Steps and two important points to consider when connecting an external domain to Shopify

When setting up a store with Shopify, most people will likely connect a domain they purchased externally (such as from Onamae.com or MuuMuu Domain).
However, incorrect settings can directly lead to problems such as "emails not being received" or "old websites disappearing."
This time, we'll focus on two points that are often overlooked when explaining how to connect to external domains!

Setting up a custom domain with Shopify involves two main steps: "operations within the Shopify admin panel" and "operations with your domain registrar."

Before connecting to the domain, please check the following two points.
Overlooking this could cause work to stop midway or existing services to be shut down.

A domain can only be associated with one Shopify store.

Points to noteIf you are already using that domain on another store (such as a test site or old site), you will get an error when trying to connect to the new store.

countermeasure:surelyFirst, disconnect the domain from the old store, or close the store.Please do so before starting work on the new store.

Domain in email (Example:info@example.com) If you are using it,MX RecordsThis setting refers to the "email delivery address."

Points to noteIf you delete your MX record when changing the DNS settings for your Shopify connection, you will stop receiving emails.

countermeasureDo not delete or modify existing MX records.Add/update only A records and CNAMEs.Please do so.

Once Step 1 is confirmed, configure the DNS settings with your domain registrar.

Open the management screen of your domain registrar (such as Onamae.com or MuuMuu Domain) and edit the following "DNS records".

• A Record
Setting value:23.227.38.65(Shopify's specified address)
*If an existing A record exists, please delete it and set the hostname to "@" or leave it blank.

• CNAME Record
Name (hostname):www
Setting value:shops.myshopify.com. (Please include the final period.)

You may see an item called "AAAA record" in your DNS settings, but registering it is optional (not required) when connecting to Shopify.

reasonAAAA records are for IPv6, but Shopify currently works fine with IPv4 (A records).

Risk avoidanceIf AAAA records remain on old servers, inconsistencies may occur in some browsing environments, such as "the old site is displayed" or "connection errors occur.""Do not set (or delete)"We recommend that you do so.

• From the Shopify admin screen [Settings] > [Domains] Click here.
  
  

• [Connect an existing domain] Click here.
  
  

• The domain name you want to use (Example:example.comEnter )[to the next] Press this button to proceed with the connection.
  

  
  

• Once the domain connection is complete, it will show as connected.
  

*It may take some time for the changes to take effect, so "SSL pending" may be displayed immediately after the settings are applied.
Additionally, it may take up to 48 hours for the SSL certificate to be issued and for secure access to be possible.

*After the connection is established, you will need to set the connected domain as your primary domain.

Finally, here's a summary of things you should check before connecting to an external domain!

✅ Have you unlinked your account from the old store?

✅ Is the A record set to "23.227.38.65"?

✅ Is the CNAME set to "shops.myshopify.com"?

✅ Have you accidentally deleted your MX record? (If you're using email)

✅ Are there any extra AAAA records left over?


Connecting to external domains is one of the important settings when building a shop.
The settings themselves are simple, but by paying attention to the points we've discussed, such as "disabling the old store" and "enabling MX record settings," you can prevent problems from occurring.
I hope this article will be helpful when you are setting up your store.