The Zone Editor tool enables you to manage DNS records by adding, editing, or deleting them as needed. DNS, short for Domain Name System, is what translates domain names (such as example.uk) into IP addresses (like 192.0.0.1) that computers use to locate each other online. This system depends on zone records stored on your server—in this instance, within cPanel—to link each domain name to its respective IP address.
Configuring the Right Records
The Zone Editor shows a list of domains along with their DNS records by default. To narrow down the list, you can enter a name in the search box. Select the domain whose records you wish to adjust, then click Manage. When connecting a domain to cPanel hosting, the system automatically sets up the necessary A, CNAME, and MX records.
For each domain, you’ll find options to perform various actions, accessible via rectangular buttons in the Actions column:
- A Record: Shows the IP address your domain points to.
- CNAME Record: Indicates the IP address for your domain with the www prefix. If this points to the domain without www, the CNAME record will also direct to the same IP as the A record.
- MX Record: Helps with email reception by informing the system which mail server should receive incoming emails.
- TXT Records: Common TXT records include DKIM, DMARC, and SPF. These records are essential to ensure your emails reach the recipient and avoid being marked as spam.
For cPanel hosting, set up these records directly on the cPanel page, not through the Rackhost admin interface!
If you’d like to test your email setup, send a message with a subject and content to the generated email address on mail-tester.com, then check the score. If you get a score of 10/10, no further action is needed. However, if there are issues, you can improve your setup based on mail-tester.com’s recommendations.
If you’re unsure about any settings or encounter issues, send the link to your score report to [email protected], and our expert support team will assist you.
More About the Zone Editor Interface
The Zone Editor interface displays the DNS zone records for the selected domain. To filter the list, enter a name in the text box or select an available record type filter.
The records table provides the following information for each record:
- Name – The name of the record.
- TTL – The refresh time for the record (in seconds).
- Type – The type of record (A, CNAME, MX, TXT).
- Record – The record information.
- Actions – Options to edit or delete the record.
You can also use this interface to:
- Add a record: Add one or more DNS zone records.
- Delete a DNS zone record
- Restore zone files
How to Add a DNS Zone Record
Adding a DNS record is easy! Just follow these steps:
1. In the Zone Editor, find the domain you want to edit, click Manage, and then Add Record.
2. Select the type of record you need: A, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, CAA, or AAAA.
Quick Tips for Subdomains:
To add subdomain records, you’ll need to create a CNAME record. Enter the subdomain name (e.g., test.example.uk) in the Name field and the primary registered domain in the Record field. This setup will direct the subdomain to the main domain. However, if you want the subdomain to point to a different IP address, you should add it as an A record.
To add multiple records, click Add Record as many times as needed and select the desired record types from the list. New records will appear at the top of the table. If you’re editing multiple records, you can save them all at once by selecting Save All Records.
3. Enter the details for each record.
4. When you’re done, click Save Record (for one record), Save All Records (for all entries), or Cancel if you want to discard the changes.
How to Edit a DNS Zone Record
To edit an existing DNS record, follow these steps:
1. In the Zone Editor, select Manage next to the domain you want to work on.
2. Find the record you wish to update and click Edit.
3. Make any necessary updates in the text fields.
Tip: If you switch the type of an existing record, the original details will stay unchanged until you save your updates.
4. To confirm your changes, click Save Record (for one entry) or Save All Records (for multiple updates). To discard any changes, select Cancel.
How to Reset DNS Zone Files
Attention! Using this option will erase any custom changes you’ve made to the DNS zone records, restoring them to their default settings.
Follow these steps to restore your zone files:
1. In the Zone Editor, click the Manage button next to the selected domain.
2. Select Actions, then choose Reset DNS Zone.
3. Confirm by clicking Continue to reset the zone, or select Cancel to exit without making changes.
How to Remove a DNS Zone Record
To remove a DNS record, follow these steps:
1. Open the Zone Editor and select Manage beside the domain you wish to edit.
2. Locate the record you want to delete and click Delete.
3. In the confirmation window, click Continue to confirm deletion, or select Cancel to exit without deleting.
Currently, the DNSSEC button is not available in the zone editor interface of our cPanel hosting.