When you want to point your domain at a website while keeping your DNS management right where it is, the A record is the tool for the job. Connecting a domain with an A record means adding a single DNS entry that sends your domain’s traffic to your server’s IP address — a precise, keep-control-at-the-registrar alternative to handing your whole DNS over via nameservers.
This guide walks through exactly how to connect a domain with an A record: what the method does, when to choose it over nameservers, a clear step-by-step, how to handle the root domain and www, a Hostinger-flavoured example, and how to troubleshoot. By the end, pointing a domain with an A record will be a quick, confident task.
Did you know?
An A record is the most direct way to say “this name lives at this server” — one line mapping your domain to a numeric IP. It connects your website while leaving the rest of your DNS exactly where you already manage it.
What connecting with an A record means
Connecting a domain with an A record means updating your DNS so that an A record points your domain name to your web host’s IP address. The A record is the DNS entry that maps a name like example.com to a numeric IPv4 address, such as your server’s IP — so when someone types your domain, they are sent to that server and your site loads.
Crucially, this method keeps your DNS managed wherever it currently is — usually your registrar. You are not handing DNS control to your host the way nameservers do; you are simply adding or changing one record in your existing DNS zone to point the website at the right server.
This makes the A-record method a precise, surgical way to connect a domain. It changes only where your website traffic goes, leaving your other records — email, subdomains, verifications — untouched and under your continued control at your current DNS provider.
When to use this method
The A-record method shines in specific situations. The clearest is when you want to keep managing your DNS at your registrar — for instance, because your email (MX records) and other settings are already configured there and you do not want to move them. Pointing the website with an A record leaves all of that in place.
It is also the right approach when you are connecting to a service or server that gives you an IP address to point at, rather than a set of nameservers. If your host or platform says “point your A record to this IP,” the A-record method is exactly what they mean.
By contrast, if you would rather your host manage everything — website, email, subdomains — in one step, the nameserver method is simpler. So choose the A record when control and keeping DNS at your registrar matter to you, and choose nameservers when hands-off simplicity matters more. Both connect the domain; they differ in who runs your DNS.
How to connect with an A record: step by step
The process is the same at nearly every registrar and host. Follow these steps:
- Get your IP address: log in to your web host or website builder and find the server’s IPv4 address.
- Log in to your registrar: go to the company where your domain is registered (or wherever your DNS is currently managed).
- Open DNS settings: find the DNS management, DNS zone editor, or advanced settings for your domain.
- Delete old records: remove any existing conflicting A records pointing to old locations.
- Add the new A record: set the Host/Name to @ (for the root domain like example.com) or www, and set the Value/Points to field to your host’s IP address.
- Save changes: save the record.
- Wait for propagation: allow anywhere from a few minutes up to 48 hours.
That is the whole process. The two fields that matter are the Host/Name (which part of your domain you are pointing) and the Value (the IP address it points to). Get those right, remove conflicting old records, save, and your domain will resolve to the server once the change propagates.
Handling the root domain and www
A common question is how to make both example.com and www.example.com work. For the root domain — example.com itself — you use an A record with the Host set to @, pointing to your server’s IP. That handles the bare domain.
For the www version, you have two options. You can add a second A record with the Host set to www pointing to the same IP, or — more commonly — add a CNAME record for www that points to your root domain, so www simply follows wherever the root goes. Either approach ensures visitors reach your site whether or not they type the www.
Setting up both is worth the small extra step, because visitors and links use both forms. Whichever you choose for www, the root domain itself always uses an A record (since a CNAME is not allowed on the root), with www either mirroring it via its own A record or aliased with a CNAME.
A record vs nameservers to connect
It helps to see the A-record method beside the nameserver method, since they are the two ways to connect a domain and each keeps DNS in a different place.
If you value keeping your DNS and email exactly where they are, the A record is your method. If you want the host to configure everything automatically, nameservers are simpler. The A record is the precise, control-preserving choice — perfect when you only want to change where the website itself points.
