Nameservers decide where your domain's DNS records live. When someone visits your domain, their browser asks your nameservers for the records, so whichever service runs your nameservers is the one that controls your website and email routing.

In NameFlow: open My Domains, choose a domain, and change its nameservers there. NameFlow does not connect to your accounts at other DNS providers; you set up the zone there yourself. The concepts below apply everywhere.

How a lookup works

A visitor types example.com.
Their resolver asks the .com registry: "Which nameservers are responsible for example.com?"
The registry answers with the nameservers your registrar has on file, for example ns1.dnsprovider.com and ns2.dnsprovider.com.
The resolver asks those nameservers for the record it needs (an A record for a website, MX for email).
The answer is cached for the record's TTL, then the process repeats.

So there are two separate settings:

Setting	Where it is set	What it controls
Nameservers	At your registrar (stored by the registry)	Which DNS service is in charge
DNS records	At that DNS service	Where the website, email and other services point

This is the most common source of confusion: if you change nameservers to a new provider, the DNS records at your old provider stop being used. Only the records at the provider your nameservers point to count.

Why you might change nameservers

Your host asks you to. Some website platforms manage DNS for you and ask you to switch to their nameservers.
You want a dedicated DNS provider for features such as a CDN, DDoS protection, advanced record types, or an API.
You are consolidating many domains under one DNS dashboard.
You are moving away from a provider and want DNS to keep working independently of it.

You do not need to change nameservers just to point a domain at a website. Adding A or CNAME records at your current DNS provider is usually simpler. See How DNS Records Work.

How to change nameservers safely

The steps are the same at every registrar:

Set up the new DNS provider first. Add your domain there and recreate every record you need: website (A/CNAME), email (MX), and verification and email-security records (TXT). Many providers can import existing records; check that the import is complete.
Note the new nameservers. The provider gives you two or more, such as ns1.newprovider.com and ns2.newprovider.com.
Update the nameservers at your registrar. Replace all of the old ones. Do not mix old and new providers: resolvers pick one at random, and visitors would get different answers.
Wait for propagation. The change usually takes effect within a few hours, but can take up to 24 to 48 hours, because the old nameserver information is cached.
Verify. Check with a tool such as whatsmydns.net (choose NS) and test your website and email.

Common nameserver formats

# A DNS provider
ns1.dnsprovider.com
ns2.dnsprovider.com

# AWS Route 53 (four, across different TLDs)
ns-123.awsdns-45.com
ns-678.awsdns-90.net
ns-111.awsdns-22.org
ns-333.awsdns-44.co.uk

Things to know

At least two nameservers. Most registries require two or more, so that DNS keeps working if one server is down.

Email can break during the switch. If the new provider is missing your MX records, mail bounces or is lost. Recreate them before switching.

DNSSEC must be handled first. If DNSSEC is enabled, turn it off (or move the keys to the new provider) before changing nameservers, otherwise resolvers may reject your domain entirely. Re-enable it after the switch.

Some extensions check the new nameservers. A few registries test that the new nameservers answer correctly for your domain before accepting the change, so set up the zone first.

Changing nameservers is not a transfer. Your domain stays registered where it is; only the DNS service changes.

Troubleshooting

My site still shows the old version. You are likely seeing a cached answer. Wait for the TTL, or test from another network or a public DNS checker.

The registrar rejects the nameservers. Check for typos, make sure the domain has been added at the new provider, and that you entered at least two.

Website works but email does not. The MX and TXT records were not recreated at the new provider.

Understanding Nameservers