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iGears Editorial Team

Website or email problems after Cloudflare DNS changes: common causes

Compare DNS records before and after the change, mail-host proxy status and SSL mode. Common causes include orange-cloud mail hosts, missing records during a nameserver move, SSL mode mismatches and DNSSEC settings left at the old registrar.

Illustration of an expert reviewing connected domain, DNS, email and cloud platforms

How to check it yourself

  1. Save the change history and compare A/AAAA, MX and TXT for example.org.hk; confirm the records are complete after a nameserver move.
  2. Check that mail.example.org.hk is DNS only and whether MX points to a proxied name; mail hosts should not use the normal orange-cloud HTTP proxy.
  3. Compare origin SSL with Flexible/Full mode; avoid blindly switching modes as a troubleshooting shortcut.
  4. Ask the registrar whether old DNSSEC/DS settings remain and have the responsible person arrange and verify corrections.

Record examples

Illustrative only: do not copy into production settings. Use the values supplied for your organisation.

example.org.hk MX 10 mail.example.org.hk
mail.example.org.hk A 192.0.2.10  ; DNS only / fictional

Common causes

Orange-cloud mail hosts, MX pointing to a proxied name, omitted records during a nameserver move, Flexible/Full mismatches and old DNSSEC can cause failures.

When to get help

If both website and mail fail, pause unverified changes and involve the DNS, registrar and website owners using the change history.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a mail host use the orange cloud?

The normal Cloudflare HTTP proxy does not handle mail-host traffic. Use DNS only for mail hosts.

Is an existing MX record enough?

Also check whether its target is proxied and whether the associated A/AAAA records are complete.

What should we check after moving nameservers?

Compare the complete DNS record set and check old DNSSEC/DS settings with the registrar.

Will the check change SSL mode?

No. The read-only check identifies issues and owners; changes need separate authorisation and a quote.

References