How to Add an A Record to Your DNS Zone in cPanel

An A Record (Address Record) is the most basic type of DNS record. It points a domain or subdomain directly to an IPv4 address. You will typically need to add an A record when pointing a subdomain to an external service (like Shopify or a CRM) or verifying domain ownership. Here is how to do it in cPanel.

Step 1: Open the Zone Editor

Log in to your cPanel dashboard. Scroll down to the Domains section and click on Zone Editor.

Step 2: Access Your Domain's Records

You will see a list of domains on your account. Find the domain you want to modify and click the Manage button next to it. (Do not click the quick "+ A Record" button, as the Manage interface is much easier to use correctly).

Step 3: Add the Record

Click the blue Add Record button at the top right of the table. A new row will appear.

• Name: Enter the subdomain you want to point (e.g., store.yourdomain.com.). Make sure it ends with a dot. If you are pointing the root domain, just type your domain name yourdomain.com.
• TTL (Time To Live): Leave this as the default (usually 14400, which means 4 hours).
• Type: Select A from the dropdown menu.
• Record: Paste the target IPv4 address provided by the external service (e.g. 192.168.1.100).

Step 4: Save the Record

Click the Save Record button on the right side of the row. cPanel will validate the input and add the record to your DNS zone.

Important Note on Propagation

Like all DNS changes, adding a new A record is not instantly visible worldwide. It must propagate across global ISP caches. While adding a new record is usually faster than updating an existing one, please allow up to 4 hours for the new A record to fully resolve. You can verify the status using whatsmydns.net.

When to use CNAME vs A Record?

Only use an A record when you are given an IP address (numbers like 23.45.67.89). If a third-party service gives you a domain name to point to (like shops.myshopify.com), you must create a CNAME Record instead, following the exact same steps above but selecting CNAME from the Type dropdown.