Webflow's Cloudflare Migration: Why You Need to Update Your DNS Settings Now

If you're running a Webflow site on a custom domain and it was created before April 2025, there's a critical change you need to know about. Webflow has moved its hosting infrastructure to Cloudflare, and if you haven't updated your DNS settings yet, you might find yourself locked out of publishing updates to your site.

What's Happening with Webflow's Infrastructure

Webflow is upgrading its entire hosting setup by partnering with Cloudflare. This isn't just a minor tweak—it's a major infrastructure overhaul designed to make sites faster, more secure, and better protected against DDoS attacks. Cloudflare's global network means your site will load quicker for visitors around the world, and you'll get enterprise-level security features that weren't available on the old infrastructure.

The catch? Every custom domain that points to Webflow's old DNS records needs to be updated. As of January 13, 2026, publishing is completely disabled for domains still using the legacy setup. Your site will stay live, but you won't be able to push any changes until you update your DNS settings.

Why This Migration Actually Matters

This isn't one of those updates you can put off indefinitely. The new Cloudflare infrastructure brings some real improvements to the table. Response times are faster because Cloudflare has data centers in more locations worldwide. DDoS protection is stronger, which means your site is less likely to go down during an attack. And overall reliability is better because Cloudflare's network is built to handle massive traffic loads without breaking a sweat.

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For site owners, this means better uptime and faster page loads—two things that directly impact your SEO rankings and user experience. Google's Core Web Vitals prioritize speed, and every millisecond counts when it comes to keeping visitors on your page.

How to Know If You're Affected

Webflow has been pretty proactive about notifying people. If your site needs updating, you've probably seen emails, in-app notifications, or badges in your Dashboard. These notifications will point you directly to the sites that need attention, so you're not left guessing.

If you haven't received any notifications but want to check anyway, head to your site settings. Go to Site settings > Publishing > Production and look at your custom domain status. If there's an "Update needed" message, you're still on the old infrastructure.

One important note: if you're using a reverse proxy, you might see the "Update needed" message even after you've updated everything correctly. In that case, as long as your proxy origin points to Webflow's new DNS records, you can ignore the message and keep publishing normally.

Updating Your DNS Settings Step by Step

The actual update process isn't complicated, but it does require access to wherever you manage your domain's DNS records—usually your domain registrar or DNS provider like Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or Namecheap.

First, log into your Webflow site settings and navigate to Publishing > Production. You'll see the new DNS records that Webflow provides specifically for your domain. These will typically be A records or CNAME records, depending on whether you're using a root domain or a subdomain.

Next, log into your DNS provider and find where you manage DNS records for your domain. Delete the old Webflow DNS records—the ones pointing to the legacy infrastructure. Then add the new records exactly as shown in your Webflow settings. Make sure you copy them precisely, because even a small typo will prevent your domain from working correctly.

DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to propagate fully across the internet, though it's usually much faster. After making the changes, wait at least 15–30 minutes and then try publishing an update to your site. If it works, you're all set.

What If Your Domain Shows an Error

Sometimes you'll see an "error" status in the Publishing tab instead of "Update needed." If that happens, don't just manually update your DNS records on your own. Webflow has a specific troubleshooting process for these error states, and following it will save you time and headaches.

The error usually means there's a conflict or verification issue that needs to be resolved first. Webflow's support documentation has a dedicated guide for handling these situations, and it's worth following their steps exactly rather than trying to fix it yourself.

The Deadline and What Happens If You Miss It

January 13, 2026 was the hard deadline. After that date, any custom domain still pointing to the old DNS records is blocked from publishing. Your site stays online—existing visitors can still access it—but you're frozen out of making any updates, changes, or fixes until you update your DNS settings.

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This means if you discover a bug, want to add new content, or need to update anything on your site, you're stuck until you complete the DNS update. For active sites where you're regularly publishing changes, this is obviously a problem you want to avoid.

Extra Tips for a Smooth Migration

If you manage multiple Webflow sites across different workspaces, tackle them one at a time rather than trying to update everything simultaneously. This way, if you run into issues with one domain, it doesn't hold up your entire workflow.

Keep a backup of your old DNS records before deleting them, just in case you need to reference them later. Take screenshots or copy the values into a text file. It's rare that you'd need this, but it's better to have it and not need it.

If you're not comfortable editing DNS records yourself, consider asking your IT team or a developer to handle it. DNS mistakes can take your site offline, so if you're uncertain about any step, it's worth getting help rather than guessing.

For sites using additional DNS records like email configurations or subdomains, be careful not to delete those when you're removing the old Webflow records. Only change the records specifically related to your Webflow site's custom domain.

The migration to Cloudflare is ultimately a positive move for Webflow users. Faster speeds, better security, and more reliable infrastructure are all wins. But like any infrastructure change, it requires action on your part to avoid disruption. If you haven't updated your DNS settings yet, now's the time to handle it before it becomes an urgent problem.