Replace Google Domains DDNS with Cloudflare
Transfer your domain from Google Domains to Cloudflare for Dynamic DNS
Google announced in 2023 that it would cease operations of Google Domains and transfer operation to Squarespace Domains. A key feature that will no longer be support in Squarespace Domains is DDNS (Dynamic DNS) — leaving DDNS users scrambling to find a reliable replacement.
Cloudflare is great alternative to DDNS on Google Domains.
The following articles detail the steps to transfer your domain names from Google Domains to Cloudflare, then enable DDNS in Cloudflare for all of your dynamic DNS records.
Part 1 — Migrating from Google Domains to Cloudflare
(Prerequisite Step) This article will outline the steps for migrating your domain names from Google Domains to Cloudflare.
Part 2 — Dynamic DNS with Cloudflare
Ready to start using DDNS on Cloudflare? Click on Part 2 for instructions on how to configure Dynamic DNS on Cloudflare.
Migrating from Google Domains to Cloudflare
Create a Cloudflare Account
Let’s start by creating a free Cloudflare account by navigating to https://www.cloudflare.com/.
Click the SignUp link at the top right of the page and follow instructions to create a free account. Scroll down to the Free column and choose the Add a website button.
Follow the instructions to specify your email address and create a password, then click the Sign up button to complete registration.
Once your account has been created, proceed to the main Cloudflare dashboard by scrolling down and clicking Explore all products →
Transfer your domain name out of Google Domains
Now that you’ve created a Cloudflare account, we’ll need to transfer your domain name from Google Domains (or your current domain registrar) to Cloudflare.
Cloudflare provides instructions on how to transfer your domain to Cloudflare: Transfer your domain to Cloudflare
We’ll complete the following steps for Google Domains:
1 — Login to Google Domains and select the blue Manage Domains button. In the My Domains list, click the domain that you would like to transfer.
2 — In the left navigation menu, click DNS then scroll down to DNSSEC. If DNSSEC is enabled, click the blue Turn Off link.
It often takes a couple of hours to disable DNSSEC. You will receive a notification of the expected completion time:
DNSSEC is being disabled and should be inactive by 1/1/1234, 9:00PM
3 — Next, click Registration Settings in the left navigation menu and scroll down to Privacy Protection. Turn off Privacy Protection by clicking the switch at the top right of the panel.
3 — Once you have disabled Privacy Protection, continue scrolling down to Domain is Locked. Unlock the domain by clicking the blue switch at the top right of the Domain is Locked panel.
4 — Once you see that the Domain is Unlocked, click Transfer Out in the next panel. You’ll be presented with an Authorization Code that you’ll need to provide to Cloudflare in a subsequent step. Be sure to copy this code. Leave this tab open for reference later in the process….
Transfer your domain name into Cloudflare
Now that we’ve prepared our domain to be transferred out of Google Domains, we are now ready to start the transfer process into your Cloudflare account!
1 — Return to your Cloudflare account and click on Domain Registration in the left navigation menu, then Transfer Domains. Click the blue Get Started button.
2 — Enter the domain that we prepared to be transferred out of Google Domains and click the blue Continue button.
3 — Now that you’ve added your domain name to Cloudflare, we’ll need to update the NS records of your old registrat (Google Domains) to point to Cloudflare before we can complete the transfer. In the left navigation menu, click DNS then Records. Copy the address of each NS record listed. We’ll use these records in the step below to update Google Domains with the new authoritative nameservers for your domain.
4 — Go back to your Google Domains dashboard. Again, click DNS from the left navigation menu. At the top of the right pane, click Custom Name Servers then enter the Name Server information from the previous step, then click Save. Finally, in the yellow box at the top of the screen, click Switch to these settings
Depending on the TTL (time-to-live) of your NS records, this process may take several hours to complete. You will recieve an email from Cloudflare once the domain is active on Cloudflare DNS servers and ready for transfer. The default TTL for Google Domains is 6 hours, however, the process could complete in as little as 5 minutes.
5 — Once you receive confirmation that your domain is now active on Cloudflare, return to the Cloudflare dashboard to complete the transfer. In the left navigation menu, click Domain Registration then Transfer Domains. If this is your first domain, you will be prompted to enter payment information (to extend your domain registration by 1 year). Scroll down to the domain you wish to transfer and click the blue Confirm Domains button.
6 — Complete the transfer request by providing the Authorization Code that we received from Google Domains earlier. Paste the Authorization Code and click continue.
7 — Confirm your contact information and click the blue Confirm and Finalize Transfer button. You will receive a confirmation that the transfer request has been successfully submitted.
Check your email for a confirmation from your former domain registrar
Conclusion
In this article, we explored the steps for migrating your domain names from Google Domains to Cloudflare. In Part 2 of this series, we’ll explore how to enable Dynamic DNS using Cloudflare.
Part 2 — Dynamic DNS with Cloudflare
Ready to start using DDNS on Cloudflare? Click on Part 2 for instructions on how to configure Dynamic DNS on Cloudflare.
