Framer Custom Domain Not Connecting: The DNS Records That Actually Work

FramerDNSTutorial

Your Framer custom domain stays on “pending,” “unverified,” or never finishes connecting. For most non-technical publishers this is a DNS setup issue — not a Framer outage. The fix is the correct A + CNAME records, no conflicting leftovers, and enough time for propagation.

What Framer expects for DNS

In Framer, open your project’s publish / domains dialog. Framer shows the exact values to use. In general:

  • Apex / root domain (example.com) → Framer’s A record value from the dialog
  • www subdomain → Framer’s CNAME value from the dialog

Always copy the live values from Framer’s UI — IP addresses and targets can change; do not reuse outdated blog screenshots.

Step-by-step DNS setup

  1. In Framer, add your custom domain and open the DNS instructions.
  2. Log in to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains / Squarespace, etc.).
  3. Delete or edit any existing A, AAAA, or CNAME records for @ / root and www that point elsewhere (old host, parking page, another builder).
  4. Add the A record for the apex exactly as Framer shows.
  5. Add the CNAME for www exactly as Framer shows.
  6. Save. In Cloudflare, use DNS-only (grey cloud) while verifying if orange-cloud proxy causes issues, then re-enable proxy if you need it after the domain connects.
  7. Back in Framer, refresh domain status. Allow up to 24–48 hours for full propagation (often much faster).

Verify and troubleshoot

  • Use a DNS lookup tool (e.g. dig, nslookup, or an online DNS checker) to confirm the A and CNAME match Framer.
  • If status stays pending: conflicting records are the #1 cause — remove duplicates.
  • Confirm you are editing DNS at the nameserver that is actually authoritative (where the domain’s NS records point).
  • Do not mix an apex CNAME with an A record unless your DNS provider supports CNAME flattening and Framer’s docs say to use it.

Quick checklist

  • Apex → Framer A record from the publish dialog
  • www → Framer CNAME from the publish dialog
  • Remove conflicting A/AAAA/CNAME records
  • Wait for DNS propagation; verify with a lookup tool

Related: Framer site not showing up on Google