Skip to main content

Domain Nameserver Migration Guide: GoDaddy to Cloudflare

Complete Step-by-Step Training Document

This guide provides detailed instructions for migrating a domain's nameservers from GoDaddy to Cloudflare. Even someone with no technical background can follow these steps.

Table of Contents

What You Need to Know (Basics)

What are Nameservers?

Nameservers are like the "GPS coordinates" of your domain. They tell the internet where your website's actual files and emails are located. Think of it like:

  • Your domain name = Your home address
  • Nameservers = Instructions on where the postal service should deliver mail

Why Change Nameservers?

You might want to use Cloudflare's nameservers if you want to:

  • Use Cloudflare's security features (DDoS protection, SSL certificates)
  • Improve website performance
  • Manage DNS records more easily
  • Get better analytics and monitoring

What Will Happen?

  • Your domain will continue to work
  • DNS changes take 1-2 hours to fully propagate (sometimes up to 24 hours)
  • You'll have full control over your DNS settings in Cloudflare
  • Your website might briefly be inaccessible during propagation (this is rare but possible)

What You'll Need Before Starting

Required Information

  • Your domain name (e.g., bclclub.in)
  • Access to your GoDaddy account (with admin privileges)
  • Access to create a Cloudflare account (or already have one)
  • 15-30 minutes of uninterrupted time

Required Accounts

  1. GoDaddy Account - Where your domain is registered
  2. Cloudflare Account - Free account (https://www.cloudflare.com)

Browser Requirements

  • Any modern web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)
  • JavaScript enabled
  • Cookies enabled

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Prepare Cloudflare (Get Your New Nameservers)

Step 1: Create a Cloudflare Account (if you don't have one)

  1. Go to https://www.cloudflare.com
  2. Click on "Sign Up" button (usually in the top right)
  3. Enter your email address
  4. Create a strong password
  5. Check the "I'm not a robot" box
  6. Click "Create Account"
  7. Verify your email by clicking the link sent to your inbox

Step 2: Add Your Domain to Cloudflare

  1. After logging into Cloudflare, look for the "Domains" section (usually on the left sidebar)
  2. Click "+ Add" or "Add Domain" button
  3. Type your domain name (e.g., bclclub.in) - Don't include www or https://
  4. Click "Add site" or "Continue"

Step 3: Select Your Cloudflare Plan

  1. You'll see different plan options (Free, Pro, Business, Enterprise)
  2. For most needs, select the Free plan - it's at $0/month
  3. Click "Select plan" for the Free option

Step 4: Get Your Cloudflare Nameservers

  1. After selecting your plan, the page will process for a few moments
  2. You'll be taken to a page that says "Waiting for your registrar to propagate your new nameservers"
  3. Look for a section called "Show nameserver instructions" (might be a link or expandable section)
  4. Click on it to expand
  5. You should now see your two Cloudflare nameservers. They will look like:
    • blair.ns.cloudflare.com
    • harvey.ns.cloudflare.com
  6. ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Write these down or copy them to a note. You'll need them in the next phase.

Phase 2: Update GoDaddy (Change Your Domain's Nameservers)

Step 5: Log into GoDaddy

  1. Go to https://www.godaddy.com
  2. Click "Sign in" (top right corner)
  3. Enter your email and password
  4. Complete any 2-factor authentication if prompted

Step 6: Find Your Domain

  1. After logging in, look for "My Domains" or "Portfolio" section
  2. Find your domain name in the list (e.g., bclclub.in)
  3. Click on your domain name to open its settings

Step 7: Access DNS/Nameserver Settings

  1. You should now see your domain's control panel
  2. Look for tabs at the top - you'll see options like:
    • DNS
    • Registration Settings
    • Products
    • Activity Log
  3. Click on the "DNS" tab

Step 8: Find the Nameservers Option

  1. After clicking the DNS tab, you'll see multiple sub-tabs:
    • DNS Records
    • Forwarding
    • Nameservers ← Click this one
    • Hostnames
    • DNSSEC
  2. Click on "Nameservers" tab

Step 9: Change Nameservers - Initial Screen

  1. You'll see a section that says "Using default nameservers" or similar
  2. Look for a button called "Change Nameservers" or "Edit Nameservers"
  3. Click this button

Step 10: Open the Nameserver Edit Dialog

A dialog box (pop-up window) will appear with the title "Edit nameservers" or similar.

