Pointing a domain to Hostinger looks simple in the abstract, but the right path depends on where the domain is registered, whether you use third-party email, and whether you sit behind Cloudflare. The wrong method can take email offline for two days, cache the old site for a week, or rebuild a Cloudflare config you spent hours tuning. This walkthrough covers both DNS paths, which one fits which scenario, registrar-specific steps, and the propagation tricks that cut waiting time.
Two Methods, Two Use Cases
Hostinger supports two DNS paths. Pick before you start because mixing them halfway through creates inconsistent state.
- Nameserver change: Move all DNS authority to Hostinger. Hostinger manages every record (A, MX, TXT, CNAME). Simplest, best for sites where Hostinger is also handling email or there is no email at all.
- A record change: Keep DNS at your existing provider (Cloudflare, registrar's free DNS, AWS Route 53). Only update the A record (and CNAME for www) to point at Hostinger's IP. Surgical, best for sites with complex existing DNS, third-party email like Google Workspace, or Cloudflare proxying.
If you are migrating an existing site, the broader Hostinger setup and migration guide covers when each path makes sense, including the DNS sequencing that protects email continuity.
Before You Change Anything: The Pre-Flight Checklist
Four steps prevent the most common DNS outages.
- Lower your DNS TTL to 300 seconds (5 minutes) at your current DNS provider 24 hours before the change. Propagation finishes in minutes after the cut-over instead of hours.
- Document every current DNS record (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, SRV). Screenshot the registrar's DNS page or export the zone file if your registrar supports it. If you change nameservers, you need these to recreate on Hostinger.
- Confirm your Hostinger site loads on the preview URL. Hostinger gives you a yourdomain.hostingersite.com URL the moment your account is live. If anything is broken there, fix it before you cut DNS.
- Plan the cut-over for low-traffic hours. Late evening in your primary visitor time zone usually works. Avoid Mondays and ecommerce sales windows.
Method 1: Change Nameservers (Recommended for Most)
Step 1: Find Your Hostinger Nameservers
In hPanel, look at the home dashboard or go to Hosting > Plan Details. The Nameservers card shows the exact values for your account. Typical Hostinger nameservers are ns1.dns-parking.com and ns2.dns-parking.com, but some accounts use different prefixes. Always copy the values from your own hPanel rather than typing the ones in a generic tutorial.
Step 2: Change Nameservers at Your Domain Registrar
Log in to wherever you registered the domain (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains, Porkbun, Hostinger itself if you registered through them). Find the nameserver settings, which usually live under Domain > Manage > Nameservers, then change from "default" or "registrar's nameservers" to "custom nameservers" and paste the two Hostinger values.
Registrar-specific notes that catch people:
- Cloudflare: If your domain is registered at Cloudflare, you cannot change nameservers away from Cloudflare. Use Method 2 (A record) instead, or transfer the domain to a different registrar first.
- GoDaddy: Use My Products > Domains > DNS > Nameservers > Change > Enter my own nameservers. The "Use my own nameservers" toggle is what activates custom values.
- Namecheap: Dashboard > Manage > Nameservers > Custom DNS. Save changes before leaving the page or they revert.
- Google Domains: Google Domains shut down and migrated to Squarespace Domains. The flow is similar but the UI is rebranded.
- Porkbun: Domain Management > pencil icon next to Authoritative Nameservers > paste values.
Step 3: Wait for Propagation
Most nameserver changes propagate globally in 4 to 24 hours. With the TTL pre-lowered to 300 seconds, you usually see changes within 30 to 60 minutes. Use dnschecker.org to confirm globally; type your domain, select NS, and watch for ns1.dns-parking.com appearing across all regions.
Once propagation completes, hPanel's domain status changes from "Pending" to "Active" and your site loads at the real domain.
Method 2: Change A Record Only
Use this when you want to keep DNS at Cloudflare, Route 53, or your registrar's DNS, or when you have complex email rules you do not want to recreate. Only the web traffic moves to Hostinger; email, subdomains, and other records keep working unchanged.
Step 1: Find Your Hostinger Site IP
In hPanel, go to Hosting > Plan Details. The Site IP Address field shows the IPv4 you need (looks like 145.14.157.42). Copy it. If your plan supports IPv6, also copy the AAAA value for full dual-stack coverage.
Step 2: Update the A Record at Your DNS Provider
Open the DNS management area at your current DNS provider. Find the A record where the Name or Host field is @ (your root domain). Change the Value or "Points to" field from the old IP to the Hostinger IP you just copied. Set TTL to 300 seconds for fast propagation, or "Automatic" if your provider supports it.
Do not forget the www CNAME. Find the CNAME record where Name is www, and confirm it points to your root domain (@). If you instead want www to be a separate A record, set the same Hostinger IP. Modern best practice is to use a CNAME for www that follows the apex A record.
