Squarespace DNS configuration

In case your domain was registered with the help of Squarespace, you are welcome to get access to its DNS settings via the Domains panel. There are quite few reasons for editing those settings, for example, forwarding a domain, or setting up a third-party email service.

What is DNS hosting on Squarespace

DNS hosting service in most cases is provided by a domain name registrar which often uses a backend server to provision services to Web hosting providers and ISPs. These servers are commonly built to provide such DNS services like domain translation, domain lookup and DNS forwarding. Also, DNS hosting usually maintains a list of configured domain names and handles all  domain lookup requests from peer servers. 

To sum it up, DNS hosting resembles web hosting in a way that almost anybody can provide it in a small amount. 

How to access your domain's DNS settings

You can access your domain’s DNS settings by following these steps:

1. Open your Home Menu, click Settings and then click Domains. If you're currently using a parking page, you are free to start by clicking your domain name in the parking page menu.
2. Look under the Squarespace Domains section and click the domain name. In case you’ve got multiple Squarespace domains, you’ll have to manage their DNS settings separately.
3. Select the DNS settings option.

Keep in mind that some domain tasks like configuring MX records for a third-party email provider, or maybe setting up domain forwarding, require some specific records. Depending on what you’re setting up, there are preset records that can assist you with entering the info correctly. Simply select one of the options from the Add Presets drop-down. The options list includes:

• Google Workspace. Choose this one if you’ve been signed up for Google Workspace with the help of a company other than Squarespace, or if your MX records were deleted. 
• Zoho Mail. This preset can be used for adding the required fields for Zoho mail. 
• Forward Domain. This preset is there to help you forward your domain to some different URL.
• Forward Subdomain. You’ll need to select this preset if you want to forward this subdomain to a different URL.
• Website defaults. In case you’ve deleted or edited your original settings of the Squarespace Domain, select this preset to restore the default settings.
• Subdomain. This preset will help you to add a subdomain to your root domain.
• Google Workspace verification. This preset will assist you with retrying your Google workspace verification on a parking page.

After finishing adding your DNS settings, click the Save button at the top of your page.

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DNS txt record google-site-verification

Let’s see how you can verify your domain with Google Cloud Identity using a TXT record. Google provides users with a TXT verification record to add to their domain host's DNS records. Right after Google sees the record exists, the user’s domain ownership is considered confirmed. 

First thing you need to do here is to get your verification code from Google Workspace. Follow the steps below to do it:

1. Log in to the Google Admin console. Important: you should use your administrator account that does not end in @gmail.com.
2. Select Continue to verify your domain with a TXT record.
3. Find your verification code in the setup tool and click Copy.

After you’ve copied the code, it’s time to open your domain's DNS records. Follow these steps:

1. Open the second browser window or tab and sign in to your domain host account. 
2. Open your domain's DNS records. On Squarespace, this page is called DNS Settings.
3. Choose the option to add a new record.

Then it’s time to add the verification record to your domain host. Follow the steps below to do it:

1. Select TXT for the record type.
2. In the Name/Host/Alias section, paste @ or leave it blank.
3. Find the Time To Live (TTL) field and enter 86400. Or you can leave the default.
4. In the Value/Answer/Destination section, paste the verification code you’ve got in the previous steps. 
5. Save your record. 

Keep in mind that if you see a warning message concerning your DNS settings, you can take no notice as adding the TXT record won’t hurt your Squarespace website or DNS settings. 

Finally, you’ll need to ask Google Workspace to check your verification code. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Sign in to your Google Admin Console using your administrator account.
2. Click Continue.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the next page and select Verify my domain option.

Keep in mind that it might take some time for your domain registrar to publish your verification code. In case Google Workspace setup tool demonstrates an error message, wait for an hour before giving one more try. Sometimes it may even require 48 hours for your verification code to be published. 

How to add custom DNS records

First thing you need to do here is to choose the record type from the dropdown menu placed in the bottom row of your custom records section. After that, enter this record’s info. You are free to add and edit the following records:

• A
• AAAA
• CNAME
• MX
• TXT
• SPF
• SRV

Now let’s proceed to adding website defaults.

How to add website defaults

Website defaults stand for DNS settings that are used to point your domain to your Squarespace website. And if you’ve deleted or edited your DNS settings, and your domain stopped connecting, you can easily restore the default settings. Just follow these steps to do it:

1. Go to the Home Menu section, find Settings, and then click Domains.
2. Click the Domain you’re trying to connect to your Site.
3. Find the DNS Settings option and click it. 
4. Select the Website Defaults option from the Add Presets dropdown. 
5. Select Add option.

In case there are some errors, let’s see how you can handle them.

How to resolve DNS Record Conflict

In case there’s a "DNS Record Conflict: This preset conflicts with a previously added preset" message appeared when you were trying to add presets, then it means that your DNS settings already have a record or that the records conflict with the presets. They may be trying to duplicate the ones that were already saved on your domain or interfere with the other records.

If you want to identify the conflict, simply look for the similar types of records, or find the records with data that might conflict. And in case you can’t identify any conflicting records, click Save and refresh the page. After that, try to add the presets you want once again.

How to clear DNS cache

Now we’re going to review how you can flush the DNS in order to fix the issue with the way the network is configured. 

Clearing DNS cache on Windows 10. 8 and 8.1

Follow the steps below:

1. Go to the desktop by clicking the Desktop tile from Home.
2. Right-click the Start button.
3. Select the Command Prompt (Admin).
4. You’ll be asked whether to allow Command Prompt to make changes to your computer. Select the “Yes” option.
5. Type in "ipconfig /flushdns" and select Enter.
6. Type in "ipconfig /registerdns" and select Enter.
7. Type in "ipconfig /release" and select Enter.
8. Type in "ipconfig /renew" and select Enter.
9. Type in "netsh winsock reset" and select Enter.

After you’re done, restart your computer.

Clearing DNS cache on Mac OS X

Look at the steps given below:

1. Close all the browser windows.
2. Find the Applications option and click it. Then go to the Utilities and open the Terminal.
3. In the terminal, type the command suiting for your Mac OS X version:

• OS X 10.10 (Yosemite): sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache
• OS X 10.7 - 10.9 (Mavericks, Mountain Lion, and Lion): sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
• OS X 10.6 and older: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache

4. After that, press the Enter button and the DNS cache should be flushed.

In some cases, the steps above might not resolve the issue. Then you should try to run a power cycle - if you’re on the home network. To do it, follow the steps below:

1. Turn your computer off.
2. Turn your modem and router, in case you’ve got one, and wait for 15 seconds or so. 
3. Plug your modem in, and wait for one or two minutes. 
4. Plug in your router (if you have it) and wait for another minute or two.
5. Turn your computer on.

This should help you with resolving the issues. 

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