Cloudflare Pending Nameserver Update (DNS Not Propagating)

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Copy the exact nameservers

   Copy steps
   1. Open the zone Overview and copy the two assigned nameservers
   2. Paste them at the registrar replacing all others
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Check what the registry publishes

   Copy steps
   1. Run dig +trace <domain> NS +noall +authority +nodnssec
   2. Compare with the assigned nameservers
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Remove stale DS records

   Copy steps
   1. Run dig DS <domain>
   2. If DNSSEC was never enabled on Cloudflare, delete DS records at the registrar and wait up to 24 hours
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Request a recheck, then wait

   Copy steps
   1. Use the recheck option on the Overview page
   2. Activation can take minutes to hours; free zones pending 28 days are deleted
   3. Contact support with the dig output, zone ID and registrar
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Dashboard shows 'Pending Nameserver Update' or 'Invalid nameservers' hours after switching.

Why it happens

• Registrar change not saved or published
• Typos or the wrong Cloudflare nameserver pair
• Stale DS records from a previous DNS provider
• Registrar lock, transfer or new registration delay
• Domain delegated to another provider

This guide also covers

• cloudflare pending nameserver update
• cloudflare nameservers not updating
• cloudflare dns not propagating

Other Cloudflare errors

• Cloudflare Error 521: Web Server Is Down
• Cloudflare Error 522: Connection Timed Out
• Cloudflare Error 524: A Timeout Occurred
• Cloudflare Error 525: SSL Handshake Failed
• Cloudflare Error 526: Invalid SSL Certificate
• Cloudflare Error 520: Web Server Returned an Unknown Error
• Cloudflare Error 1020: Access Denied
• Cloudflare Error 1015: You Are Being Rate Limited