Switching your domain from WordPress/WooCommerce hosting to Shopify is one of the riskier steps of any migration — get the DNS wrong and your store disappears from the internet for hours or days. This guide covers every DNS record you need to set, how to preserve your email during the cutover, and how to execute the switch with minimal downtime.

Domain options: Shopify-bought vs bring your own

Two approaches to domains on Shopify:

Buy domain through Shopify: Simplest option — DNS auto-configures, SSL auto-provisions. Only valid if you're registering a brand new domain or transferring registrar to Shopify.
Connect existing domain: Your domain stays at your current registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, Cloudflare, etc.). You change DNS records to point to Shopify. This is the standard migration path.

For WooCommerce migrations: always connect existing domain. Your domain has SEO authority, backlinks, and customer recognition that you must not lose by changing to a new domain.

Shopify DNS requirements

Shopify requires two DNS record types to route your domain to their servers:

For www subdomain (www.yourstore.com)

Type:  CNAME
Name:  www
Value: shops.myshopify.com

For apex/root domain (yourstore.com — without www)

The apex (bare) domain cannot use a CNAME record (per DNS standards). You have two options:

Option A: A records (most registrars)
Type:  A
Name:  @ (or leave blank)
Value: 23.227.38.65
(Shopify's IP — this is stable but can change; Shopify's documentation has the current IP)

Option B: ALIAS / ANAME record (Cloudflare, Route 53, DNSimple)
Type:  ALIAS (or ANAME)
Name:  @
Value: shops.myshopify.com
(Preferred — follows CNAME logic at the apex level; auto-updates if Shopify changes IP)

Redirect: apex → www (or www → apex)

Shopify requires www as the primary domain. Set your apex (A record) to redirect to www. In Shopify Admin → Settings → Domains, set www as primary — Shopify will handle the www ↔ apex redirect automatically once both DNS records resolve.

Cloudflare-specific configuration

Many WooCommerce stores use Cloudflare for CDN and DDoS protection. When migrating to Shopify:

Proxy status: orange cloud vs grey cloud

Grey cloud (DNS only): DNS request goes directly to Shopify. Shopify's own CDN (Fastly) handles delivery. This is the correct setting for Shopify domains.
Orange cloud (Proxied): DNS goes through Cloudflare, then to Shopify. This can cause SSL certificate provisioning issues and adds latency. Shopify recommends disabling Cloudflare proxy (grey cloud) for the www CNAME and apex A records.

Cloudflare DNS settings for Shopify:
- www  CNAME  shops.myshopify.com  [DNS only — grey cloud]
- @    A      23.227.38.65         [DNS only — grey cloud]

If you need Cloudflare's WAF or additional security features in front of Shopify: this requires Shopify Plus with SSL certificate upload support. For standard Shopify, use grey cloud.

Preserving email (MX records)

This is the most common migration mistake: changing DNS records and accidentally breaking email. Your MX records control where email is delivered. They are separate from your A/CNAME records and must be preserved.

Before changing any DNS records, document your current MX records:

Type:  MX
Name:  @
Value: (your email provider — Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, etc.)
Priority: 1, 5, 10 (depends on provider)

Additionally, preserve:

SPF record (TXT, v=spf1 include:... ~all) — required for email deliverability
DKIM records (TXT, google._domainkey etc.) — email signing
DMARC record (TXT, _dmarc) — email policy

These TXT records are independent of your A/CNAME changes and will survive the DNS update as long as you don't accidentally delete them. Review every record in your DNS zone before making changes.

SSL certificate on Shopify

Shopify provisions SSL certificates automatically via Let's Encrypt once your DNS resolves to their servers. SSL provisioning takes up to 48 hours after DNS propagation (usually much faster — often 15–60 minutes).

During SSL provisioning, your site may show an SSL warning or be inaccessible via HTTPS. Plan your cutover timing accordingly:

Perform DNS cutover during off-peak hours (overnight or early morning)
Pre-warm by adding the domain to Shopify Admin before changing DNS: Shopify can start provisioning SSL before DNS fully cuts over in some cases
If SSL doesn't provision within 48 hours: contact Shopify Support — they can manually trigger certificate renewal

Step-by-step domain cutover process

Add domain to Shopify first: Admin → Settings → Domains → Add existing domain. Shopify will show you the required DNS records. Note them down.
Lower TTL: 24–48 hours before cutover, reduce your domain's TTL to 300 seconds (5 minutes). This makes DNS propagation faster when you switch.
Document current DNS: Export a full list of your current DNS records. Screenshot every record. You need this as a safety net.
Update DNS records: Add the CNAME for www and A record for apex in your registrar/DNS provider. Keep all other records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TXT) unchanged.
Wait for propagation: Use dig www.yourstore.com or dnschecker.org to monitor propagation globally. With TTL at 300s, most regions should update within 15–30 minutes.
Verify in Shopify: Admin → Settings → Domains — the domain should show as "Connected".
Test HTTPS: Visit your store at https://www.yourstore.com — SSL should be active. If SSL warning appears, wait up to 1 hour and test again.
Set primary domain: In Shopify Admin → Settings → Domains, set www.yourstore.com as primary and enable "redirect all traffic to this domain".
Verify redirects: Test that yourstore.com (apex) redirects to www.yourstore.com. Test that old WooCommerce URL patterns redirect correctly (301 redirects configured earlier).
Remove WooCommerce hosting: Only after store is verified live and SEO is confirmed. Keep WooCommerce hosting live for 2–4 weeks for safety.

Timing the DNS cutover

Don't cut over on a Friday or before a holiday weekend — leave time to address issues
Best time: Tuesday–Thursday, between midnight and 6am in your primary market timezone
Notify customers of potential brief downtime via email and social media the day before
Have WooCommerce hosting/FTP access available for 48 hours after cutover (rollback option)
Keep old WooCommerce store live on a staging domain (wc.yourstore.com) for 2 weeks post-cutover as fallback

Verifying the cutover

Google Search Console: add Shopify as a new property, verify ownership. Submit sitemap.xml.
Google Analytics: confirm traffic is being recorded from the new Shopify store (GA4 event stream active)
Uptime monitoring: set up Shopify store monitoring via UptimeRobot or Pingdom
Test checkout end-to-end: place a test order on the live domain
Test email: send a contact form message to verify email delivery still works post-cutover

The 5-minute TTL step is the most important preparation you can make before cutover day. Stores that attempt a domain switch with a 24-hour TTL face the original TTL delay before DNS propagates — meaning some customers see the old WooCommerce site for up to 24 hours. Lowering TTL 48 hours in advance ensures that the vast majority of internet resolvers update within minutes of your DNS change. Restore TTL to 3600 or higher after the cutover is confirmed stable.

Setting up a custom domain on Shopify after WooCommerce (2026)