Learn how to fix a domain connection error before migrating to Webflow's Cloudflare hosting infrastructure.
If your custom domain is displaying a red “error” message in Site settings > Publishing > Production, it usually means there’s an issue with your DNS configuration. You'll need to resolve any DNS issues before your site can be published to your custom domain.
Resolve common domain connection issues
Note
Webflow doesn’t support reverse proxies for non-Enterprise customers.
While we understand some teams may choose to use them, please
note that our support team can’t troubleshoot or guarantee connectivity
in these cases.
Reverse proxy
If your domain's DNS records aren't pointing to Webflow, (e.g., if you're using a reverse proxy) it will result in an “error” message being displayed next to your domain in Site settings > Publishing > Production. This can block domain verification, prevent Webflow from issuing an SSL certificate, and result in site downtime when migrating to Webflow's Cloudflare hosting infrastructure.
Important
Only follow the steps below if you’re using a reverse proxy (or similar setup) and your domain shows a red “error” in Site settings > Publishing > Production. These are Webflow’s legacy DNS records and they’re intended as a temporary troubleshooting step to clear the error and allow SSL provisioning. After the error clears, update your custom domain to Webflow’s new DNS records using How do I manually migrate my DNS records?.
To resolve the issue, follow the steps below for all custom domains added to your Webflow site:
- Open your domain's DNS settings on your domain registrar's / DNS host's site
- Add the following A records to your root domain (hostname —
@):
- Remove any other A records with the hostname
@
- Add the following CNAME to your domain's www subdomain (hostname —
www):
- Remove any other CNAME records with the hostname
www
- In Webflow, go to Site settings > Publishing > Production and click Retry next to the error message
- Once the error clears, follow the steps in the How do I manually migrate my DNS records? article to migrate your domain to Webflow's Cloudflare hosting infrastructure
Zone holds in Cloudflare
If you’re using Cloudflare and have a zone hold configured, you’ll need to release it before updating your DNS records. Zone holds can block changes from taking effect and may prevent Webflow from verifying or connecting to your custom domain.
If you need to make changes to your domain's DNS settings:
- Follow Cloudflare’s documentation on releasing zone holds first
- In Webflow, go to Site settings > Publishing > Production and click Retry next to the error message
- Once the error clears, follow the steps in the How do I manually migrate my DNS records? article to migrate your domain to Webflow's Cloudflare hosting infrastructure
- After you've successfully updated your DNS records, you can re-enable your zone hold in Cloudflare
Once you've migrated your site to Webflow's Cloudflare hosting infrastructure, you can take advantage of Cloudflare Orange-to-Orange (O2O) and layer Cloudflare’s features on top of Webflow hosting.
Still having trouble?
If you’re still having trouble after trying these steps, reach out to our Support team through the Support Portal.