When a browser shows This site can't be reached (or ERRNAMENOT_RESOLVED), it usually never got an IP for the name. DNS is what turns yourdomain.com into that address. We host DNS on AtlasDNS. For a domain registered with us, records live in the portal: Domains → the domain → DNS. AtlasDNS is the default. Do not send the name to a third-party DNS host.
Unsure at any step? Open a support ticket and we will check it with you.
If the name already resolves to the right IP and the page still fails, this is probably not DNS. Use My website is down.
What the message usually means
Someone types yourdomain.com. Their computer asks a resolver (their ISP, phone network, workplace, or a public resolver). That resolver asks the nameservers listed at the registry.
A reachability error is DNS when:
- There is no public A record (and no usable AAAA).
- The nameservers at the registrar are not AtlasDNS, so the internet is not asking us.
- The A record points at an old or wrong IP.
- Your PC or browser is still using a cached answer.
It is not DNS when the name already points at this account and nothing answers on that IP. That is the site, the account, or the server. Follow the website-down checklist instead.
Step 1: See what the public internet gets
Use a lookup that does not use your home cache.
- MXToolbox DNS Lookup: enter
yourdomain.com, run DNS Lookup. - WhatsMyDNS: enter the name, choose A, run the check.
You want an A record with an IPv4 address, for example yourdomain.com A 192.0.2.1. Check www.yourdomain.com as well.
No A record, NXDOMAIN, or an empty result. The live zone has no website address, or the nameservers are not serving this name. Continue with nameservers, then records.
An IP you do not recognise. The name is pointed at the wrong place (an old host, a parking page, or a leftover record). Fix the A record on the live zone. See Point your domain at your hosting.
On Mac or Linux you can also ask AtlasDNS and a public resolver directly:
dig yourdomain.com A @ns1.atlasdns.net.au
dig yourdomain.com A @8.8.8.8On Windows (PowerShell):
nslookup yourdomain.com ns1.atlasdns.net.au
nslookup yourdomain.com 8.8.8.8The first command is what we are serving now. The second is what a public resolver still has cached. If AtlasDNS is already correct and 8.8.8.8 is old, wait. Do not keep changing the record. See DNS propagation explained.
If the domain is in cPanel Hosting DNS mode, the live answers come from that hosting zone, not from a leftover edit on the AtlasDNS page.
Step 2: Confirm the nameservers
The registry must list our nameservers or the public internet will not ask AtlasDNS.
ns1.atlasdns.net.au
ns2.atlasdns.net.au
ns3.atlasdns.net.auUse all three.
Domain registered with us. Sign in at /portal, open Domains, then the domain, then DNS. The name is already on AtlasDNS. Leave the nameservers as they are. Skip any nameserver change at another registrar.
Domain registered elsewhere. Sign in where the name is registered. Open DNS, Nameservers, or Domain settings. Replace every nameserver with the three hosts above. Remove leftover rows so only those three remain. Save. Then open a support ticket so we can put the zone on this account. Tell us the domain and which hosting, VPS, or dedicated service it should hit.
A registrar parking page almost always means the nameservers still point at the previous DNS, or the root name still has a parking record. Set AtlasDNS, then set the website A records.
Do not replace our nameservers with a CDN's, a website builder's, or another DNS host. If a setup wizard tells you to change nameservers, stop. Open a support ticket and we will add only the CNAME or TXT records you need.
Step 3: Edit the live zone, not the other one
- Sign in at /portal.
- Open Domains, then the domain, then DNS.
- Confirm the mode:
- AtlasDNS (the usual case): add and edit records on that page.
- cPanel Hosting: the portal says records are managed from the hosting control panel. Open the hosting service, click Log in to cPanel, and use the Zone Editor. Edits on the wrong side are not public.
Unsure which mode you are on? Open a support ticket and we will check with you.
The Zone Editor does not change nameservers at the registry. Leave the NS rows in the zone as they are.
Step 4: Check the website A records
You need the IPv4 address of the service the site should hit. Copy it. Do not guess.
Shared hosting (Beginner and Standard, cPanel):
- Sign in at /portal, open the hosting service, and click Log in to cPanel.
- On the cPanel home, copy General Information → Shared IP Address.
Open cPanel from the portal. Do not type a guessed hostname.
VPS: open the server in the portal. Use the IPv4 shown there.
