Managing DNS Records

Accessing Your DNS Manager

There are two ways to reach your DNS Manager, depending on where you prefer to work.

Method 1 — Via My HostGrower

1. Log in to My HostGrower at my.hostgrower.com
2. From the dashboard, click Domains under the Manage Services section
3. Find the domain you want to manage and click Manage
4. On the Domain Management screen, click Manage DNS

Method 2 — Via StackCP

1. Log in to your StackCP control panel
2. Scroll to the Domain Names section
3. Click Manage DNS
4. Select the domain you want to edit from the dropdown

The DNS Manager Interface

Once inside the DNS Manager, you will see a table listing all current DNS records for your domain. Each record has three columns:

Column	Description
Name	The hostname or subdomain this record applies to (e.g. yoursite.com, www.yoursite.com, mail.yoursite.com)
Type	The record type — A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.
Data	The value the record points to — an IP address, hostname, or text string

At the top of the page you will also find two useful tools:

• Preconfigured Settings — apply pre-built DNS configurations for common setups (such as pointing your domain back to HostGrower hosting)
• Import Zone File — import a full DNS zone file if you are migrating from another provider

DNS Record Types Explained

Here is a quick reference for the record types you will encounter most often.

A Record — Address Record

Maps a domain or subdomain to an IPv4 address. This is the most fundamental record — it tells browsers which server to contact when someone visits your domain.

AAAA Record — IPv6 Address Record

Works exactly like an A record, but maps to an IPv6 address. HostGrower automatically creates AAAA records alongside your A records to ensure your site is reachable over both IPv4 and IPv6 networks.

CNAME Record — Canonical Name Record

Creates an alias that points one hostname to another hostname (not an IP address). Commonly used for www subdomains, email services, FTP, and third-party integrations.

MX Record — Mail Exchange Record

Tells the internet which server handles incoming email for your domain. If your domain uses HostGrower email hosting, an MX record pointing to StackMail is set up automatically. If you use a third-party email provider (such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365), you will need to update this record to theirs.

TXT Record — Text Record

Stores arbitrary text data associated with your domain. TXT records are widely used for:

• Domain ownership verification — Google Search Console, Facebook, Stripe, OpenAI, and many other services ask you to add a TXT record to prove you own the domain
• SPF — specifies which mail servers are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain
• DKIM — adds a cryptographic signature to outgoing emails to prevent spoofing
• DMARC — sets a policy for how receiving servers should handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks

NS Record — Nameserver Record

Specifies which nameservers are authoritative for your domain. HostGrower manages these automatically — do not change NS records unless you are intentionally moving DNS management to an external provider such as Cloudflare.

Adding a DNS Record

1. Open the DNS Manager for your domain (see Accessing Your DNS Manager above)
2. Scroll to the bottom of the records table — you will see an empty row with three fields: Name, Type, and Data
3. Enter the Name — this is the hostname the record applies to. Use @ or leave it as your root domain for the bare domain, or type a subdomain such as www or mail
4. Select the Type from the dropdown — A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.
5. Enter the Data — the IP address, hostname, or text value this record should point to
6. If you need to add more than one record at a time, click Add another record to add additional rows
7. When you are ready, click Update DNS to save all changes

Editing an Existing Record

All existing records in the DNS Manager are displayed in editable fields — simply click the Name or Data field of any existing record and type your changes directly. When you have finished, click Update DNS to save.

Using Preconfigured Settings

The Preconfigured Settings option at the top of the DNS Manager lets you apply a ready-made DNS configuration with a single click. This is useful if:

• You have been experimenting with DNS changes and want to restore your domain to a clean HostGrower setup
• You have just transferred a domain to HostGrower and need to point it to your hosting package
• You want to quickly set up a standard configuration without manually entering each record

Select the desired configuration from the dropdown and apply it. HostGrower will populate all necessary records automatically.

Importing a Zone File

If you are migrating a domain from another hosting provider and your previous provider gave you a DNS zone file export, you can import it directly using the Import Zone File button at the top of the DNS Manager. This will populate all your records at once without requiring manual entry.

Zone files use the standard BIND format. Most hosting control panels (cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin) can export zone files in this format.

DNS Propagation

After saving any DNS change, the new values need time to spread across DNS servers worldwide — this is called DNS propagation. During this period, some visitors may see old records while others see the updated ones, depending on which DNS server their device is using.

Change Type	Typical Propagation Time
A / AAAA record update	A few minutes to 4 hours
CNAME record update	A few minutes to 4 hours
MX record update	Up to 24 hours
TXT record update	A few minutes to a few hours
NS record change (full DNS migration)	Up to 48 hours

Common Use Cases

Pointing Your Domain to HostGrower Hosting

If your domain is registered with HostGrower and you have an active hosting package, your A and AAAA records are set up automatically. If for any reason the records are missing or incorrect, use the Preconfigured Settings option in the DNS Manager to restore the default HostGrower configuration.

Setting Up Email (HostGrower Mail)

HostGrower email hosting requires the following records, all of which are created automatically when your domain is registered with us:

• MX record pointing to mx.stackmail.com
• CNAME records for imap, pop3, smtp, mail, and autodiscover — all pointing to StackMail servers
• TXT records for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to ensure reliable email delivery and protect against spoofing

If you are switching from a third-party email provider back to HostGrower email, update your MX record to mx.stackmail.com and remove any old MX records left over from your previous provider.

Switching to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 Email

To use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for email on your domain, you need to:

1. Remove (or replace) the existing MX record pointing to StackMail
2. Add the MX records provided by Google or Microsoft
3. Add any TXT records required for verification and SPF/DKIM

Refer to your email provider's setup guide for the exact records to add.

Creating a Subdomain

To create a subdomain such as shop.yoursite.com, add an A record with the subdomain name in the Name field and your server's IP address in the Data field. You can find your server's IP address in StackCP under Account Summary.

Verifying Your Domain with a Third-Party Service

Services such as Google Search Console, Facebook Business Manager, Stripe, and others require you to add a TXT record to prove domain ownership. The service will give you a specific TXT value to add — simply create a new TXT record with your root domain in the Name field and paste the provided value into the Data field, then click Update DNS. Verification is usually confirmed within a few minutes once the record has propagated.

Need Help?

If you are unsure about a DNS change or have made an accidental edit, you can always use the reset to defaults link at the top of the DNS Manager to restore your domain's records to their original HostGrower configuration. For further assistance, contact our support team — we are happy to help.