Changing a domain to the primary domain in Hostinger takes less than five minutes once you know where the setting lives. The primary domain is the main web address tied to your hosting plan. When you sign up for a Hostinger plan, the first domain you add usually becomes the primary domain automatically.
But plans change. You might have bought a new domain later, or you want a different domain to be the main one for your site. This guide walks you through the exact steps to make that switch in Hostinger’s hPanel.
What you need before starting:
- An active Hostinger account with at least one domain already assigned to it
- The domain you want to set as primary must already be added to your hosting plan
- Login access to your Hostinger account (email and password)
- Optional: access to the domain’s DNS settings if you run into verification issues
What you will achieve: A new primary domain assigned to your Hostinger hosting plan, with the old primary domain converted to a secondary or parked domain.
Quick summary
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Time required | 2–5 minutes |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| What you need | Active Hostinger account, domain already added to your plan |
| What you will achieve | A different domain set as the primary domain for your hosting |
Before you start
This task has real prerequisites. If you skip them, the process won’t work.
- The domain you want to set as primary must already be added to your Hostinger hosting plan. If it’s not, add it through the Domains section before starting.
- Only one domain can be the primary domain at a time. Changing it reassigns the old primary domain to a secondary status.
- Some Hostinger plans limit how many domains you can add. Check your plan’s domain limit before you begin. The Business plan allows more domains than the Single plan.
- If your current primary domain has a website actively running on it, changing the primary domain can affect how that site loads until DNS updates fully propagate. Plan the change during a low-traffic period if uptime matters.
How to change the domain type to primary domain in Hostinger
Step 1: Log in to your Hostinger account
Go to hostinger.com and sign in with your email and password. You land on the hPanel dashboard after login. This is the control panel where you manage everything.
Step 2: Open the Domains section
Find the left sidebar menu. Look for “Domains” and click it. A list of all domains associated with your account appears.
If you don’t see the Domains option, you might be on a shared hosting view instead of hPanel. Click the “Hosting” tab at the top, then select your plan to open hPanel.
Step 3: Find the domain you want to set as primary
Scroll through your domain list. Each domain shows its current status: Primary, Secondary, Parked, or Not Assigned. Identify the domain you want to promote to primary status.
If the domain doesn’t appear in the list, you need to add it first through the “Add Domain” button.
Note: Only domains already added to your plan appear here. Domains registered elsewhere but not yet connected to your hosting won’t show up.
Step 4: Open the domain settings
Click the three-dot menu icon or the gear icon next to the domain you want to change. A dropdown menu appears. Select “Manage” or “Domain Settings” from the options.
Step 5: Locate the Primary Domain setting
Inside the domain settings page, scroll down until you find a section labeled “Primary Domain” or “Domain Type.” The exact wording can vary slightly based on your hPanel version. Look for a radio button or toggle near the top of the settings page.
Important: This setting only appears for domains that are already added to your hosting plan. If you don’t see it, the domain might not be fully connected yet.
Step 6: Change the domain type to Primary
Select the “Primary” option from the available choices. The other options usually include “Secondary” and “Parked.” After selecting Primary, a confirmation popup appears. It warns you that changing the primary domain will affect how your site loads.
Read the warning carefully.
Step 7: Confirm the change
Click the confirmation button. Hostinger processes the change immediately in most cases. The hPanel updates to show the new primary domain.
The old primary domain automatically changes to a secondary domain.
Wait time: No waiting period required for the setting change itself. The domain type updates instantly in hPanel. However, DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours before the new primary domain works fully with your website.
Important: Do not delete the old primary domain from your account until you confirm the new primary domain works correctly. If something goes wrong, you need the old domain to restore your site access.
Step 8: Verify the change
Go back to the Domains list in hPanel. Check that the domain you selected now shows “Primary” next to it. The previous primary domain should show “Secondary” or “Parked.” This confirms the switch.
Step 9: Check your website on the new primary domain
Open a new browser tab. Type the new primary domain into the address bar. If your site loads correctly, the change is working.
If it doesn’t load right away, wait a few minutes and try again. DNS propagation sometimes takes a bit.
Hostinger’s help center confirms these steps for standard shared hosting plans. Cloud hosting and VPS plans might use a different interface. Check the appropriate help section for your specific plan type.
What to do if something goes wrong
Problem: The Primary Domain option is grayed out
Fix: This usually means the domain is not fully added to your hosting plan. Go back to the Domains section, click “Add Domain,” and follow the prompts to connect the domain to your account. After it syncs, the option becomes available.
Problem: The new primary domain shows a blank page
Fix: Your website files might still be pointing to the old primary domain. Check your website’s configuration settings in hPanel under “Hosting” > your plan > “Website.” You may need to update the document root or WordPress site URL to match the new primary domain.
Problem: The old primary domain still loads instead of the new one
Fix: DNS propagation takes time. Clear your browser cache and try again. If it persists after 24 hours, check that your domain’s nameservers point to Hostinger.
Go to the domain settings and verify the DNS configuration.
Problem: I accidentally changed the wrong domain
Fix: Repeat the same steps with the correct domain. The process works both ways. You can change the primary domain back to the original one using the same method.
No permanent lock exists.
What happens next
Once you set a domain as the primary domain, Hostinger treats it as the main address for your hosting plan. Any website content you upload connects to this domain by default. The old primary domain becomes a secondary domain, which means it still points to your hosting space but isn’t the main entry point.
You might want to set up email accounts for your new primary domain. Hostinger’s email configuration ties directly to the primary domain. If you had email set up on the old primary domain, those addresses still work but now route through the secondary domain.
If your goal is to launch a new site on the primary domain, you can install a CMS like WordPress directly from hPanel. The process takes about five minutes and uses the new primary domain as the site URL automatically.
Manage multiple domains on your plan without hassle. The hPanel interface makes it easy to switch between domains and assign different content to each one. You can keep the old primary domain as a parked domain if you don’t need it anymore.
For anyone still in the setup phase, a solid hosting plan makes domain management smoother. The current Hostinger plans give you enough domain slots to experiment without worrying about limits.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the primary domain more than once?
Yes. You can change the primary domain as many times as you want. Each change follows the same steps.
The old primary domain becomes a secondary domain each time.
Does changing the primary domain affect my email?
It can. Email accounts created under the old primary domain still work, but new email accounts default to the new primary domain. Check your email settings after the change to make sure everything routes correctly.
How long does it take for the new primary domain to start working?
The setting change in hPanel is immediate. DNS propagation takes up to 24 hours in most cases. Some providers update faster.
Test the domain after a few hours and again the next day.
What happens to my website files when I change the primary domain?
Your website files remain on your hosting space. The primary domain setting tells Hostinger which domain should load those files by default. You can redirect the old primary domain to the new one or leave it as a secondary domain.
Will this affect my SEO rankings?
A primary domain change can affect SEO temporarily. Google needs time to index the new primary domain. Set up a 301 redirect from the old primary domain to the new one to preserve link equity.
Hostinger’s support team can help with the redirect setup.
Can I set a subdomain as the primary domain?
No. The primary domain setting only works with top-level domains. Subdomains are treated differently in hPanel and cannot become the primary domain.
If you already have a coupon in mind, the first-time user domain coupon code gives you a free domain with your plan. That’s one less thing to worry about.
Get started with Hostinger and use code “hHostCouponHub” for 85% off your first plan plus a free domain. This covers everything you need to set up your primary domain and start building your site.
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