Yes, you can use a .co.uk domain registered with NameUK for a Shopify shop. Add the domain in Shopify and publish Shopify’s current website records at the service hosting your DNS. Connecting the website does not require transferring the registration. Keep existing email records, and check both the shop connection and HTTPS before sharing your new address.
Before you begin
- Access to the Shopify store’s domain settings and your NameUK account.
- A copy of the existing DNS records, especially MX and email authentication records.
- Confirmation of which nameservers currently host the domain’s DNS.
- A working store and a plan for choosing its main website address.
1. Keep the domain and the shop as separate services
Your registration gives you control of the name. Shopify supplies the shop. DNS joins the two. For a shop owner, this means you can keep domain renewals in one account while managing products, orders and the website in another. Buying a new domain from your website builder is not necessary if you already own a suitable name.
Open the domain in your NameUK dashboard and check its nameservers. When it uses NameUK’s managed nameservers, use the DNS records tab here. If you deliberately use an external DNS host, make the changes there instead. A record saved in an inactive DNS zone will not connect the shop.
2. Get the current Shopify connection records
In Shopify, open Settings → Domains and choose Connect existing domain. Enter the bare name, such as example.co.uk, then follow its manual connection instructions. Use the values currently displayed for your store; Shopify’s regional connection can use a supported variation of its default IPv4 address.
- @ means the root address, such as example.co.uk.
- www is the separate address www.example.co.uk.
- Use your domain form’s hostname convention; do not enter a full web URL as a record destination.
| Type | Host | Default destination |
|---|---|---|
| A | @ | 23.227.38.65 |
| AAAA | @ | 2620:0127:f00f:5:: |
| CNAME | www | shops.myshopify.com. |
3. Change the website records without deleting email
Save a DNS snapshot first. In NameUK, open My domains, select the exact domain, then open DNS records. Edit the root website records and the www entry to match your Shopify instructions. Check existing values before adding duplicates. Conflicting root A or AAAA destinations can send visitors to the previous website.
Limit the change to the website hostnames. Leave MX records, SPF text, DKIM selectors and DMARC policy alone unless your email provider separately requires a change. A provider’s instruction to remove conflicting website records is not an instruction to clear your whole DNS zone. If you use a connection preset, review its proposed additions and removals against the current store instructions before applying it.
4. Check the shop, www and HTTPS
Return to Shopify and complete its connection check. It says a connection can take up to 48 hours to become fully live. During that period, cached answers may differ. Avoid repeatedly switching the DNS back and forth: record what changed and compare the published result before making another edit.
Check the bare domain and the www version, then review Shopify’s certificate status. Select the intended primary domain in Shopify so customers have one consistent store address. Try a product page, the basket and your contact form. Send an email to your business address from an unrelated mailbox to check that the website change has not affected incoming mail.
Sources: Shopify: connect a third-party domain manually ↗ · Shopify: secure connections and certificates ↗
What if Shopify says the domain is not connected?
Keep a note of the old and new values and the time of the edit. Give support the hostname and the observed result, rather than only saying that DNS is broken. Do not post private account credentials or payment information.
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| Old website still appears | Current authoritative nameservers, the root records and cached answers. |
| Root works but www does not | The www CNAME and any conflicting record at the same host. |
| Connection works but HTTPS is pending | Shopify’s domain and certificate status; avoid sharing an insecure address. |
| Domain belongs to another store | Shopify’s ownership verification process for a domain connected elsewhere. |
Do I need to transfer my domain or buy email again?
Connecting a domain is different from transferring its registration. You can keep renewing it with NameUK while Shopify hosts the store. An existing email service can continue using its own DNS records; the web connection does not create mailboxes or migrate their contents.
Compare ongoing domain renewal costs as well as the opening registration price. Keep your Shopify subscription and any mailbox charges as separate lines in your business budget. NameUK’s current registration and renewal offer is shown below, so you can judge the cost of keeping the name after launch.
Provider instructions checked on 15 October 2026. Use the current values shown in your own provider account when making changes.
Further readingShopify: connect a third-party domain manually ↗Shopify: secure connections and certificates ↗Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.
Low-cost registration. Affordable UK renewals.
Register .co.uk for £9.99 for one year, with annual renewal currently £9.99. Or choose a new three-year .co.uk registration for £25.99. Check the selected name and term before payment. Future renewal prices can change.