Close Window x

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Languages: Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Suomi Filipino Français Indonesian Italiano Japanese Korean Malay Bokmål Nederlands Polski Português - Brasil Português - Portugal Русский Svenska Thai Türkçe Українська Vietnamese Chinese Taiwan Chinese

Managing Domain Names with Off-Site DNS

Print this Article
Last Updated: April 28, 2015 11:38 AM

If you registered your domain name with another registrar, you can still manage its zone file records with us by using Off-site DNS.

In the DNS Manager, you can add or cancel Off-site DNS for a domain name. Then, you can manage its zone file records in the Zone File Editor.

Off-site DNS does not support Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs).

TIP: If you plan to transfer a domain name's registration to us, you can keep its zone file intact by adding Off-site DNS for the domain name prior to initiating the transfer. See the Adding Off-site DNS for a Domain Name section below for details. For more information about transferring domain names to us, see Transfer domain to COMPANY_NAME.

Adding Off-site DNS for a Domain Name

To manage the DNS for an off-site domain name, you must add it to the DNS Dashboard, and then change your nameservers at your current registrar.

To Add Off-site DNS for a Domain Name

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Next to Domains, click Manage.
  3. Click More, and then select Add Off-site.
  4. In the Domain name field, enter the domain name you want to manage with Off-site DNS.
  5. (Optional) If you plan to transfer the domain name's registration to us and you want to transfer its existing DNS records as well, select The domain will be transferred ... . We apply the zone file to the domain name upon transfer. Otherwise, de-select this option.
  6. Click OK. The domain name displays in your Domain list with (Off-site) next to it.

    NOTE: If your domain name does not display, click to refresh the list.

  7. Contact your current registrar to update your nameservers to the following:

    Standard DNS
    mns01.domaincontrol.com
    mns02.domaincontrol.com

    Premium DNS
    You can find your domain name's Premium DNS nameservers in the Zone File Editor. To access the Zone File Editor from the Premium DNS Dashboard, click Edit Zone for the domain name you want to view, and then go to the NS (Nameserver) section. Your nameservers will be in these ranges:

    [pdns01-pdns13].domaincontrol.com
    [pdns02-pdns14].domaincontrol.com

    NOTE: Nameservers use consecutive odd and even pairs, so PDNS01.DOMAINCONTROL.COM works with PDNS02.DOMAINCONTROL.COM, whereas PDNS12.DOMAINCONTROL.COM would not work with PDNS13.DOMAINCONTROL.COM.

After updating your nameservers, allow 4 to 8 hours for other networks to access information for .com and .net domain names, and allow 24 to 48 hours for other networks to access information for all other domain extensions. If you have difficulty, contact our 24/7 technical support team for assistance.

Accessing the Zone File Editor for a Domain Name with Off-site DNS

Once you add Off-site DNS for a domain name, you can add, edit, or delete its zone file records in the Zone File Editor. For more information about working with specific records, see Managing DNS for Your Domain Names.

To Access the Zone File Editor for a Domain Name with Off-site DNS

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Next to Domains, click Manage.
  3. Click the domain name you want to work with, and then click the DNS Zone File tab.

Canceling Off-site DNS for a Domain Name

In the DNS Dashboard, you can cancel Off-site DNS for a domain name.

To Cancel Off-site DNS for a Domain Name

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Next to Domains, click Manage.
  3. From the DNS menu at the top, select DNS Manager.
  4. Select the domain name you want to cancel the Off-site DNS for.
  5. From the Off-site menu, select Cancel Off-site.
  6. Select Are you sure ... , and then click OK.
  7. Click OK.