How do I remove a domain from Cloudflare?

Removing a domain from Cloudflare involves a few straightforward steps within your Cloudflare dashboard, effectively unlinking your website from their services. This process ensures your domain no longer uses Cloudflare's DNS, CDN, or security features.

Why Remove a Domain from Cloudflare?

There are several common reasons why you might choose to remove a domain from your Cloudflare account:

Switching Providers: You are migrating your DNS management, CDN, or security services to a different provider.
Domain No Longer in Use: The website associated with the domain is no longer active or has been decommissioned.
Selling or Transferring Domain: You have sold the domain, and the new owner will manage its services independently.
Consolidating Services: You are simplifying your infrastructure and prefer to manage all DNS records from your web host or another central point.

Critical Considerations Before Removal

Before initiating the removal of your domain from Cloudflare, it's crucial to understand the implications and take necessary precautions to prevent any service interruptions for your website or email.

1. DNS Management Transition

Once your domain is removed from Cloudflare, it will cease to use Cloudflare's authoritative DNS servers.

Update Nameservers: You must update your domain's nameservers at your domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains) to point to your new DNS provider (typically your web host's nameservers or another dedicated DNS service). Failing to do this will result in your website becoming inaccessible.
Export DNS Records: It is highly recommended to export all your current DNS records from Cloudflare as a backup. This ensures you have all necessary A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and other records to import to your new DNS provider. You can usually find an export option within the DNS tab of your Cloudflare dashboard.
- Practical Insight: Configure all required DNS records (especially A records for your website and MX records for email) with your new DNS provider before changing nameservers to minimize potential downtime.

2. SSL/TLS Certificate Management

If your website relied on Cloudflare's free Universal SSL or any paid SSL/TLS certificates:

Origin Server SSL: Your origin web server (where your website files are hosted) must have its own valid SSL certificate installed and properly configured. Without it, your website will revert to an insecure HTTP connection or display a "connection not private" error after Cloudflare's protection is removed.

3. Impact on Website Performance & Security

By removing your domain, you will lose the performance and security benefits provided by Cloudflare:

CDN (Content Delivery Network): Cloudflare's caching and global content delivery will no longer be active. Your site's loading speed might decrease, particularly for visitors far from your origin server.
DDoS Protection: Cloudflare's robust DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) mitigation will no longer protect your site from malicious traffic floods.
Web Application Firewall (WAF): Any WAF rules or advanced security features you configured will be deactivated.

4. Email Functionality

Your email service relies on correctly configured MX (Mail Exchange) records.

Verify MX Records: Ensure that the correct MX records for your email service are properly configured with your new DNS provider before removing the domain from Cloudflare to prevent any interruption in email delivery.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Remove Your Domain from Cloudflare

Follow these precise steps to safely remove your domain from your Cloudflare account:

Log in to your Cloudflare account: Access your dashboard by visiting Cloudflare Dashboard.
Select the Domain: From the list of your sites on the Cloudflare dashboard homepage, click on the specific domain name you wish to remove.
Navigate to the Overview Tab: Once you've selected your domain, ensure you are on the "Overview" tab. This is typically the default view for a selected site.
Scroll to Advanced Actions: Scroll down the page until you locate the "Advanced Actions" section.
Initiate Removal: Within the "Advanced Actions" section, click on the "Remove Site from Cloudflare" link or button.
Confirm the Action: A confirmation prompt will appear, asking you to verify your decision. Read the message carefully (e.g., "Are you sure you want to remove example.com? This will stop all Cloudflare services for this domain.") and then confirm to complete the removal process.

What Happens Immediately After Removal?

After you confirm the removal, Cloudflare will stop proxying traffic to your domain and cease managing its DNS. While your nameservers at your domain registrar will initially still point to Cloudflare, it is imperative that you update these to your new DNS provider to ensure your website remains accessible.

Post-Removal Checks and Best Practices

Once your domain has been removed from Cloudflare, it's crucial to perform a series of checks to ensure everything is functioning correctly:

Update Nameservers at Registrar: This is the most critical step. Log in to your domain registrar's account and change your domain's nameservers from Cloudflare's to those provided by your new DNS host.
- Tip: This step is a common point of failure if overlooked, leading to prolonged website downtime.
Verify Website Accessibility: After allowing some time for DNS propagation (which can range from a few minutes to several hours), test your website extensively to ensure it loads correctly and securely (HTTPS).
Check Email Functionality: Send and receive test emails to confirm that your email service is working without issues.
Monitor DNS Propagation: Use a DNS propagation checker tool (e.g., DNS Checker) to observe how quickly your updated nameservers are resolving across different geographic locations.

Action	Details	Importance
Export DNS Records	Save a copy of all DNS records from Cloudflare before starting the removal process.	High
Install Origin SSL	Ensure your web server has its own valid SSL certificate if you need HTTPS.	High
Update Nameservers at Registrar	Change your domain's nameservers from Cloudflare's to your new DNS provider's.	Critical
Verify Website & Email	Test your website loads correctly and securely, and that email sending/receiving works.	High
Monitor DNS Propagation	Check global DNS updates to confirm your nameserver changes have taken effect.	Medium

By carefully following these steps and considering the outlined implications, you can smoothly remove your domain from Cloudflare while maintaining your online presence.