<p data-start="66" data-end="331">If you want to connect your custom domain to Shopify while using <strong data-start="131" data-end="145">Cloudflare</strong> for DNS management, you can do it easily by following this step-by-step guide. Cloudflare enhances website security, speed, and reliability while Shopify manages your eCommerce store.</p>
<hr data-start="333" data-end="336" />
<h2 data-start="338" data-end="384"><strong data-start="341" data-end="382">Step 1: Add Your Domain to Cloudflare</strong></h2>
<h3 data-start="386" data-end="430"><strong data-start="390" data-end="428">1. Sign Up or Log In to Cloudflare</strong></h3>
<ul data-start="431" data-end="584">
<li data-start="431" data-end="521">Go to <a target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="439" data-end="491">Cloudflare�s website</a> and log in to your account.</li>
<li data-start="522" data-end="584">If you don�t have an account, sign up and add your domain.</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-start="586" data-end="628"><strong data-start="590" data-end="626">2. Add Your Domain to Cloudflare</strong></h3>
<ul data-start="629" data-end="748">
<li data-start="629" data-end="711">Click on <strong data-start="640" data-end="656">"Add a Site"</strong> and enter your domain name (e.g., <code data-start="691" data-end="707">yourdomain.com</code>).</li>
<li data-start="712" data-end="748">Click <strong data-start="720" data-end="734">"Continue"</strong> to proceed.</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-start="750" data-end="776"><strong data-start="754" data-end="774">3. Choose a Plan</strong></h3>
<ul data-start="777" data-end="876">
<li data-start="777" data-end="850">Select the <strong data-start="790" data-end="803">Free Plan</strong> (or a paid plan if you need extra features).</li>
<li data-start="851" data-end="876">Click <strong data-start="859" data-end="873">"Continue"</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-start="878" data-end="924"><strong data-start="882" data-end="922">4. Cloudflare Scans Your DNS Records</strong></h3>
<ul data-start="925" data-end="1039">
<li data-start="925" data-end="992">Cloudflare will automatically detect your existing DNS records.</li>
<li data-start="993" data-end="1039">Click <strong data-start="1001" data-end="1015">"Continue"</strong> after reviewing them.</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-start="1041" data-end="1077"><strong data-start="1045" data-end="1075">5. Update Your Nameservers</strong></h3>
<ul data-start="1078" data-end="1439">
<li data-start="1078" data-end="1126">
<p data-start="1080" data-end="1126">Cloudflare will provide <strong data-start="1104" data-end="1123">new nameservers</strong>.</p>
</li>
<li data-start="1127" data-end="1199">
<p data-start="1129" data-end="1199">Go to your domain registrar (e.g., Namecheap, GoDaddy, StormHoster).</p>
</li>
<li data-start="1200" data-end="1283">
<p data-start="1202" data-end="1283">Find the <strong data-start="1211" data-end="1226">Nameservers</strong> section and update them with Cloudflare�s nameservers.</p>
</li>
<li data-start="1284" data-end="1330">
<p data-start="1286" data-end="1330">Save the changes and return to Cloudflare.</p>
</li>
<li data-start="1332" data-end="1439">
<p data-start="1334" data-end="1439">Click <strong data-start="1340" data-end="1369">"Done, Check Nameservers"</strong> and wait for the update (it may take a few minutes to a few hours).</p>
</li>
</ul>
<hr data-start="1441" data-end="1444" />
<h2 data-start="1446" data-end="1499"><strong data-start="1449" data-end="1497">Step 2: Configure Cloudflare DNS for Shopify</strong></h2>
<p data-start="1501" data-end="1594">Once Cloudflare is managing your DNS, follow these steps to connect your domain to Shopify:</p>
<h3 data-start="1596" data-end="1641"><strong data-start="1600" data-end="1639">1. Access Cloudflare�s DNS Settings</strong></h3>
<ul data-start="1642" data-end="1739">
<li data-start="1642" data-end="1706">In your Cloudflare dashboard, click on your <strong data-start="1688" data-end="1703">domain name</strong>.</li>
<li data-start="1707" data-end="1739">Navigate to the <strong data-start="1725" data-end="1732">DNS</strong> tab.</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-start="1741" data-end="1788"><strong data-start="1745" data-end="1786">2. Add Shopify's Required DNS Records</strong></h3>
<h4 data-start="1790" data-end="1827"><strong data-start="1795" data-end="1825">A Record (for Root Domain)</strong></h4>
<ul data-start="1828" data-end="2123">
<li data-start="1828" data-end="1854">Click <strong data-start="1836" data-end="1852">"Add record"</strong></li>
<li data-start="1855" data-end="1877">Select <strong data-start="1864" data-end="1875">Type: A</strong></li>
<li data-start="1878" data-end="1950">In the <strong data-start="1887" data-end="1895">Name</strong> field, enter <code data-start="1909" data-end="1912">@</code> (this represents your root domain).</li>
<li data-start="1951" data-end="2042">In the <strong data-start="1960" data-end="1976">IPv4 Address</strong> field, enter Shopify�s IP address:
<div class="contain-inline-size rounded-md border-[0.5px] border-token-border-medium relative bg-token-sidebar-surface-primary dark:bg-gray-950">
