In this guide, we show how to point the domain to another provider for web hosting (such as Shopify or Wix), but continue to use InMotion Hosting services for email. The domain's A record will need to be changed to point to third-party hosting. Changing the mail.domain.com CNAME record to an A record with the server IP and adjusting the MX record completes the setup for this configuration.
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Change DNS Records Using cPanel Zone Editor
Point a Domain to Shopify
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Making DNS Updates in cPanel
IMPORTANT: DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to fully propagate across the web. Your website will not start immediately pulling from this new IP address. Please allow up to 24 hours.
IMPORTANT: These steps are for domains using InMotion Hosting nameservers. If the domain is using external nameservers, please follow the steps under Making External DNS Updates below.
- Log into cPanel
- Navigate to Zone Editor, located in the Domains section
- Locate the specific domain and select Manage
- Locate the main A record for the domain
- Click Edit
NOTE: If DNS records are already set up pointing to InMotion Hosting's server for all services, you only need to modify the A (Address) record of the website. - Save the IP address currently listed for the A record
- Fill in the IP address of your remote website host in the Record field
- Click Save Record
EXAMPLE:
- Click Edit
- Locate the mail subdomain CNAME record for the domain
- Click Edit
- Update the record type from CNAME to A Record
- Input your InMotion Hosting server's IP address in the Record field
TIP: This is the IP address saved earlier. If needed, the IP address can also be found in the Account Technical Details.
EXAMPLE: - Click Save Record
- Locate the domain's MX record
- Click Edit
- Update the Record field from domain.com to mail.domain.com
REPLACE: Replace domain.com with the appropriate domain name.
NOTE: If the MX record is not updated to point to a subdomain that is pointed to InMotion Hosting, this will cause emails to stop working, as they will be routed to the 3rd party hosting provider.
EXAMPLE: - Click Save Record
- Click Edit
- Click the cPanel icon in the top-left corner to return to the main page
- Navigate to Email Routing, located in the Emails section
- Locate the appropriate domain
- Ensure the mail routing is set to Local
- If not set, update the toggle to Local
- If not set, update the toggle to Local
- Send a test email to confirm that records were set correctly
Making External DNS Updates
IMPORTANT: DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to fully propagate across the web. Your website will not start immediately pulling from this new IP address. Please allow up to 24 hours.
IMPORTANT: These steps are for domains using external nameservers. If the domain is using InMotion Hosting nameservers, please follow the steps under Making DNS Updates in cPanel above.
NOTE: If you are having trouble with steps 1 - 5 below, please contact the external DNS provider for assistance.
- Log into the third-party DNS provider's dashboard for your domain
- Navigate to the DNS management area
- Convert the mail.domain.com record from a CNAME record to an A record
REPLACE: Replace domain.com with your domain.
NOTE: If the record doesn't exist on your nameserver, create it. - Update the A record to use the InMotion Hosting server's IP address
TIP: If needed, your account's IP address can be found under Account Technical Details. - Point the MX record to mail.domain.com with priority 0
REPLACE: Replace domain.com with the appropriate domain name. - Within cPanel at InMotion Hosting, navigate to Email Routing, located in the Emails section
- Select the appropriate domain
- Ensure the mail routing is set to Local
- Send a test email to confirm that records were set correctly
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