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A domain alias is an additional domain name that points to the same site. For example, example.com and example.net can both take visitors to your Bolt project. Your primary domain is the one that appears in the browser’s address bar, and your aliases forward visitors to it. Using one primary domain keeps your site under a single, consistent address, which helps with SEO and avoids duplicate content issues.

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Add a domain alias to your published project

To add a domain alias, follow these steps:
1

Add your domain name in Bolt

The domain alias settings in the Domains & Hosting page in Bolt.
  1. At the top left of the screen, click your project name, then click All project settings.
  2. Click Domains & Hosting.
  3. Click Add domain alias.
  4. Enter the domain alias.
  5. Click Save.
2

Update your DNS settings

After completing Step 5 in the section above, you will be returned to the Domains & Hosting window. Follow the steps below to point your domain from your registrar to Bolt.
  1. Click Resolve DNS issues.
  2. Keep this DNS Configuration window open. (You’ll need this information.)
  3. In a new tab, log in to your domain registrar account. (This is the company you registered your domain with.)
  4. Find the area that allows you to manage your DNS settings.
  5. Create an ALIAS record as instructed in the DNS configuration window.
If you can’t find your DNS settings or create records, reach out to your domain registrar’s support team for help connecting your domain to Bolt.
3

Wait for the changes to take effect

It can take time for your DNS changes to update across the internet. Most domains connect within a few hours, but in some cases, it may take up to 24 hours before your site is fully accessible on the new domain.
4

Verify status

After giving the domain some time to make the change, you can return to Bolt and verify its status by following the steps below:
  1. At the top left of the screen, click your project name, then click All project settings.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Domains & Hosting.
  3. In the Status column, check that each domain shows Secure, which means the domain is connected and has a working SSL certificate.

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Remove a domain alias

  1. At the top left of the screen, click your project name, then click All project settings.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Domains & Hosting.
  3. On the right side of the domain alias row, click the three dots, then click Remove domain.
  4. In the Remove custom domain dialog, click Remove.

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Remove a primary domain that has aliases

Before you can remove your primary domain, you have to remove its domain aliases. If you try to remove the primary domain while it still has aliases, Bolt shows a Couldn't save your domain change error with the message Your domain settings weren't changed. You also see this message if you change your domains right after you add a domain, before Bolt finishes setting up the new domain’s SSL certificate. Wait until the Status column shows Secure for the new domain, then try again. To remove the primary domain:
  1. Remove each domain alias.
  2. On the right side of the primary domain row, click the three dots, then click Remove domain.
  3. In the Remove custom domain dialog, click Remove.
To replace your primary domain with one of its aliases, set that alias as the primary domain:
  1. At the top left of the screen, click your project name, then click All project settings.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Domains & Hosting.
  3. On the right side of the alias row, click the three dots, then click Set as primary domain.
  4. In the Set primary domain dialog, click Set as primary domain.
  5. (Optional) If your old primary domain now appears as a domain alias and you don’t need it, remove the domain alias.

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The same domain is listed as primary and as an alias

If a domain appears twice, once as the primary domain and once as a domain alias, removing it fails each time with Couldn't save your domain change. The steps to remove it depend on whether it’s a root or www domain, or a subdomain. To remove a root domain like example.com or a www domain like www.example.com:
  1. At the top left of the screen, click your project name, then click All project settings.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Domains & Hosting.
  3. On the right side of the domain alias row for that domain, click the three dots, then click Set as primary domain.
  4. In the Set primary domain dialog, click Set as primary domain. The duplicate alias row disappears.
  5. Remove the primary domain.
To remove a subdomain like app.example.com:
  1. If the project has no other domain, add a domain alias for a different domain, like example.com. Wait until the Status column shows Secure for the new domain.
  2. At the top left of the screen, click your project name, then click All project settings.
  3. In the left sidebar, click Domains & Hosting.
  4. On the right side of the row for the other domain, click the three dots, then click Set as primary domain.
  5. In the Set primary domain dialog, click Set as primary domain. The subdomain is now listed twice as a domain alias.
  6. On the right side of one of the subdomain rows, click the three dots, then click Remove domain.
  7. In the Remove custom domain dialog, click Remove.
  8. Refresh the page. Both subdomain rows are gone.
To keep a domain from being listed twice, check that it isn’t already your primary domain before you add it as an alias.