Nameserver Not Updating? How to Point Your Domain to Hostking

Nameserver Not Updating? How to Point Your Domain to Hostking

If your nameserver is not updating, the most likely cause is normal DNS propagation, which can take up to 48 hours. Before you can use your Hostking hosting, your domain's nameservers must be updated at the company where your domain is registered — this is usually a different place from your hosting account.

This guide covers the correct nameservers to use, how to update them, and what to check if the change doesn't seem to be taking effect.

Step 1 — Find Your Nameservers

Use the nameservers below that match your hosting type. If you're not sure which plan you're on, check your welcome email or log into my.hostking.host and view your active services.

Shared Hosting

DirectAdmin Hosting (most Hostking customers)

ns01.hkdns.host
ns02.hkdns.host

cPanel Hosting

cdns1.hkdns.co.za
cdns2.hkdns.co.za

If you were given different nameservers in your welcome email, always use those — they confirm which server your account is on.

Step 2 — Update Your Nameservers at Your Registrar

The nameserver change must be made at your domain registrar (where you bought or manage the domain), not inside cPanel or DirectAdmin. The hosting control panel only manages your website and email once the domain already points to Hostking — it cannot change where the domain itself points.

If your domain is registered at Hostking:

1. Log into my.hostking.host
2. Click Domains in the top menu
3. Click Manage next to your domain
4. Click Nameservers
5. Replace the existing nameservers with the ones from Step 1
6. Click Save Changes

If your domain is registered elsewhere (for example GoDaddy or Namecheap):

1. Log into that registrar's control panel
2. Find your domain and look for DNS, Nameservers or Domain Management
3. Select Custom Nameservers or Use own nameservers
4. Delete the existing nameservers and enter the Hostking ones from Step 1
5. Save your changes

If you're not sure where to find nameserver settings at your registrar, search for "[registrar name] how to change nameservers" or contact their support team.

Important: after saving the change, avoid editing the nameservers again while you wait. Each extra change can reset the countdown at various DNS resolvers and make the delay longer, not shorter.

Step 3 — Wait for DNS Propagation

After updating your nameservers, do not panic if your website or email isn't working immediately. DNS changes take time to spread across the internet — this is called propagation.

• Nameserver changes usually take effect within a few hours
• Full propagation to every DNS resolver worldwide can take up to 48 hours
• Nameserver changes generally take longer than ordinary DNS record changes (such as A or MX records), because the change has to pass through the registry and top-level domain servers before reaching resolvers everywhere
• During propagation, some people may see your site and others may not — this is completely normal

To check whether your nameservers have propagated, go to whatsmydns.net, enter your domain name, select NS from the dropdown and click Search. If you can see Hostking's nameservers appearing in most locations around the world, propagation is well underway. It's normal to see the new nameservers in some regions and the old ones in others while this is happening.

A WHOIS lookup, ping or traceroute will not reliably tell you whether propagation is complete, so it's best to rely on a DNS checker tool like the one above instead.

If it's been more than 48 hours

If a nameserver checker still shows your old nameservers after 48 hours, something other than normal propagation is likely the cause. Common reasons include:

• The change was never actually saved at the registrar — log back in and confirm the nameserver fields show the Hostking values
• A typo in one of the nameserver names
• A domain lock or pending transfer preventing changes from being applied — check for any lock status in your registrar's domain settings
• Your own device or browser is showing a cached, outdated result rather than the real current state

Clearing your own device's DNS cache

Your computer or phone may keep showing the old site even after propagation has finished, because it has cached the old result. Try these steps:

• Open your site in a private or incognito browser window first
• Windows: open Command Prompt as administrator and run ipconfig /flushdns
• macOS: open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
• Linux (systemd-resolved): run sudo resolvectl flush-caches
• Mobile devices: toggle Airplane Mode on and off, or restart the device

If the site still doesn't load after flushing the cache, try a different device or network (such as mobile data instead of Wi-Fi) to rule out a local issue.

What Happens After Propagation

Once your nameservers have updated, the following will automatically start working:

• Your website will load (once you've uploaded files or installed WordPress)
• Your email accounts will work (once you've created them in DirectAdmin or cPanel)
• Your SSL certificate will activate automatically

Once your domain points to Hostking, any further DNS changes (such as adding a subdomain or an MX record) must be made in the Zone Editor or DNS section of your DirectAdmin or cPanel account, not at your old registrar. Records can only ever be edited wherever the nameservers currently point.

Common Questions

My domain is registered at Hostking — do I need to change nameservers?
Usually no. When you register a domain through Hostking and purchase hosting at the same time, the nameservers are set automatically. If you're not sure they're pointed correctly, log into my.hostking.host, click Domains → Manage → Nameservers and verify they match the ones above.

I changed the nameservers inside cPanel/DirectAdmin but nothing updated
Nameserver settings inside the hosting panel only set the default nameservers given to new accounts created on that server — they don't change where your existing domain points. To point your domain to Hostking, the change must be made at your domain registrar, as described in Step 2.

I updated the nameservers but my email stopped working
This can happen if your email was previously set up through a different host. Once nameservers point to Hostking, you need to create your email accounts in DirectAdmin or cPanel.

My website is live but email isn't working (or vice versa)
This usually means only part of the DNS has propagated. Wait another few hours and test again. If it's been over 48 hours, open a support ticket and include your domain name — our team will check the DNS configuration.

I have Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for email — will changing nameservers break it?
Yes, changing nameservers will overwrite your existing DNS records, including the MX records used by Google or Microsoft email. Before changing nameservers, contact our support team — we can add your Google or Microsoft MX records to Hostking's DNS so your email continues to work uninterrupted.

Need Help?

If you're unsure which nameservers to use, or your nameserver still hasn't updated after 48 hours, our support team is available via live chat on the Hostking website seven days a week, or by opening a support ticket at my.hostking.host.