DNS settings in Shopify control how your domain name connects to your store. When configured correctly, visitors who type your domain reach your Shopify store. When misconfigured, you get broken stores, SSL errors, or email delivery failures. This guide covers how to access Shopify DNS settings, what each record type does, and how to troubleshoot the most common problems.

How to Access DNS Settings in Shopify

DNS settings in Shopify are only available for domains registered through Shopify. If your domain is registered with a third-party provider (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Google Domains), you'll manage DNS records through your registrar's dashboard — not through Shopify.

For Shopify-managed domains:

Log in to your Shopify admin
Go to Settings > Domains
Click the domain you want to configure
Click Domain settings, then Edit DNS settings

Shopify DNS Records: What Each Type Does

A Record

The A record points your root domain (e.g., yourstore.com) to Shopify's IP address: 23.227.38.65. You should have exactly one A record for your root domain pointing to this address. Multiple A records or a wrong IP will cause the domain to fail to resolve to Shopify.

CNAME Record

The CNAME record points your www subdomain to shops.myshopify.com. This allows www.yourstore.com to reach your store. You can also add CNAME records for other subdomains to point them to third-party services.

MX Records

MX records control email routing for your domain. Shopify doesn't host email, so if you want email at your domain (e.g., hello@yourstore.com) you'll need MX records pointing to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or your chosen email provider. Shopify does not overwrite existing MX records when you connect a domain.

TXT Records

TXT records are used to verify domain ownership and configure email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). You'll need to add TXT records when:

Verifying your domain with Google Search Console or Meta Business Manager
Setting up email authentication to prevent your marketing emails from going to spam
Connecting certain third-party services that require domain verification

Connecting a Third-Party Domain to Shopify

If your domain is registered outside Shopify, you connect it by updating records at your registrar:

Log in to your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.)
Find the DNS management or DNS settings area
Update the A record to point to 23.227.38.65
Update (or add) the CNAME record for www to point to shops.myshopify.com
In Shopify admin, go to Settings > Domains > Connect existing domain and enter your domain
Click Verify connection

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate, but most changes take effect within 1–4 hours.

Common Shopify DNS Errors and How to Fix Them

"Domain not connecting" or "Verifying" stuck in Shopify admin

This means DNS hasn't propagated yet or the records are incorrect. Check your A record and CNAME values using a DNS lookup tool like dnschecker.org. Confirm the A record points to 23.227.38.65 and the www CNAME points to shops.myshopify.com. If the records look correct, wait 24 hours before troubleshooting further.

SSL certificate not provisioning

Shopify automatically provisions SSL certificates once your domain is properly connected. If SSL isn't provisioning after 48 hours:

Confirm DNS is fully propagated (check with dnschecker.org)
Make sure there are no CAA records blocking SSL issuance from Shopify's certificate authority
Check that you don't have a proxy or CDN (like Cloudflare in proxy mode) interfering with certificate validation

www redirecting incorrectly or showing a different site

This usually means the CNAME record for www is missing or pointing to the wrong destination. Verify it points exactly to shops.myshopify.com with no typos.

Email stopped working after connecting domain

If you had email set up on your domain before connecting to Shopify, check that your MX records weren't overwritten. Log in to your registrar and verify MX records still point to your email provider. Shopify should not change MX records, but some registrars reset all records when you make changes.

Multiple A records causing issues

Some registrars add a default A record pointing to a parking page. If you have more than one A record for your root domain, delete all but the one pointing to 23.227.38.65. Multiple A records will cause inconsistent behavior.

Shopify DNS Settings for Third-Party Email (Google Workspace)

To use Google Workspace email with your Shopify domain:

Add the Google MX records provided in your Google Admin console
Add the Google SPF TXT record: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
Add the DKIM TXT record from Google Admin > Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Authenticate email
Optionally add a DMARC TXT record to protect against spoofing

These records don't interfere with Shopify's A and CNAME records and can coexist without issues.