<div class="flex items-center text-token-text-secondary px-4 py-2 text-xs font-sans justify-between rounded-t-[5px] h-9 bg-token-sidebar-surface-primary dark:bg-token-main-surface-secondary select-none">�</div>
<div class="overflow-y-auto p-4" dir="ltr"><code class="!whitespace-pre">23.227.38.65
</code></div>
</div>
</li>
<li data-start="2043" data-end="2123">Click <strong data-start="2051" data-end="2061">"Save"</strong> and disable the <strong data-start="2078" data-end="2094">Proxy Status</strong> (it should be "DNS Only").</li>
</ul>
<h4 data-start="2125" data-end="2168"><strong data-start="2130" data-end="2166">CNAME Record (for www Subdomain)</strong></h4>
<ul data-start="2169" data-end="2401">
<li data-start="2169" data-end="2195">Click <strong data-start="2177" data-end="2193">"Add record"</strong></li>
<li data-start="2196" data-end="2222">Select <strong data-start="2205" data-end="2220">Type: CNAME</strong></li>
<li data-start="2223" data-end="2262">In the <strong data-start="2232" data-end="2240">Name</strong> field, enter <code data-start="2254" data-end="2259">www</code>.</li>
<li data-start="2263" data-end="2320">In the <strong data-start="2272" data-end="2282">Target</strong> field, enter <code data-start="2296" data-end="2317">shops.myshopify.com</code>.</li>
<li data-start="2321" data-end="2401">Click <strong data-start="2329" data-end="2339">"Save"</strong> and disable the <strong data-start="2356" data-end="2372">Proxy Status</strong> (it should be "DNS Only").</li>
</ul>
<hr data-start="2403" data-end="2406" />
<h2 data-start="2408" data-end="2454"><strong data-start="2411" data-end="2452">Step 3: Connect the Domain in Shopify</strong></h2>
<h3 data-start="2456" data-end="2486"><strong data-start="2460" data-end="2484">1. Log in to Shopify</strong></h3>
<ul data-start="2487" data-end="2558">
<li data-start="2487" data-end="2558">Go to <a href="https://www.shopify.com/" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="2495" data-end="2530">Shopify</a> and log in to your store.</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-start="2560" data-end="2600"><strong data-start="2564" data-end="2598">2. Navigate to Domain Settings</strong></h3>
<ul data-start="2601" data-end="2767">
<li data-start="2601" data-end="2660">In the Shopify dashboard, go to <strong data-start="2635" data-end="2657">Settings &gt; Domains</strong>.</li>
<li data-start="2661" data-end="2701">Click <strong data-start="2669" data-end="2698">"Connect existing domain"</strong>.</li>
<li data-start="2702" data-end="2767">Enter your domain name (<code data-start="2728" data-end="2744">yourdomain.com</code>) and click <strong data-start="2756" data-end="2764">Next</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-start="2769" data-end="2803"><strong data-start="2773" data-end="2801">3. Verify the Connection</strong></h3>
<ul data-start="2804" data-end="3039">
<li data-start="2804" data-end="2863">Shopify will check if your domain settings are correct.</li>
<li data-start="2864" data-end="2936">If everything is set up properly, you�ll see a <strong data-start="2913" data-end="2926">Connected</strong> status.</li>
<li data-start="2937" data-end="3039">If not, Shopify may show a <strong data-start="2966" data-end="2977">Pending</strong> message�wait for DNS propagation (can take up to 48 hours).</li>
</ul>
<hr data-start="3041" data-end="3044" />
<h2 data-start="3046" data-end="3088"><strong data-start="3049" data-end="3086">Step 4: Enable SSL (Secure HTTPS)</strong></h2>
<ul data-start="3089" data-end="3321">
<li data-start="3089" data-end="3175">After Shopify detects your domain, it will automatically issue an SSL certificate.</li>
<li data-start="3176" data-end="3321">Ensure that Cloudflare's <strong data-start="3203" data-end="3230">SSL/TLS encryption mode</strong> is set to <strong data-start="3241" data-end="3249">Full</strong> (not Flexible) in the Cloudflare dashboard under the <strong data-start="3303" data-end="3314">SSL/TLS</strong> tab.</li>
</ul>
<hr data-start="3323" data-end="3326" />
<h2 data-start="3328" data-end="3358"><strong data-start="3331" data-end="3356">Final Steps &amp; Testing</strong></h2>
<p data-start="3359" data-end="3596">? Wait for the DNS changes to propagate (this can take a few hours).<br data-start="3427" data-end="3430" />? Visit your domain (<code data-start="3451" data-end="3467">yourdomain.com</code>) to check if it loads your Shopify store.<br data-start="3509" data-end="3512" />? If you face issues, clear your browser cache or use a different network to test.</p>
<hr data-start="3598" data-end="3601" />
<h2 data-start="3603" data-end="3622"><strong data-start="3606" data-end="3620">Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p data-start="3623" data-end="3861">Using <strong data-start="3629" data-end="3643">Cloudflare</strong> to connect your domain to Shopify ensures <strong data-start="3686" data-end="3761">faster performance, better security, and full control over DNS settings</strong>. By following these steps, you can successfully link your domain and start selling on Shopify! ????</p>
<p data-start="3863" data-end="3935">If you have any issues, feel free to reach out to StormHoster support!</p>