How to change nameservers at GoDaddy to Cmini

If your domain is registered at GoDaddy and you want Cmini to manage its DNS, you change the domain's nameservers at GoDaddy to Cmini's. This guide covers GoDaddy's official steps and what to watch out for.

The steps follow GoDaddy's help article Change nameservers for my domains, checked on October 15, 2026. If nameservers are new to you, start with What are nameservers?.

Step 1: start hosting in Cmini first

Order matters: finish the setup in Cmini first, then change the nameservers at GoDaddy. If you change the nameservers first, your old records stop working at once, and your website and email can go down.

1. On the website's "Domains & publishing" page, or the "Domain" tab in the editor settings panel, find "Let Cmini manage your DNS" and click "Let Cmini manage DNS".
2. Choose how to read your current records: "Detect automatically", "Import from Cloudflare" or "Paste a zone file".
3. Under "Confirm the records to bring over", tick each record you want, use "Add a record" for any that are missing, then click "Start hosting".
4. The screen shows "Last step: change the nameservers at your registrar" with four nameservers and a "Copy all" button.

Cmini's four nameservers are ns1.cbuilding.net, ns2.cbuilding.net, ns3.cbuilding.net and ns4.cbuilding.net. After you start hosting, change the nameservers within 3 days. If you don't, this setup and the records you brought over are deleted, and you have to click "Start again". The full flow is in Let Cmini manage your DNS.

Step 2: change the nameservers at GoDaddy

1. Sign in to your GoDaddy Domain Portfolio.
2. Select the domain to open Domain Settings.
3. Select DNS, then Nameservers.
4. Choose "I'll use my own nameservers" (not "GoDaddy Nameservers (recommended)"). Remove the old nameservers and enter ns1.cbuilding.net, ns2.cbuilding.net, ns3.cbuilding.net and ns4.cbuilding.net.
5. Select Save, then Continue.

GoDaddy needs at least two nameservers. Cmini recommends all four; if only two fit, the first two are fine.

GoDaddy's Traditional Chinese interface uses these names for the same items: 網域組合 (Domain Portfolio), 網域設定 (Domain Settings), 名稱伺服器 (Nameservers), 使用自己的名稱伺服器 (I'll use my own nameservers), 儲存 (Save) and 繼續 (Continue).

Domain Protection asks you to verify

If Domain Protection is on for the domain, GoDaddy asks you to verify when you save:

• If two-step verification has been on for 24 hours or more: enter the code from SMS or your authenticator app.
• Otherwise: GoDaddy emails a one-time code to the account's email address.

Before you switch

• GoDaddy warns that changing nameservers can affect your website and email, and that DNS is then managed at the new provider. Your records at GoDaddy stop applying, so bring your email MX and TXT records over when you start hosting in Cmini.
• If DNSSEC is on, turn it off before you change the nameservers. Cmini checks this before it starts hosting and asks you to turn it off at your registrar first.

How long does it take, and how do I check?

GoDaddy says most updates take effect within 1 hour, and can take up to 48 hours. Cmini says it usually takes minutes to hours, and can take up to 48 hours. Once it takes effect, your website connects automatically.

• When you're done at the registrar, go back to Cmini and click "Check now".
• When it says "The nameservers have changed. Your DNS is now managed by Cmini.", you're done. Use "Manage DNS records" to edit records from then on.
• If it says "The nameservers have not changed yet.", it also lists the nameservers the registry has on file, so you can spot a typo.
• Filling in only some of the nameservers still works, but all four is more reliable.

If the nameservers are later changed away from Cmini, record editing is paused. If they are not changed back within 14 days, hosting ends automatically. Before you switch, also read Before you change nameservers: email and DNSSEC.