Dedicated: use the IPv4 on that service in the portal. If it is not listed, open a support ticket.
On the live zone, you want:
Name: @
Type: A
Value: (this service's IPv4)
TTL: 3600And for www, either another A record with the same IPv4, or a CNAME to yourdomain.com.
Do not put a CNAME on the root name (@ / yourdomain.com). Use an A record for the root. Record types are covered in DNS record types explained.
If the A record is missing, create it with the IP from the portal or cPanel.
If it points at the wrong IP, edit it. Do not leave an old address next to the new one unless we have asked you to.
Add an AAAA record only when that service actually has an IPv6 address. A stale AAAA can make some networks fail even when the A record is right. Remove a leftover AAAA or correct it.
Step 5: Flush your local cache
Your PC and browser also cache. After the live zone is correct:
Windows
ipconfig /flushdnsMac
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponderLinux
sudo resolvectl flush-cachesThen open a private window, or try another network. A phone on mobile data is a useful second check.
Step 6: Give propagation time
AtlasDNS serves a new record immediately. Other networks can keep a cached answer until that record's TTL expires. Nameserver changes at the registrar take longer than a record edit.
Mixed results on WhatsMyDNS (some locations on the new IP, some on the old) are expected during that window. Wait. Do not save a different IP every time someone still sees the old site.
Changes are often quick, but they can take hours, and sometimes up to 48 hours, to show everywhere. Details and how to shorten a planned move: DNS propagation explained.
Step 7: Subdomains need their own records
mail.yourdomain.com, blog.yourdomain.com, and other labels are separate names. The root A record does not cover them.
- A record: the subdomain should hit a specific IPv4 (this account's Shared IP Address, or a VPS IPv4).
- CNAME: the subdomain should follow another hostname.
On shared hosting in cPanel Hosting DNS mode, adding a subdomain usually writes the matching A record. Confirm it in the Zone Editor. Do not add a duplicate.
On AtlasDNS, add the record on Domains → the domain → DNS.
DNS looks right, but the site still fails
If lookups already return this account's IP and a private window still fails:
- Nothing is on the account yet. An empty
public_html(or a VPS with no web server) will not show a site. See Getting started after you order hosting. - The hosting service is not active. In the portal, confirm the service is not past due or stopped.
- The domain itself has expired. Open Domains in the portal (or the registrar, if the name is not with us).
- HTTPS is not ready yet. Once the name resolves here, shared hosting can issue a certificate from AutoSSL (Let's Encrypt) in cPanel SSL/TLS Status. Background: Understanding SSL/TLS and HTTPS.
- You still see the old site. That can be cache or leftover nameservers. Confirm all three AtlasDNS hosts, then use My website is down.
Moving a live site? Copy and test here first, then switch public DNS. Migrate your website to us with minimal downtime.
Common problems
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| ERRNAMENOT_RESOLVED, or no A record | Nameservers are not AtlasDNS, or @ has no A record on the live zone | Set the three AtlasDNS nameservers, then add @ and www on Domains → the domain → DNS (or the Zone Editor in cPanel Hosting mode) |
| Name resolves, site still does not load | Wrong IP, empty account, or the service is stopped | Copy the IP again from the portal or cPanel. Confirm files are on the account |
| Registrar parking page | Nameservers still at the previous DNS, or a parking record on @ | Point nameservers at AtlasDNS, then set the website A records |
| Worked yesterday, fails today | Record removed, DNS mode switched, or the domain expired | Check the live zone and Domains in the portal |
| Works for you, fails for someone else | Propagation, or your cache is already fresh | Wait, then try a private window or mobile data. See DNS propagation |
| Subdomain fails, root works | No A or CNAME for that label | Add the subdomain record on the live zone |
| You edited AtlasDNS and nothing public moved | Domain is in cPanel Hosting mode, or the registrar still lists other nameservers | Use the Zone Editor if that is the live mode. Confirm the three AtlasDNS hosts at the registrar |
If you still cannot reach the site
Open a support ticket and include:
- The domain (and the exact URL if it is a subdomain)
- The IP you expect, copied from the portal or from cPanel Shared IP Address
- The IP (or empty result) a public lookup shows now
- When it started
- Any recent change (transfer, nameservers, DNS mode, migration)
We will check the live nameservers and records with you.