You'll see two options:

  • ⭕ GoDaddy Nameservers (recommended) - Usually pre-selected
  • ⭕ I'll use my own nameservers

Step 11: Select "I'll Use My Own Nameservers"

  1. Click on the radio button (circle) next to "I'll use my own nameservers"
  2. Two text input fields will appear:
    • Nameserver 1
    • Nameserver 2

Step 12: Enter Cloudflare Nameservers

  1. Click inside the "Nameserver 1" field (the first text box)
  2. Type (or paste) the first Cloudflare nameserver:
    blair.ns.cloudflare.com
  3. Click inside the "Nameserver 2" field (the second text box)
  4. Type (or paste) the second Cloudflare nameserver:
    harvey.ns.cloudflare.com
  5. Make sure there are no extra spaces or typos.

Step 13: Save the Changes

  1. Look for a "Save" button at the bottom of the dialog box
  2. Click the "Save" button

Step 14: Confirm the Change

A warning message will appear saying:

"By clicking Continue, you consent to updating the nameservers for the selected domain(s). Changing nameservers is risky, and could potentially lead to your website disappearing from public view."

This is normal! Click "Continue" to proceed.

Step 15: Wait for Processing

  1. The system will process your changes (you'll see a loading spinner)
  2. This usually takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes
  3. Don't close the page or browser during this time

Step 16: Verify Changes Were Saved

  1. After processing, the page will refresh
  2. You should now see:
    • Status: "Using custom nameservers"
    • Nameserver 1: blair.ns.cloudflare.com
    • Nameserver 2: harvey.ns.cloudflare.com
  3. Congratulations! Your nameservers have been successfully changed! ✅

Verification Steps

How to Verify Everything Worked

Immediate Verification (Within Minutes)

  1. Go back to your Cloudflare dashboard
  2. Click on your domain name
  3. Look for the "Overview" or "Home" section
  4. The status should change from "Pending" to "Active" or show a success message
    • This may take 5-30 minutes

Detailed Verification (After 1-2 Hours)

  1. In Cloudflare, go to DNS > Records
  2. You should see your DNS records are now being managed by Cloudflare
  3. You should see your existing A records (pointing to your website's IP address)

Technical Verification (Using Terminal/Command Line)

If you want to verify at the technical level, you can run this command:

nslookup bclclub.in

Replace bclclub.in with your actual domain name.

The results should show Cloudflare's nameservers:

  • blair.ns.cloudflare.com
  • harvey.ns.cloudflare.com

Online Verification Tool

Use https://mxtoolbox.com/nslookup.aspx:

  1. Go to the website
  2. Enter your domain name
  3. Click "MX Lookup"
  4. It should show Cloudflare nameservers in the results

Troubleshooting

Problem: Changes Aren't Taking Effect After 24 Hours

Solution:

  1. Clear your browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+Del on Windows, Cmd+Shift+Del on Mac)
  2. Try accessing your site from a different device or network
  3. Wait up to 48 hours in rare cases
  4. Contact Cloudflare support

Problem: Website Shows "Not Found" or Error Page

Possible Causes:

  • DNS is still propagating (normal, wait 1-2 hours)
  • You didn't set up DNS records properly in Cloudflare
  • Your website's actual hosting is down

Solution:

  1. Check that you have A records set up in Cloudflare pointing to your website's IP address
  2. In Cloudflare, go to DNS > Records and verify your A records exist
  3. Contact your website hosting provider to confirm the server is running

Problem: Email Isn't Working

Possible Causes:

  • MX records weren't imported/configured in Cloudflare

Solution:

  1. In Cloudflare, go to DNS > Records
  2. Look for MX records (they handle email)
  3. If missing, you may need to recreate them
  4. Contact your email service provider for the correct MX record values

Problem: SSL/HTTPS Certificate Errors

Solution:

  1. Go to Cloudflare dashboard
  2. Click on SSL/TLS in the left menu
  3. Make sure "Full" or "Full (Strict)" mode is selected
  4. Wait 10-15 minutes for the certificate to activate

