool: which company are they?

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows domain names and DNS settings and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
Nameservers are wrong or my records have no effect

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
DNS answers come from the nameservers the domain points to; editing records anywhere else has no effect.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Find out which nameservers the domain really uses (dig NS <domain>).
2. Edit records only at that company, or move the nameservers on purpose: first copy every existing record to the new place, then switch the nameservers.
3. Warn me about mail and verification records that must come along.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- The lookup shows the intended nameservers and the records there match the plan.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not switch nameservers before copying all records.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Find out which nameservers the domain really uses (dig NS <domain>).
Edit records only at that company, or move the nameservers on purpose: first copy every existing record to the new place, then switch the nameservers.
Warn me about mail and verification records that must come along.

Do not do this

Do not edit records in two places and hope.
Do not switch nameservers before copying all records.

Try another entry