How to Connect a NiceNIC Domain to Cloudflare: Complete DNS Setup Guide
If your domain is registered at NiceNIC, you can use Cloudflare for DNS without transferring your domain away from NiceNIC.
NiceNIC will continue to manage your domain registration, while Cloudflare manages the DNS records.
The setup is simple:
Add your domain to Cloudflare → check the DNS records → get your Cloudflare nameservers → update them at NiceNIC → wait for propagation → verify the DNS.
You can continue managing your domain through NiceNIC Domain Services throughout the process.
Before you change nameservers: If your domain already has a working website, email, or other services, make sure their DNS records are present in Cloudflare first. Missing records can cause those services to stop working after the switch.
Step 1: Add Your Domain to Cloudflare
Sign in to Cloudflare.
On Account Home, find Add a domain.
Enter only your root domain, for example:
example.com
Do not enter:
https://example.com
or:
www.example.com
Click Connect.
Step 2: Import and Check Your Existing DNS Records
On the Connect your domain page, leave:
Import DNS records → Automatic
selected, then click Continue.
Cloudflare will try to discover your current DNS records automatically.
Do not assume the scan found everything.
If the domain already has active services, compare the Cloudflare records with your current DNS provider before continuing.
Pay particular attention to:
- A / AAAA records for the website
-
CNAME records such as
www - MX records for email
- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
- TXT verification records
- important subdomains
If Cloudflare shows Records we found: 0, that may be normal for a new or unused domain. If the domain already has a website or email, stop and add the missing records first.
Step 3: Add Any Missing DNS Records
Click Add record.
For a typical website using an IPv4 address, an A record looks like:
Type: A Name: @ IPv4 address: Your website server IP TTL: Auto
@ represents the root domain itself, such as example.com.
Where do I get the A record IP?
Use the IP supplied by your web hosting provider, VPS provider, cloud server provider, or server administrator.
If your website already works, you can also copy the existing A record from your current DNS provider.
Cloudflare does not decide what your website's origin IP should be.
What about www?
If you also want www.example.com to work, add the record required by your hosting provider.
A common setup is:
Type: CNAME Name: www Target: example.com
Proxied or DNS Only?
For eligible A, AAAA, and CNAME records, Cloudflare may let you choose:
Proxied — orange cloud Website traffic passes through Cloudflare.
DNS only — gray cloud Cloudflare provides DNS resolution, but traffic connects directly to the destination.
For normal website traffic, Proxied is usually appropriate.
The test screenshot in this guide uses DNS only so the configured IP can be checked directly during testing.
For email and verification records, use the settings required by the service provider. MX and TXT records are not proxied.
If You Use Domain Email, Check It Now
Before changing nameservers, make sure your email records are already in Cloudflare.
Depending on your email provider, these may include:
MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and provider-specific verification or autodiscover records.
This applies to NiceNIC Business Email, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, and other email services.
A website can work correctly while email fails if the mail records were not copied.
Step 4: Get Your Cloudflare Nameservers
After checking the DNS records, click:
Continue to activation
Cloudflare will now display two nameservers assigned to your domain.
They normally look like:
name1.ns.cloudflare.com
name2.ns.cloudflare.com
Copy these exact two values.
Do not guess Cloudflare nameservers, use generic nameservers, or copy the nameservers from another domain.
Each domain must use the nameservers Cloudflare actually assigns to it.
Optional: Only If DNSSEC Is Already Enabled
If you have never enabled DNSSEC, skip this section and continue to Step 5.
If you are unsure, open your domain at NiceNIC and check:
DNSSEC
If the DNSSEC record list is empty, no DNSSEC action is required.
If an existing DS/DNSSEC record is present, do not change the nameservers yet.
The old DNSSEC configuration should be removed first, and its parent-zone DS cache should be allowed to expire before switching nameservers. Otherwise, DNSSEC validation can fail and the domain may return SERVFAIL.
