Migrate your Domain Name to Cloudflare

Cloudflare requires your domain to use its nameservers in order to take full advantage of its performance, security, and DNS management features. Before switching, it’s best to download your DNS zone file from your current registrar or host so you have a complete backup of all records. When adding your domain to Cloudflare, upload that zone file to import your DNS records and keep proxying disabled initially to ensure a smooth transition. Once your nameservers are updated and everything resolves correctly, you can safely enable Cloudflare’s proxy and optimization features.

Follow the steps bellow to get your domain migrated to Cloudflare:

1. Download Your DNS Zone File

Before doing anything in Cloudflare, download your DNS zone file from your current registrar or DNS host.

This file contains all your existing DNS records (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, etc.) and ensures you don’t lose important entries during migration.

💡 Why this matters: Having the zone file ensures a perfect reference copy in case your current provider disables DNS service as soon as you change nameservers.

Help Guides for different Registrars/DNS Providers:

• GoDaddy - Export my domain's zone file records
• Azure DNS - Export Zone File
• AWS Route53 - Bind Export via CLI/Cloud Shell

2. Add the Domain in Cloudflare

Log in to Cloudflare and click “Onboard Domain +” or "Add Site +" Enter your domain name (e.g., example.com) and select a plan (the Free plan is fine for most sites). When prompted, upload your DNS zone file instead of letting Cloudflare scan your domain automatically. You can upload the file directly using the Import DNS Records option. This preserves all your existing entries exactly as they appear on your old DNS host. Our recommended settings are shown below:

3. Turn Off Proxying (for Now)

When the records are imported, Cloudflare automatically enables the orange-cloud proxy for many entries.

For your first setup, disable proxying (gray cloud) on every record.

⚙️ This ensures a smooth nameserver transition — no caching, SSL, or CDN interference while you verify that your DNS is resolving correctly.

4. Verify All DNS Records

After import, carefully go line by line to confirm:

Every record from your old zone file is present. No records are duplicated, missing, or pointing to old IPs. MX and TXT records (especially SPF, DKIM, DMARC) match your email configuration.

5. Update Nameservers at Your Registrar

Cloudflare will provide two new nameservers (e.g., nora.ns.cloudflare.com and ivan.ns.cloudflare.com).

Go to your domain registrar and replace your existing nameservers with these.

🕐 Propagation usually takes a few hours but can take up to 24–48 hours globally.

After the domain is successfully connected, we’ll take it from there—enabling proxying for the appropriate records, configuring security rules, HTTPS certificates, caching, and any additional optimizations needed to fully leverage Cloudflare’s platform. This ensures your site is fast, secure, and running with best-practice configurations across the board.