Connect an Existing Domain

If you have already purchased a domain (e.g., yourbrand.com) from GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Squarespace, Gandi, or any other domain registrar, you do not need to repurchase it or transfer your domain registration. Simply add a record pointing to Kanorio where you manage your domain's DNS, and the system will automatically verify it and configure a free HTTPS security certificate.

• If you haven't purchased a domain yet and want to search and buy one directly in Kanorio: See .
• If you have already set up your DNS but the status is stuck on "Waiting for DNS to propagate" or you want to understand diagnostic prompts: See .

Before you start, please confirm these 3 things

1. Your website is on the Pro or Business plan: The Free plan uses a xxx.kanorio.com free URL; the Pro plan allows up to 1 custom domain, and the Business plan allows up to 5 (see for details).
2. Confirm where your DNS is actually managed: "Where you bought the domain" is not necessarily "where your DNS is managed." For example, even if you bought your domain on GoDaddy or Namecheap, if an engineer previously changed the "Nameservers" to Cloudflare, your DNS records must be managed in Cloudflare. Setting them at the original registrar will not take effect. (Don't worry if you're unsure; the next step in the Kanorio dashboard will automatically detect this for you!)
3. Kanorio exclusively uses CNAME records (pointing to saas.kanorio.com) for binding: To automatically issue and renew SSL certificates for your domain via our global edge network, Kanorio only accepts CNAME (or ALIAS/ANAME for root domains) pointing to saas.kanorio.com. We do not support binding via traditional A records (IP addresses).

Step 1: Decide whether to use a "Root domain" or "www" (Must read)

Before entering your domain, please understand which type your domain registrar belongs to:

Not sure if your registrar is A or B? Proceed to the next step! When you enter your domain in Kanorio, the system will automatically detect your registrar. If it detects that your registrar does not support root domain CNAMEs and you entered a root domain, a "Switch to www.yourbrand.com" button will appear. Click it, and we will handle the switch for you.

Setup steps

1. Add a brand domain in Kanorio

1. Go to "Website Settings › Domains" in the dashboard and find the "Custom Domain" card.
2. Click "Add brand domain" in the top right corner.
3. Enter the full domain you want to connect (e.g., www.yourbrand.com or yourbrand.com; do not include https:// or page paths).
4. The dialog will instantly check your domain format and current DNS status:
   • If you see a prompt saying "Recommended to switch to www.yourbrand.com", click the button to switch to www.
5. Click "Add brand domain" to finish. The domain will show a yellow "Waiting for DNS to propagate" status, and the "DNS Settings" drawer will automatically open on the right.

2. View the "DNS Settings" drawer for specific instructions

Kanorio's "DNS Settings" drawer automatically identifies your current DNS host (supporting 18 major global and regional providers) and provides:

• What to do now: e.g., "Add the following record in your {Registrar Name} DNS settings."
• Record cards to copy: Provides one-click copy for Type (CNAME), Name (www or @), and Target (saas.kanorio.com). The card also provides registrar-specific tips (e.g., "Leave the name field blank for root domains" or "Only enter www in the name field, do not enter the full URL").
• Go to management dashboard button: Click "Go to {Provider Name} management dashboard" to open a new tab and log in to your registrar.

3. Add the CNAME record in your registrar's dashboard

Keep the Kanorio tab open and switch to your registrar's dashboard to complete the setup:

3 key actions when setting up:

1. Delete old "same-name" website records first: If you are binding www and there is already an old A, AAAA, or CNAME record named www (pointing to an old site or a parking page), delete that old record or modify its target to saas.kanorio.com. Otherwise, the conflict will prevent the new record from being added.
2. Cloudflare users: Change the cloud to "Grey (DNS Only)": If you are setting this CNAME in your Cloudflare account, click the "Proxy status" orange cloud to turn it grey (DNS Only). If you leave it orange, Kanorio cannot detect your CNAME pointing and will fail verification.
3. Keep TTL at default: If the form has a TTL (Time to Live) field, keep the default value (or Auto / 3600).

4. Return to Kanorio and wait for automatic propagation

After saving the records at your registrar, return to "Website Settings › Domains" in Kanorio:

• While you have the page open, the system automatically checks every 15 seconds; even if you close the page, the background will retry every 5 minutes. You can also click "Check again now" in the bottom left of the drawer.
• Most domains complete DNS verification and automatic SSL certificate issuance within 5 to 15 minutes, turning the status green as "Active" (some traditional registrars may take a few hours up to 24 hours for global propagation).
• Do not "Remove and re-add": During the waiting period, do not remove and re-add the domain. This will not speed up the process; instead, it will trigger a 10-minute security cooldown and reset your wait time.