After Cloudflare becomes active, DNSSEC can be enabled again using the new Cloudflare DNSSEC information.
If you are unsure about an existing DS record, contact NiceNIC Support before continuing.
Step 5: Open the Domain at NiceNIC
Log in to your NiceNIC account.
Go to:
My Products → Domain Name
Find your domain and click:
Manage
On the domain management page, find Domain Resolution and click:
Nameservers
Step 6: Replace the Nameservers
Open the custom nameserver settings.
Enter the two nameservers Cloudflare assigned to your domain:
Nameserver 1: first Cloudflare nameserver Nameserver 2: second Cloudflare nameserver
Remove the previous nameservers.
Leave Nameserver 3-6 empty unless Cloudflare specifically gives you additional nameservers.
Click:
Save
What happens to my old NiceNIC DNS records?
Once your domain uses Cloudflare's nameservers, the DNS records previously saved in NiceNIC's DNS Records panel are no longer authoritative and will not be used for public DNS resolution. You do not need to delete them manually. Manage future A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, and other active DNS records in Cloudflare while the domain continues using Cloudflare nameservers.
Step 7: Return to Cloudflare
After saving the nameservers at NiceNIC, return to Cloudflare and click:
I updated my nameservers
Cloudflare will begin checking the new delegation.
You may see:
Waiting for your registrar to propagate your new nameservers
This is normal.
DNS changes are not visible everywhere at the same time. During propagation, some DNS servers may still show the previous nameservers while others already show the new Cloudflare nameservers.
Do not repeatedly change or resave the nameservers while propagation is in progress.
Step 8: Check Whether the Cloudflare Nameservers Are Live
Open:
Enter your domain and select:
NS
Run the search.
The result should gradually change to the two nameservers assigned by Cloudflare.
During propagation, mixed results are normal.
You may see:
- old nameservers at some locations
- new Cloudflare nameservers at others
- occasional temporary lookup failures
When most locations return the correct Cloudflare nameservers, the nameserver change has largely propagated.
Step 9: Check the Actual DNS Record
After the Cloudflare nameservers are resolving correctly, check the DNS record you created.
For example, select:
A
and look up the root domain.
If the A record is DNS only, you should normally see the IP entered in Cloudflare.
If the record is Proxied, public DNS will normally show Cloudflare IP addresses instead of your origin server IP.
That is expected.
How Do I Know the Setup Is Complete?
The setup is working when:
- Cloudflare recognizes the domain as active.
- DNSChecker shows the Cloudflare nameservers assigned to your domain.
- Your important DNS records return the expected results.
For a website, check A, AAAA, or CNAME.
For email, check MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Where Do I Manage DNS After Switching to Cloudflare?
Once your domain uses Cloudflare nameservers:
NiceNIC manages the domain registration.
This includes renewal, registration information, nameserver delegation, and registrar-side DNSSEC settings.
Cloudflare manages the live DNS records.
This includes A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, DKIM, DMARC, and other DNS records.
If you change a DNS record at your previous DNS provider after Cloudflare becomes authoritative, that change will not affect the live domain.
Quick Troubleshooting
Cloudflare is still waiting for the nameserver update
Check that the two nameservers saved at NiceNIC exactly match the two nameservers shown by Cloudflare.
If they match, allow time for DNS propagation.
The website stopped working
Check the A, AAAA, and CNAME records in Cloudflare and confirm that they point to the correct hosting service.
Also check the Proxy status, hosting server, and SSL/TLS configuration.
Email stopped working
Compare the MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records in Cloudflare with the values provided by your email provider.
DNSChecker still shows the old nameservers
This usually means DNS resolvers are still using cached information.
If the NiceNIC nameserver settings are correct, wait for propagation rather than changing them again.
Your domain remains registered at NiceNIC throughout the process. Cloudflare simply becomes the authoritative DNS provider.
For domain registration and management, visit NiceNIC Domain Services.
