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Add and activate your domain

For most customers, adding and activating your domain on Cloudflare is straightforward.

The first step is always the same, to create a Cloudflare account.

Your next steps depend on whether you have a domain name, such as example.com.

flowchart TD
accTitle: Add and activate your domain at Cloudflare
H[Create account] --> A
A[Do you have a domain name?] -- No --> B[Buy through Cloudflare Registrar]
B --> E[Domain is active]
A -- Yes --> F[Can be transferred to Cloudflare?]
F -- Yes --> G[Transfer to Registrar]
G --> E
F -- No --> C[Add domain to Cloudflare]
C --> D[Change nameservers]
D --Verification period--> E

No domain

If you do not already have a domain name, purchase one through Cloudflare Registrar.

Registrar simplifies your Cloudflare setup - and is often cheaper than other registrars - so it is our recommended option for most customers.

Existing domain

Transfer to Cloudflare

If you already have a domain, the easiest way to get set up with Cloudflare is to transfer your domain to Cloudflare Registrar. Just like with buying a domain name through Cloudflare, this option simplifies your Cloudflare setup.

Keep current registrar

If you cannot transfer your domain or want to keep your current registrar, your setup has a few more steps:

  1. Add your site.
  2. (Optional) If your domain is sensitive to downtime, you may have a few additional steps.
  3. At your registrar (where you bought your domain name), disable DNSSEC.

    Provider-specific instructions

    This is not an exhaustive list of how to update DS records in other providers, but the following links may be helpful:

  4. (For some) At your origin server, allow Cloudflare IP addresses.
  5. Change your domain nameservers.
  6. Wait for your domain to become Active on Cloudflare.

Troubleshooting

If you have issues activating your domain on Cloudflare, refer to our troubleshooting guides on adding sites to Cloudflare and changing nameservers.