Registrar dashboards look different? Master these 3 universal rules

There are hundreds of registrars globally, and interfaces change often, but the underlying logic is identical. If you can't find where to fill in the info, judge by these 3 directions:

Direction 1: Enter the correct "DNS Record Management" portal, avoid "Custom Nameservers"

After logging in, click on your domain name and look for menus containing these terms:

• Correct entry (where to add CNAME records): Look for "DNS Settings", "DNS Records", "Advanced DNS", "Managed DNS", "Zone File", or "Host Records".
• The "No-Go" Zone: Do not click "Custom Nameservers / NS" or "Self-managed DNS"! In many registrar interfaces, switching to "Self-managed DNS / Custom Nameservers" means "I want to move my entire DNS phonebook to another server and stop using this registrar's DNS dashboard." Once you change nameservers, all existing records (including company email) will stop working instantly.

Direction 2: Understand field name variations across registrars

Different registrars use different names for the same fields. See the comparison below:

Direction 3: Standard solution when a registrar "Doesn't allow CNAME for root domains"

If you are setting up on GoDaddy, Squarespace, or some traditional registrars and find that after selecting CNAME, the system doesn't allow you to leave the name field blank or enter @ (because these providers mandate "CNAMEs can only be set for subdomains, not root domains"):

• Do not set an A record (IP address): Because Kanorio only accepts CNAME verification, setting an A record will result in an "A record verification failed" error and will never work.
• The correct 2-step solution:
  1. Connect www to Kanorio first: Change the bound URL in Kanorio to www.yourbrand.com and add a record at your registrar with the name www, type CNAME, and target saas.kanorio.com.
  2. Enable "URL Forwarding" at your registrar: Find the "URL Forwarding / Redirect Settings" feature in your registrar dashboard and set the non-www yourbrand.com to forward to https://www.yourbrand.com (and delete the original A record pointing to the old site). This way, visitors will enter your Kanorio site regardless of whether they type www or not!

Still can't find where to edit? Copy this message for your registrar support or us

If the registrar dashboard is overwhelming, don't guess—use these two ways to get help:

Way A: Copy this message and send it to your registrar support or IT team

Replace the URL in the brackets with your domain and send it to your registrar's support or the engineer managing your domain:

Hello, I would like to connect my domain【example.com】to the Kanorio website platform while keeping my existing email (MX / TXT) records unchanged.
Please assist me or guide me in completing the following two settings in the DNS management dashboard:
1. Add (or modify) a subdomain record: Select "CNAME" as the type, enter "www" as the host name, and point the target to "saas.kanorio.com" (if the system requires a trailing dot, please enter saas.kanorio.com.).
2. Remove the A record for the root domain【example.com】that points to the old website, and use the "URL Forwarding" feature to redirect【example.com】to "https://www.example.com".
Thank you!

(Note: If your registrar is Cloudflare, Namecheap, Gandi, etc., which support root domain CNAME/ALIAS, and you want to use the root domain as the primary URL, simply ask them to "Point the root domain @ to saas.kanorio.com via CNAME or ALIAS (set to grey cloud/DNS only for Cloudflare) and redirect www to the root domain".)

Way B: Take these 2 screenshots and send them to Kanorio support

You can always contact us via the support widget in the bottom right of the dashboard or . Just attach these 2 screenshots, and we will circle exactly which fields to change:

1. A full screenshot of your current "DNS Record List" in your registrar dashboard.
2. A screenshot of the "DNS Settings" drawer opened in your Kanorio dashboard. (Security reminder: Do not share your registrar login credentials or verification codes with anyone, including Kanorio support.)

Safety rules when switching with an existing website or company email

If this domain is currently running an old website, or if your company is using @yourbrand.com for email (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail), follow these 3 ironclad rules before you start:

1. Never delete any MX records or email verification TXT records: Website (CNAME) and email (MX) traffic travel through completely independent channels in DNS. As long as you do not delete or modify any MX records, TXT records containing v=spf1/dkim/_dmarc, or mail records pointing to your company mail server, connecting your site to Kanorio will never affect your company email.
2. Never change your "Nameservers" arbitrarily: If you have already set up your company email, simply modify the website's CNAME in the existing DNS management page. Do not change the entire set of nameservers.
3. Set up 301 redirects in Kanorio before switching the old site: Once you point the domain to Kanorio, the old site will no longer open via that URL. If the old site has pages indexed by Google or printed on posters (e.g., /about-us.html), we recommend setting up 301 redirects for the old paths in Kanorio's before switching DNS to ensure a seamless transition for all old traffic.

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