# My custom domain isn't working

_Category: Troubleshooting_

Click the gear icon, then **Settings**, and look at **Domain status** under **Custom domain**. Find the first of its three steps that isn't ticked (**DNS verification**, **SSL certificate issued**, **Domain connected**), then check the causes below.

## The CNAME record is missing or wrong

This is the most common cause. When you click **Verify DNS** and we can't find a CNAME record that points your domain at your help center, you see **"The DNS record seems to be incorrect."**

1. Under **Configure your DNS**, note the record your domain needs: **Type** CNAME, **Name** your domain, **Value** your help center's address ending in .helpcenter.io.
2. At your DNS provider, create that CNAME record, or correct the one that's there. Many providers want only the first part of the name in the host field, for example `help` for help.yoursite.com.
3. Back in **Settings**, click **Verify DNS**.

Step-by-step guides: [Cloudflare](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/custom-domain-cloudflare), [GoDaddy](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/custom-domain-godaddy), [Namecheap](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/custom-domain-namecheap) and [NameBright](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/custom-domain-namebright).

## Your DNS change hasn't spread yet

Most DNS changes take effect within an hour, but some take up to 48 hours to reach everyone. You don't need to keep clicking **Verify DNS**: we check again every 5 minutes on the first day, every hour for the rest of the first week, and once a day after that. As soon as the record is found, the other steps start on their own.

## Cloudflare's proxy is on

With the orange cloud (proxied) switched on, Cloudflare hides your CNAME record and the check can't see it. Edit the record in Cloudflare and set it to **DNS only** (the gray cloud). See [Set up your custom domain with Cloudflare](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/custom-domain-cloudflare).

## You used your root domain

A root domain like yoursite.com can't hold a CNAME record at most DNS providers, and the ALIAS or "CNAME flattening" records some offer instead don't pass the check. Use a subdomain such as help.yoursite.com or support.yoursite.com.

## Another record uses the same name

A CNAME record can't share its name with other records. If an A, AAAA, TXT or MX record already uses the name, choose a name that isn't in use, or remove the old records if nothing else needs them.

## You changed your help center's subdomain

The CNAME value has to be your current address ending in .helpcenter.io. After you change your subdomain, update the record at your DNS provider to the new address. See [Change your help center's address](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/change-your-subdomain).

## DNS is verified, but the other steps don't finish

The SSL certificate is issued automatically once DNS is verified, usually within minutes, and the domain connects after that. Click the refresh icon next to **Domain status** to see the latest state.

If you've set up several different custom domains in the past month, a new one may not be accepted even though you saw **"Custom domain successfully applied."** Its certificate is then never issued. Contact us with the domain name so we can set it up for you.

## Other things to check

- **"Invalid domain name."** Enter the domain on its own, like help.yoursite.com, without `https://` or a slash at the end.
- **"This is not a custom domain"** means you entered an address ending in .helpcenter.io. Those are managed automatically, so enter your own domain instead.
- **A domain that starts with www.** HelpCenter.io removes `www.` from a custom domain when you save it, so the CNAME record has to use the name without it. Reload the page to see the name that was saved. For www.yoursite.com, that leaves your root domain, so use a subdomain such as help.yoursite.com instead.

## Still stuck?

Contact our support team with your domain name and a screenshot of the record at your DNS provider. Never send us your DNS provider's password. See [Contact HelpCenter.io support](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/contact-support).

## Related articles

- [Use your own domain](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/custom-domain)
- [Set up your custom domain with Cloudflare](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/custom-domain-cloudflare)