Change DNS provider without breaking your email
We copy your zone record by record, test it on the new nameservers, then switch at a quiet time with the old DNS left running as a safety net.
In plain English.
Changing DNS provider sounds like a ten-minute job: copy the records and change the nameservers. The trouble is that old control panels often hide records, such as DKIM keys, SRV entries for Teams or autodiscover, and TXT strings for services you forgot you use. Miss one and a service quietly stops, sometimes days later.
We start with a full export, ideally a BIND zone file, and cross-check it by querying the old nameservers directly for every name we know about. The new zone is built and tested by asking the new nameservers before anything public changes, and we compare the two sets of answers side by side.
Timing matters. We lower TTLs a day or two ahead, change the nameservers at your registrar, and leave the old DNS answering correctly for at least a week, because the registry can cache nameserver records for up to two days. If DNSSEC is on, the DS record is handled before the switch.
It suits you if.
- You are leaving a web host or registrar that also runs your DNS
- You want to move your DNS to Cloudflare or another anycast provider
- A previous migration broke email and you want this one planned
- Your domain uses DNSSEC and you need to change DNS host
- You are consolidating several domains onto one DNS provider
What we do.
Complete zone export
A zone file export where the old host allows it, checked with direct queries for MX, TXT, SRV, CNAME and DKIM selector names.
Side-by-side testing
We query the old and new nameservers for every record and compare the answers before the nameservers change at the registrar.
TTL planning
Record TTLs are cut to 300 seconds ahead of the move and raised again afterwards, so any last-minute correction spreads quickly.
DNSSEC-safe cut-over
For a signed zone we either remove the DS record and wait out its TTL, or pre-publish the new provider's keys, so validation never breaks.
Old DNS kept as a safety net
The old zone stays live and accurate until resolvers have moved over, and we only ask you to cancel it once traffic has gone.
How it runs.
- 01
Inventory
We list every service that relies on your DNS and export the current zone, querying the old nameservers to catch hidden records.
- 02
Build and test
The new zone is created and every answer checked against the old one, including email authentication and verification records.
- 03
Switch
TTLs already lowered, we change the nameservers at the registrar at an agreed quiet time and watch resolvers pick up the change.
- 04
Settle
We check website, email and third-party services over the following days, restore normal TTLs and tell you when the old DNS can go.
Questions people ask.
How long does a DNS migration take?
For a single domain, preparation takes a day or two and the switch itself takes minutes. The tail is the waiting: registries can cache nameserver records for up to 48 hours, so we keep both providers correct for a week. Several domains can be grouped into one planned move.
Will email be lost during the move?
Not if both providers hold identical MX records, because sending servers will reach the same mailbox whichever DNS they ask. That is why we test the new zone before switching. Senders also retry for days if a server is briefly unreachable, so a short hiccup does not lose mail.
What do you need from me?
Logins, or delegated access, for your current DNS host and your registrar, plus a list of services you know about. We find the rest. If the DNS host is your old web designer, we can contact them on your behalf with your permission.
What does a DNS migration cost?
It is a fixed price agreed after a free call, based on the number of domains and how complex the zones are. A simple domain with a website and email is quick; a zone with many subdomains, third-party services and DNSSEC takes more care.
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