If your site isn't loading, your custom domain may be using outdated DNS records. We update our DNS records occasionally to ensure they're secure and up-to-date with the latest safety standards. If a site's custom domain isn't up to date with our current DNS records, it can cause issues like the 403 forbidden error.
This guide reviews how to update your DNS records or troubleshoot other issues that could be preventing your site from loading.
Note: The steps in this guide are for Squarespace 5, our legacy platform. If you're using version 7.0 or 7.1, follow the troubleshooting steps for Squarespace 7. To learn which platform you're on, visit Squarespace 5 vs newer versions.
Tip: To get more options for successfully using your domain with your site, upgrade your site to Squarespace 7. To learn more about the benefits of upgrading, visit Squarespace 5 vs. newer versions.
Check your records
To check if the issue is related to your DNS records, open the Website Management bar and click Custom Domain under Structure. If you see error messages there, keep following the steps below.
If you don't see errors in your DNS records, skip to More help.
Update the records
How you update your DNS records depends on whether you registered your domain through Squarespace or through a third-party provider.
If you're not sure where you registered your domain, visit Tucows Whois Search and enter your domain. If your domain is managed by Squarespace, the registrar will be Tucows but the reseller will be Squarespace.
Squarespace Domains
For domains registered through Squarespace, contact us.
Third-party domains
If you purchased your domain from a third-party provider, such as GoDaddy or Namecheap, log into the provider's site to find your DNS settings. Depending on your provider, this may be called Zone File Settings, DNS Manager, or something similar. Contact your provider's support team for help.
Next, edit the A Record and CNAME values to use the following values if they don't match already:
A Records:
- 198.185.159.160
- 198.185.159.161
- 198.49.23.160
- 198.49.23.161
CNAME:
- ext5-cust.squarespace.com
Tip: For more help changing third-party DNS settings, follow Step 2 onward in Connecting a domain to your Squarespace 5 site.
After adding the new records, It can take up to 72 hours for these DNS changes to fully process.
More help
If you don't have any errors in your DNS settings, or if you still can't load your site 72 hours after changing your records, try these other troubleshooting tips:
- Ensure that your site isn't expired or cancelled. If you see an "Account not available" message when you visit your site, visit Regaining access to your site.
- Ensure you're visiting your site on a supported browser.
- Try clearing your browser's cache.
- Check status.squarespace.com. If your site isn't loading, it could be related to a systemwide issue we're fixing. Follow our Status page and @SquarespaceHelp to stay updated about any downtime.
If you've tried all the options in this guide and you still can't load your site, contact us.