Connect a domain name (alternative method)

This guide will show you how to connect (or “point”) a domain name to your WordPress.com site by manually copying and adding our A and CNAME records to your domain name’s DNS records. Use this method only if you can’t use the recommended method to connect a domain name from another provider to your WordPress.com site.

This method is suitable if you need to keep an existing email service running, if your domain name registrar doesn’t allow name server changes, or if you use external services that require different name servers (such as Cloudflare).

Using this method means:

• Your domain name will show the site you created on WordPress.com without the ‘WordPress’ name in the address. Instead of a site address like yourgroovysite.wordpress.com, visitors can reach your site with an address like yourgroovydomain.com. The old .wordpress.com address will redirect to the new domain name you add.
• You will continue to renew the domain name through the company you purchased it from (also known as your domain registrar).
• You will continue to manage and edit your DNS with your domain name provider, not in your WordPress.com account. If you have an existing email or other connected services that require DNS records, those will not be interrupted.
• Connecting a domain name (also known as “mapping” or “pointing”) is free with any paid WordPress.com plan. If you downgrade to a free site, your domain connection will be removed.

1. Starting from your site’s dashboard, navigate to Upgrades → Domains.
2. Click “Add a domain” and select “Use a domain I own” from the drop-down menu.

3. Type the domain name you own and click the “Next” button.
4. On the next screen, you will have two options: transfer or connect. Click the “Connect your site address” option. It may take a few moments to be redirected to the next screen.

5. On the next screen, click either of the “Advanced setup” links.

6. Click the “Start setup” button.
7. Log in to your domain provider account and locate the DNS records settings.
8. Back in your WordPress.com account, click “I found the domain’s settings page” to see the DNS records you need for your domain name.

If you have already connected multiple domain names to your WordPress.com site, you may be asked to verify your domain ownership before starting the setup.

The DNS records for your site appear on screen after completing Step 1. If you navigated away, return to the DNS records screen by following steps 1–3 below. The records include:

• Two A records (IP addresses). You will replace your existing root A records with the ones provided for your site.
• One CNAME record to ensure the www part of your site address correctly redirects to your WordPress.com site.

To add the DNS records to your domain name, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Upgrades → Domains in your site’s dashboard.
2. Click the domain name, then click the Complete setup button.
3. Click “Advanced setup”.

4. Click “Start setup”, then click “I found the domain’s settings page” to view the DNS records.
5. Check your domain’s DNS for any existing AAAA records (IPv6) and delete them.
6. Add the A and CNAME records to your domain’s DNS settings with your registrar. If you are unsure how to find those settings, contact your domain provider’s support team for help.
7. Return to WordPress.com and click the “Verify Connection” button.

Once you have added the DNS records, it can take up to 72 hours for the changes to take effect across global servers. During that time, your domain may not load correctly.

You can check the status of your domain by following these steps:

1. Visit your WordPress.com site’s dashboard.
2. Navigate to Upgrades → Domains.
3. Check the Status column.

4. If your domain’s status still says Verifying, try waiting a few hours before taking the next step. Once you see the status change to Active, your domain is connected.
   • If the domain is still not loading the correct site, you may need to clear your browser’s cache to see the changes.
   • To check whether your DNS changes have propagated globally, use a tool like whatsmydns.net and select A from the dropdown menu.

Once your domain status changes to Active, WordPress.com automatically issues a free SSL certificate for your domain. The SSL certificate usually takes a few minutes to provision but can take up to 24 hours. During this time, visitors may see a security warning—this resolves on its own once the certificate is issued.

If it has been more than 24 hours and your site is still not showing a secure connection, you can manually provision the SSL certificate.

After your domain is active and the SSL certificate has been issued, go to Upgrades → Domains in your site’s dashboard and select your newly connected domain name as the primary site address. See Set a Primary Address for more.