Shopify Domain & Email Rescue

Who this is for

Shopify merchants whose email stopped working or store went down after a domain transfer, renewal, or DNS change.

You'll fix:

Email / MX Issues

If your inbox suddenly stops working after a Shopify domain change, it's often because your MX records were deleted or overwritten. We'll show you how to restore them so email starts flowing again.

Domain Not Connecting

Sometimes Shopify shows your domain as "Not connected" even after you've updated DNS. We'll explain how to confirm A and CNAME records are correct, and when to simply wait for the changes to spread (propagate).

Conflicting Records

Errors like "conflicting CNAME" or "multiple A records" mean DNS settings are clashing. We'll show you the exact records Shopify expects and how to clean up duplicates.

Transfers & Auth Codes

Moving a domain into or out of Shopify requires an Auth/EPP code. We'll explain how to unlock your domain, get this code, and avoid downtime during the switch.

Propagation Myths

DNS changes don't really take "48 hours." With proper TTL settings, updates usually appear in minutes. We'll explain what's normal and when something is truly broken.

1) Fast triage (2-5 minutes)

Check domain status

Ensure your domain hasn't expired. If it has, renew it immediately in Shopify or your registrar's account.

Check Shopify admin

In Shopify, go to Settings → Domains. If your domain shows as disconnected, follow Shopify's prompts or check DNS manually.

Look up WHOIS

WHOIS should show the expected registrar and correct nameservers. If not, update them accordingly.

Check email records

Confirm your MX records point to your email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, etc.).

2) Keep email online during changes

Lower your TTL

Reducing TTL before changes makes updates spread faster, so mistakes can be corrected quickly.

Stage email records

Add SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records before cutover, so delivery isn't interrupted.

Validate changes

Use tools like dig or DNS checkers to confirm records are live before switching.

3) Workspace/Email Records

MX Records

Point MX records to your email provider's servers. Without them, no email reaches your inbox.

SPF

Use one SPF record to declare who can send email for your domain. Multiple SPF records will break email delivery.

DKIM

Publish DKIM keys from your provider so outgoing emails are trusted by other mail servers.

DMARC

Start with monitoring (p=none) and later upgrade to stricter rules to protect your brand from abuse.

4) Nameserver changes without downtime

Pre-stage records

Recreate all necessary records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT) at the new DNS host before switching nameservers.

Reduce TTL

Short TTLs make DNS changes propagate faster during the switch.

Verify transition

Confirm both old and new nameservers are visible in WHOIS before removing the old ones.

5) Transfers & Auth Codes

Unlock your domain

Domains are locked to prevent theft. Unlock it in Shopify before transferring.

Disable privacy & DNSSEC

Turn these off temporarily or the transfer may fail. Re-enable them after completion.

Get your Auth/EPP code

This "password" is required by your new registrar to approve the transfer.

6) Can't see/manage your domain?

Match WHOIS email

WHOIS must list an email address you control to approve transfers.

Collect proof of ownership

Keep receipts, invoices, or business docs ready in case you need to prove ownership.

Escalate

If the domain doesn't appear in your Shopify admin, use escalation templates to request re-association.

7) Billing/renewal loops

Check auto-renew

Make sure auto-renew is enabled and your payment method works.

Confirm charges

Verify your payment history. If renewal failed, fix payment details and retry.

Manual renewal

If expired, ask Shopify or your registrar to manually renew and keep your DNS records intact.

8) Post-change validation

Run a DNS check

Use dig yourdomain.com any @ns or online tools to confirm A, CNAME, MX, and TXT records are correct.

Test email

Send/receive test emails to ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are working properly.

Monitor

Watch your domain for 24-48h. If stable, raise TTLs back to normal.

Appendices

A. DNS templates

Copy-paste SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records tailored for Shopify/Google/Microsoft.

B. Escalation emails

Pre-written support emails for registrar or Shopify escalations.

C. Cutover plan

A safe step-by-step plan for switching DNS providers with rollback instructions.

Keep your Shopify store and email online

Follow these steps to avoid downtime whenever you update Shopify domains or DNS.

Go to the Interactive Shopify Rescue Checklist

Worried you've missed something?

If you don't feel confident tackling everything in the checklist, we can help.

Get in touch