A Hostinger example
To connect a domain to Hostinger with an A record, you first find your Hostinger server’s IP address in your hosting control panel. Then you go to wherever your DNS is managed — your registrar, or Hostinger’s DNS zone if your nameservers point there — and add an A record with the Host set to @ and the Value set to that Hostinger IP.
If you want www to work too, you add a CNAME for www pointing to your root domain, or a second A record for www with the same IP. Save, and after propagation your domain resolves to your Hostinger server while your DNS stays wherever you are managing it.
This is the same universal process using Hostinger’s specific server IP. The clear layout of a good DNS editor — Host, Type, Value, TTL — makes adding the A record a matter of filling in two fields correctly and saving.
Troubleshooting an A record
If your domain does not resolve after adding an A record, the most common reason is simply propagation — the change can take from a few minutes up to 48 hours to spread across cached DNS servers. A short wait often resolves it on its own, so give it time before assuming a problem.
If it still does not work after propagation, check the essentials: is the IP address exactly correct with no typos, and is the Host field right (@ for the root, www for the www version)? Then confirm the most important thing of all — that you edited the A record on the DNS provider your domain’s nameservers actually point to. Editing an A record in a zone that is not active for your domain has no effect.
Also make sure you removed old conflicting A records that pointed elsewhere, since a leftover record can send traffic to the wrong place. Get the IP and Host right, edit in the active DNS zone, clear conflicts, and be patient through propagation — that covers virtually every A-record issue.
FAQs
How do I connect a domain with an A record?
Get your host’s server IPv4 address, log in to wherever your DNS is managed, open the DNS editor, remove conflicting old A records, and add an A record with the Host set to @ (root) or www and the Value set to your host’s IP. Save and wait for propagation — a few minutes up to 48 hours.
When should I use an A record instead of nameservers?
Use an A record when you want to keep DNS management at your registrar — for example, your email is configured there — or when a host gives you an IP to point at rather than nameservers. Use nameservers when you’d rather the host manage all your DNS automatically. The A record changes only where the website points.
How do I make both my domain and www work?
Use an A record with Host @ for the root domain, then either add a second A record with Host www to the same IP, or add a CNAME for www pointing to your root domain so www follows it. The root always uses an A record; www can mirror it or be aliased with a CNAME.
Why isn’t my A record working?
Usually propagation — wait up to 48 hours. If it still fails, check the IP and Host field are exactly correct, confirm you edited the A record on the DNS provider your nameservers actually point to (edits elsewhere have no effect), and make sure you removed old conflicting A records pointing to the wrong place.
What do I put in the Host field of an A record?
Use @ for the root domain (example.com), or www for the www version. The Host field decides which part of your domain the record applies to, while the Value field holds the IP address it points to. For subdomains, you’d put the subdomain label as the Host.
Does an A record move my DNS to the host?
No — that’s the key difference from nameservers. An A record only points your website’s traffic to a server IP while your DNS stays managed wherever it currently is, usually your registrar. Your email and other records remain under your control there. Nameservers, by contrast, hand all DNS management to the host.
The bottom line
Connecting a domain with an A record means adding a single DNS entry that maps your domain to your host’s server IP address, sending your website’s traffic to the right place while keeping your DNS managed wherever it already is — usually your registrar. That makes it the precise, control-preserving alternative to the nameserver method: it changes only where the website points, leaving your email, subdomains, and other records untouched and under your continued control. It is the right choice when you want to keep DNS at your registrar or when a host gives you an IP to point at rather than nameservers.
The process is quick and universal: get your server’s IPv4 address, open your DNS editor, remove conflicting old A records, add an A record with Host @ (and www via a second A record or a CNAME), save, and wait for propagation. If something does not work, it is almost always propagation, a typo in the IP, the wrong Host field, or editing in a DNS zone that is not active for your domain. Get those right, and the A record reliably turns your domain into a working website — with your DNS staying exactly where you want it.
When you are ready, you can start with Hostinger and use code PROTIPS for the reader discount. Connect a domain with an A record by pointing Host @ to your host’s server IP in your DNS editor (add www via a CNAME or second A record). It keeps DNS at your registrar; edit in the active zone, remove old records, and wait for propagation.