All Products
Search

This Product

    Alibaba Cloud DNS:Modify DNS servers for an Alibaba Cloud domain name

    Document Center

    Alibaba Cloud DNS:Modify DNS servers for an Alibaba Cloud domain name

    Last Updated:Jun 04, 2026

    When you register a domain name with Alibaba Cloud, free Public Zone DNS server addresses are assigned by default. You can change them in the Domain Names console.

    Use cases

    • Alibaba Cloud automatically assigns default Public Zone DNS server addresses when you purchase a domain name.

    • You migrate DNS resolution from a third-party provider to Alibaba Cloud DNS and need to update the DNS servers to the assigned addresses.

    • Your Alibaba Cloud DNS instance changes (for example, upgrading from the free edition to a paid edition, or switching back to the free edition). Alibaba Cloud DNS attempts to update DNS server addresses automatically, but if the update fails, you must change them manually.

    Important

    If your domain name uses a third-party DNS service, switching DNS servers to Alibaba Cloud invalidates the DNS records on the original platform. This can cause service disruptions for your website and applications. Verify all settings before making changes. To migrate without service interruption, use the steps in Smoothly migrate DNS resolution to Alibaba Cloud DNS.

    Procedure

    1. Check the DNS servers assigned by Alibaba Cloud DNS.

      Go to the Alibaba Cloud DNS - Public Zone page. Check the DNS Server IP Address column for your domain name. If the configured DNS servers do not match the Alibaba Cloud DNS assignments, the status Assigned NS not used appears.

      Click the status under DNS Server Address for your domain name. The DNS diagnostics window compares Current NS with System-assigned NS (for example, vip3.alidns.com and vip4.alidns.com). If they match, your DNS configuration is correct. Click Copy to copy an address.

    2. Modify the DNS server addresses on the Domain Names console.

      1. Go to the Domain Names console. Find your domain name and click Manage in the Actions column.

      2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Modify DNS and then click Modify DNS Server.

        image

      3. Enter the DNS server addresses assigned by Alibaba Cloud DNS, such as vip1.alidns.com and vip2.alidns.com, and submit the change.

    Propagation time

    DNS server changes propagate based on the TTL of NS records cached by local DNS servers. Propagation typically takes up to 48 hours.

    FAQ

    FAQ about modifying DNS servers