Problem: I Accidentally Changed the Wrong Domain

Solution:

  1. Go back to GoDaddy
  2. Go to the correct domain's nameserver settings
  3. Change the nameservers back to GoDaddy defaults if needed:
    • ns17.domaincontrol.com
    • ns18.domaincontrol.com
  4. Or enter the correct Cloudflare nameservers

Glossary of Terms

TermWhat It Means
NameserverServers that tell the internet where your website and email services are located
DNSDomain Name System - the system that translates domain names to IP addresses
PropagationThe time it takes for DNS changes to spread across all internet servers (usually 1-2 hours)
GoDaddyA domain registrar where you register and own domain names
CloudflareA DNS and security service that manages how your domain routes traffic
IP AddressA unique number that identifies a server on the internet (like 192.168.1.1)
A RecordA DNS record that points your domain name to a specific IP address
MX RecordA DNS record that handles email routing for your domain
Portal/DashboardThe control panel website where you manage your account settings
Dialog/ModalA pop-up window that appears on top of the main webpage
FieldA text box where you can type information
Radio ButtonA circular button that you click to select one option from multiple choices
TLDTop Level Domain - the last part of a domain name (.com, .in, .org, etc.)

Quick Reference Checklist

Use this checklist when repeating this process for other domains:

Before You Start

  • Have domain name ready
  • Have GoDaddy account login
  • Have Cloudflare account login (or can create one)

Cloudflare Setup

  • Created/logged into Cloudflare account
  • Added domain to Cloudflare
  • Selected plan (Free)
  • Found and noted Cloudflare nameservers:
    • blair.ns.cloudflare.com
    • harvey.ns.cloudflare.com

GoDaddy Changes

  • Logged into GoDaddy
  • Found and opened the domain
  • Clicked DNS tab
  • Clicked Nameservers sub-tab
  • Clicked Change Nameservers button
  • Selected "I'll use my own nameservers"
  • Entered first nameserver exactly: blair.ns.cloudflare.com
  • Entered second nameserver exactly: harvey.ns.cloudflare.com
  • Clicked Save
  • Clicked Continue on the warning dialog
  • Verified status shows "Using custom nameservers"

Verification

  • Waited 30 minutes
  • Checked Cloudflare dashboard status changed to Active
  • Verified DNS records appear in Cloudflare
  • Website is accessible
  • Email is still working

Common Questions (FAQ)

Q: How long does this process take?

A: The setup takes 15-30 minutes. Full propagation across the internet takes 1-2 hours, but can take up to 24 hours in rare cases.

Q: Will my website go down during this process?

A: Usually no. However, during propagation (first 1-2 hours), some people in different parts of the world might see the old or new settings inconsistently. This is normal and temporary.

Q: Can I undo this if something goes wrong?

A: Yes! You can change back to GoDaddy nameservers or any other nameservers. Just follow the same steps but use different nameserver addresses.

Q: What if I have multiple domains?

A: Repeat these steps for each domain individually. Each domain needs its own nameserver configuration.

Q: Do I need to pay for this?

A: The Cloudflare free plan is completely free. If you're already paying for a GoDaddy domain, you'll continue paying them (nameserver changes don't affect domain registration fees).

Q: What about my current DNS records?

A: When you add your domain to Cloudflare, it can scan and automatically import your existing records from GoDaddy. You can verify this worked in the Cloudflare DNS Records section.

Q: Can I do this on my phone?

A: Yes, but a desktop or laptop is recommended for this process as it's easier to manage multiple windows and fields.

Support Resources

If you get stuck:

  1. Cloudflare Support: https://support.cloudflare.com
  2. GoDaddy Support: https://www.godaddy.com/help
  3. DNS Propagation Checker: https://mxtoolbox.com/nslookup.aspx
  4. Domain Checker: https://www.whois.com

Document Information

  • Created: January 21, 2026
  • Last Updated: January 21, 2026
  • Version: 1.0
  • Scope: GoDaddy Domain to Cloudflare Nameserver Migration
  • Difficulty Level: Beginner (No technical knowledge required)