Step 3: Update AAAA if You Have IPv6
If your old setup had an AAAA record for IPv6, either delete it (browsers fall back to IPv4 automatically) or update it to Hostinger's IPv6 value from hPanel. A stale AAAA record pointing at the old host is one of the most-missed reasons a "DNS change did not work" symptom shows up; the browser uses IPv6 first and finds the old site.
Cloudflare in the Middle
If your domain runs through Cloudflare (registered at Cloudflare, or pointing through Cloudflare's free CDN proxy), the path is slightly different. You have three options.
- Keep Cloudflare, point A record at Hostinger IP: In Cloudflare DNS, update the A record for @ to Hostinger's IP. Keep the proxy status on the orange cloud (Proxied) if you want Cloudflare's CDN and DDoS protection. Confirm Cloudflare's SSL/TLS mode is set to "Full" (not "Flexible") so HTTPS works end-to-end without redirect loops.
- Remove Cloudflare proxy, keep DNS: Set the A record cloud to grey (DNS only). Hostinger sees real visitor IPs and handles SSL itself. You lose Cloudflare's CDN but get a simpler configuration.
- Move DNS to Hostinger fully: Only possible if your domain is registered somewhere other than Cloudflare. Change nameservers at the registrar to Hostinger's, then recreate Cloudflare's CDN by adding the domain as a partial CNAME setup. Usually not worth the complexity.
If you are protecting WordPress through Cloudflare's WAF or Bot Fight Mode, keep them on after the cut-over. They work the same whether the origin is the old host or Hostinger.
Keeping Email Working During the Cut-Over
Email lives in MX records and the supporting SPF, DKIM, and DMARC TXT records. If you change nameservers without recreating these on Hostinger, email stops for 24 to 48 hours.
Before changing nameservers, copy these from your existing DNS provider:
- MX records: typically several records pointing at your email provider's servers (e.g. ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM for Google Workspace).
- SPF record: a TXT record starting with "v=spf1" that lists allowed senders.
- DKIM record: a TXT record at a specific selector (e.g. google._domainkey for Google Workspace).
- DMARC record: a TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com.
Add all of these to Hostinger's DNS zone in hPanel under Domains > DNS Manager BEFORE you change nameservers at your registrar. Propagation then carries them through with everything else and email never goes dark.
If you are using the A-record-only path (Method 2), email is unaffected because you are not touching MX records at all.
Verify the Change Worked
Run these checks 30 minutes to 2 hours after the change.
- dnschecker.org for your domain (A record): should show the Hostinger IP across most regions. A few regions may lag a few hours.
- Open your domain in an incognito browser window: should load the Hostinger site, not the old one. If it still loads the old site, your local DNS or browser cache is stale; try a different network (mobile data).
- nslookup yourdomain.com in a terminal: should return the Hostinger IP. On Windows use Command Prompt, on Mac and Linux use Terminal.
- mxtoolbox.com domain lookup: confirms A, MX, NS, SPF, and DMARC records all match what you set. Catches stale records before users notice.
- Send a test email from your domain to a Gmail address and check the headers for SPF=pass and DKIM=pass. Catches email configuration drift.
Common DNS Errors and Fixes
- Domain still shows the old site after 24 hours. Either the nameserver change did not save at the registrar (re-check), the TTL was not lowered in advance (wait longer), or a browser cache is showing the old site (try mobile data or incognito).
- "This site cannot be reached" error. A record is wrong or the AAAA record still points at the old host. Re-check both, and delete any stale AAAA.
- "Connection is not private" SSL warning. Hostinger SSL is not yet provisioned for the domain. In hPanel, go to SSL and click Install or Force HTTPS. Wait 5 minutes for issuance.
- Email stopped working. MX records lost during nameserver change. Re-add them under hPanel > DNS > Manage and wait one propagation cycle.
- Cloudflare error 522 (connection timed out). Cloudflare's SSL/TLS mode is set to Flexible when it needs to be Full. Switch in Cloudflare > SSL/TLS > Overview.
- www subdomain shows old site but root domain shows new. CNAME for www was never updated. Set it to point at @ or to the Hostinger IP directly.
Pointing Subdomains to Hostinger
Subdomains follow the same logic. In Hostinger, add the subdomain under Domains > Subdomains in hPanel so the server is ready to serve it. Then either let nameservers handle it automatically (Method 1) or add a CNAME at your DNS provider pointing the subdomain at the root domain or directly at the Hostinger IP via A record (Method 2).
One subtlety: if the subdomain has its own service (mail.yourdomain.com pointing at Google Workspace, blog.yourdomain.com pointing at Medium), do not change it. Only add the subdomains that need to live on Hostinger.
After Your Domain Resolves to Hostinger
Once your domain loads the Hostinger site, walk through the post-cut-over checklist: confirm forms submit and emails arrive, confirm checkout works, confirm Search Console still receives data, and keep the old host running for at least 7 days as a fallback. The parent Hostinger setup and migration guide covers the broader post-migration verification list, and the how to set up Hostinger walkthrough covers the LiteSpeed and security settings that turn a freshly pointed domain into a tuned production site.
