How to Change the Primary Domain of a Site
Updated November 6, 2026 · 4 min read
The primary domain is the main web address of a site, the one visitors type to reach it. You can change it at any time from ‘Domain’ → ‘Domain’ on the site. This guide covers the change itself and the two things that can need attention afterwards.
Step 1: Open the site
Log in to your xCloud dashboard and click the site whose domain you want to change. You can pick it from the ‘Sites’ card on the dashboard or from ‘Sites’ in the left menu.
Step 2: Click ‘Change’
In the site menu, open ‘Domain’ → ‘Domain’. The page shows the current ‘Primary Domain’. Click ‘Change’ to edit it.
Step 3: Enter the new domain
Type the new domain in the ‘Primary Domain’ field. You can also add or remove ‘Additional Domain (Optional)’ entries here; see additional domains for how they work.
Step 4: Point DNS and verify it
Under ‘DNS Setup’, xCloud shows the A record to add at your DNS provider: the new domain and your server’s IP address. Add that record, then click ‘Verify My DNS’.
If your domain’s DNS is on Cloudflare with the proxy (orange cloud) turned on, the verify check sees Cloudflare’s address instead of your server’s IP and does not pass. Turn the proxy off (grey cloud) until the check passes. Or connect Cloudflare to xCloud and tick ‘Add DNS and SSL Certificate on Cloudflare’: the page then shows ‘Your DNS setup will be done by Cloudflare and managed by xCloud.’ and you don’t add the record yourself. See how to set up a DNS record for the record details.
Step 5: Choose how the database is updated (WordPress sites)
On WordPress sites, ‘Database Search & Replace Mode’ appears below the DNS setup. Pick how the old domain is replaced in the database: ‘HTTP search and replace’ (selected by default) or ‘Domain search and replace’. Keep ‘Tables with site prefix’ unless you know you need ‘All tables’, which also changes tables that are not part of WordPress. Take a backup before you choose ‘All tables’.
Step 6: Save
Click ‘Save’.
While xCloud applies the change, the site name at the top of the page is replaced by a moving loading bar, and the ‘Save’ button reads ‘Updating Domain…’. When it finishes, the new domain appears and ‘Visit Site’ opens it.
Troubleshooting
The domain status stays on updating
Wait 5 minutes, then click ‘Taking longer than expected? Check status’. Most changes take 5 to 10 minutes. If the loading bar is still there after 5 minutes, this button appears next to it at the top of the site page.
xCloud then checks your server and tells you one of three things:
| Result | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Success message | The change had already finished; only the page had not updated. | Nothing. The page reloads with the new domain. |
| Still updating | The server is still applying the change. | Wait a few minutes and click the button again. |
| Error | xCloud couldn’t check the server this time. | Make sure the server is online and connected, then try again. |
The button never cancels or fails a change that is still running, so clicking it is safe. Reloading the page or closing the tab doesn’t reset the 5-minute wait either.
If you don’t click it, xCloud checks unfinished domain changes on its own every 6 hours. A change that has finished is marked complete. One still unfinished after 2 hours is marked as failed, and you can start the change again from ‘Domain’ → ‘Domain’.
File Manager shows “Root path not found”
Turn File Manager off and on again. On some non-WordPress sites (for example PHP or Laravel sites with a custom web root), File Manager can keep pointing at the folder of the old domain after the change. Opening it then shows Root path “…” not found!
- Open ‘Access Data’ → ‘File Manager’ on the site.
- Turn ‘Enable File Manager’ off and wait for it to finish.
- Turn ‘Enable File Manager’ on again, then click ‘Launch File Manager’.
This sets File Manager up again at the site’s new folder. WordPress sites use the default folder layout and are not known to hit this. For the full File Manager guide, see access site files with File Manager.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a primary domain change take?
Usually 5 to 10 minutes. If the site still shows the update in progress after 5 minutes, a ‘Taking longer than expected? Check status’ button appears next to the site name. Click it to check whether the change has already finished.
What if I never click ‘Check status’?
xCloud also checks unfinished domain changes on its own every 6 hours. A change that has finished is marked complete, and one that is still unfinished after 2 hours is marked as failed so you can try again.
Why does File Manager say ‘Root path not found’ after I changed the domain?
On some non-WordPress sites with a custom web root, File Manager still points at the folder of the old domain. Turn ‘Enable File Manager’ off, then on again. This sets File Manager up again at the site’s new folder.
If you run into any issues while changing your domain, feel free to reach out to our support team.