Point Namecheap nameservers at Vercel — the precise DNS change
The 5-minute step that wires your domain to Vercel. Two screens, one DNS change, then a propagation wait. Every click documented.
Before you start
- •Domain purchased on Namecheap.
- •Vercel project deployed and active (your *.vercel.app URL works).
This is the connective tissue between owning a domain and having your site live at that domain. It takes 5 minutes of clicking plus 30 minutes to 24 hours of DNS propagation. The clicking is straightforward if you do it deliberately. The propagation is out of your hands — you wait, you check, you don't repeat the change. This guide walks the click sequence and explains what's happening at each step so the wait afterward feels productive rather than confusing.
Understand what's about to happen
Your domain (yourdomain.com) is just a name. DNS is the phonebook that maps names to IP addresses. Right now your domain's phonebook entries (called records) live on Namecheap's DNS servers. Vercel doesn't know about your domain yet.
What you're about to do: tell the global internet 'for yourdomain.com, ask Vercel's DNS servers, not Namecheap's'. This is called changing nameservers. From that moment on, Vercel owns the DNS for the domain — meaning Vercel manages the records, issues SSL, handles www-redirects, all automatic.
The alternative is to keep Namecheap as DNS host and add specific A/CNAME records pointing at Vercel. More flexible if you have existing email or DNS records, but more complex. For CW-2 graduates with no other services on the domain, use nameservers.
When to NOT use Vercel's nameservers
If your domain has existing email (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), or Cloudflare protection, or other DNS records you want to keep — use A/CNAME records instead. The principle is the same; the Vercel screen lets you pick which approach to use.
Step-by-step
1.Add the domain in Vercel
Open your Vercel dashboard at https://vercel.com/dashboard. Click into your CW-2 project.
Click Settings (top navigation) → Domains (left sidebar).
Click Add. Type your domain (e.g. yourdomain.com, no https://, no www.). Click Add.
Vercel's Domains screen shows your project's domains list. Currently has only the *.vercel.app URL. The Add input at the top right opens a small dialog after click.
2.Choose the Nameservers option
Vercel shows two configuration options. Pick Nameservers.
Vercel then displays the two nameserver addresses you'll enter at Namecheap:
- •Nameservers (recommended) — Vercel owns DNS, lists ns1.vercel-dns.com + ns2.vercel-dns.com.
- •A Record / CNAME (advanced) — You keep your existing DNS host and add specific records.
ns1.vercel-dns.com ns2.vercel-dns.comCopy carefully
These nameservers are case-insensitive, but the exact spelling matters. Copy each one rather than retyping. A wrong character means the change won't take effect.
3.Notice the 'Invalid Configuration' status
After you add the domain, Vercel will mark it as Invalid Configuration. That's expected — you haven't done the Namecheap side yet. The status flips automatically once DNS propagates.
4.Open Namecheap Domain List
In a new tab, sign in to https://namecheap.com. Click Domain List in the left navigation.
Find your domain. Click the Manage button on the right.
Namecheap's Domain List shows all your domains in a table. Each row has columns: Domain, Status, Expiry, and an Action column with a Manage button.
5.Scroll to the Nameservers section
On the domain management page, scroll down past the basic info. The Nameservers section is partway down (usually after Domain, Redemption, and AutoRenew sections).
You'll see a dropdown currently set to Namecheap BasicDNS.
6.Switch to Custom DNS
Click the dropdown. Select Custom DNS.
Two text fields appear. Enter exactly:
Nameserver 1: ns1.vercel-dns.com Nameserver 2: ns2.vercel-dns.comThe Nameservers dropdown switches to show Custom DNS with two empty input fields. As you paste each value, a green checkmark icon appears on the right side to confirm save.
7.Save the change
Click the green checkmark icon to the right of the inputs. Namecheap saves the change and shows a confirmation.
Important: the change is now propagating. Do not switch back, do not 'try again' — let it propagate.
Don't click around after saving
A common mistake is to refresh, see the change hasn't taken effect, switch back to BasicDNS, switch to Custom DNS again, retype. This resets the propagation timer each time. Save once, wait.
8.Verify propagation
Open https://dnschecker.org in a new tab. Enter your domain. Set the record type to NS (nameservers).
Click Search. The map shows you DNS resolution from servers around the world. You're watching for most regions to show ns1.vercel-dns.com / ns2.vercel-dns.com instead of the old Namecheap nameservers.
Realistic timeline
Most users see >80% global propagation within 30-90 minutes. Some regions (depending on caching) can take up to 24 hours. Your local resolver may be among the slowest because of aggressive caching.
dnschecker.org's interface shows a world map with checkmarks (green) or X marks (red) at each location, plus a list of the values returned by each DNS server queried.
9.Watch Vercel auto-verify
Return to Vercel → Settings → Domains. Once DNS propagates enough that Vercel can resolve your domain to its own nameservers, the status flips from Invalid Configuration to Valid Configuration.
SSL issuance starts automatically. Within 1-5 minutes after verification, you'll see SSL: Issued (green) on the domain row.
10.Visit your site
Open https://yourdomain.com in a fresh browser tab (or incognito to bypass any cache).
You should see your site with a valid SSL padlock in the address bar. Your CW-2 site is now live at your real domain.
www. variant
Vercel auto-creates the www.yourdomain.com variant. By default it 301-redirects to the non-www version. To swap (make www the canonical), Settings → Domains → click the dropdown next to www → 'Set as primary'.
Troubleshooting
Vercel still shows 'Invalid Configuration' after 24 hours.
(1) Check propagation with dnschecker.org — confirm most global servers see ns1.vercel-dns.com. If not, the change didn't save at Namecheap. Re-enter and save. (2) If propagation is global but Vercel still says invalid, click Refresh on the Vercel domain row. (3) If still failing, remove the domain from Vercel and re-add — Vercel will re-verify from scratch.
SSL is stuck on 'Pending issuance'.
Wait 30 minutes. Usually self-resolves. If still pending after an hour, click the domain in Vercel, find SSL section, click 'Re-issue certificate'. If still failing, your domain might have a CAA record at Namecheap preventing Let's Encrypt from issuing. CAA records are rare unless you've added one deliberately. Remove if present.
yourdomain.com shows my old site, not the Vercel one.
Browser cache. Hard refresh (Cmd+Shift+R / Ctrl+Shift+R) or test in incognito. If still wrong, ISP-level DNS cache — try a different network (mobile data) to confirm.
I want to switch from nameservers back to A records.
Possible but disruptive. At Namecheap, switch back to BasicDNS. At Vercel, change the domain's configuration from Nameservers to A Record / CNAME and follow the new instructions. Expect another 24h propagation.
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