Connect a custom domain

A custom domain lets people reach your profile at a web address you own, like you.com, instead of your default your-handle.notrouble.com address. It's no trouble. We check your domain, pick the best setup for it, and walk you through it.

Before you start

You need a domain you already own, bought from a domain provider like GoDaddy or Namecheap. Have your login for that provider handy. You'll make one small change there.

Custom domains are part of a paid plan. If your plan doesn't include them yet, you'll see an upgrade option when you start.

Connecting your domain

1. Open the Tools menu and select Custom Domain.
2. Type the domain you own. You can use a root domain (example.com) or a subdomain (blog.example.com).
3. Select Check Domain.

We look at who manages your domain and pick the best way to set it up. We then show you one of the three setups below. You don't have to guess. Follow what's on screen.

Setting it up when we find Cloudflare

If your domain already uses Cloudflare, this is the fastest path. It takes about 30 seconds.

1. On the Cloudflare Detected screen, select Connect with Cloudflare.
2. Select Open Cloudflare API Tokens and sign in to Cloudflare.
3. Select Create Token, then choose the Edit zone DNS template.
4. Under Zone Resources, choose Specific zone and pick your domain. People miss this step most often, so take a moment with it.
5. Copy the token.
6. Paste the token into NoTrouble and select Connect Domain.

We set up the rest. You'll see your progress on the page, with no need to refresh.

Letting NoTrouble manage your domain

This is the path most people use. We take care of your domain's settings for you. You point your domain to us by changing its nameservers. Nameservers are the addresses that tell the internet which company manages a domain.

1. Tell us whether you use email on this domain. This keeps your email safe (see below).
2. Copy the two nameserver addresses we show you.
3. Sign in to your domain provider and replace your current nameservers with those two.

This usually takes 1 to 24 hours to take effect, and up to 48 hours at most. We'll email you the moment your domain is ready, so you don't need to keep checking. You can also check yourself: select Check Configuration on the nameserver screen, or Check Status once setup is underway.

Setting up the DNS records yourself

If you'd rather keep managing your own domain, choose Manual DNS Setup. This path works best for a subdomain like blog.example.com. For a root domain like example.com, use Letting NoTrouble manage your domain above instead, because a root domain can't use the CNAME record below.

You'll add two kinds of record at your domain provider:

• A CNAME record. The name is your domain, and the target is notrouble.com. This points your address to ours.
• One or more TXT records, shown on screen. These prove you own the domain. Copy each name and value exactly as shown.

Here's where to add records at common providers:

• GoDaddy: DNS Management → Add Record
• Namecheap: Advanced DNS → Add New Record
• Cloudflare: DNS → Records → Add Record

When you've added them, select Verify DNS Records.

You'll know it worked when

Your domain page shows an Active badge and SSL: Active, and you can select Visit Site to open your profile on your own domain. We also email you to say your domain is now live.

My domain still shows as pending

This is almost always normal. DNS changes take time to spread across the internet. It usually takes 1 to 24 hours, and up to 48 hours at most. A wait of a few hours is expected, not a sign that something broke.

While you wait:

• Check that the nameservers or records at your provider match what we show, exactly.
• Select the check button (Check Configuration, Check Status, or Verify DNS Records) to check again. You can do this once an hour.

SSL is still being set up

After your domain is verified, we turn on HTTPS (the padlock in the address bar) automatically. This usually takes a few minutes, and up to 24 hours at most. There's nothing to fix. It only needs a little time.

My Cloudflare token didn't work

A few things can cause this:

• The token is invalid. Copy the full token again. A missing character is the usual cause.
• The token is missing permissions. It needs Zone → Zone → Read and Zone → DNS → Edit. Create it again using the Edit zone DNS template.
• The domain isn't in your account. Add the domain to Cloudflare first, then try again.

Will this affect my email?

It depends on the path you choose. If you let NoTrouble manage your domain, you move all of its settings to us, including email. That's why we ask whether you use email on the domain. If you do, the safest choice is to set up the DNS records yourself. Adding a CNAME and TXT record doesn't touch your email.

My domain says it's already taken

If you see "The domain has already been taken", that domain is already connected somewhere on NoTrouble. If you added it to another profile you own, disconnect it there first, then add it here. If you don't recognise it, the domain may be in use by another account.

Disconnecting your domain

Open the Tools menu, select Custom Domain, then select Disconnect Domain. Your profile goes back to your your-handle.notrouble.com address, which keeps working the whole time.