You connected your own domain under Settings → Domain, but the page won't go active, the browser shows a security warning, or the address just won't load. Almost every case comes down to the DNS records at your registrar, and the page tells you exactly what it's waiting for. Here's how to work through it.
Check the DNS records first
The domain page moves through three states: empty, then "Waiting for DNS" once you add a domain, then "Your domain is active". If it's stuck on "Waiting for DNS", MenuDock hasn't seen the records it asked for yet.
Open the page and compare what it shows against what you actually entered at your registrar:
- For a subdomain such as
order.yourrestaurant.comyou add a CNAME record. For a bare domain such asyourrestaurant.comyou add an A record. Using the wrong type for the wrong kind of address is the most common mistake. - If the page also shows an ownership verification record (a TXT or CNAME), that one is required too. The domain won't verify until both are in place.
- Match the type, name and target character for character. Watch for a stray trailing dot, extra spaces, or the record added to the wrong host (for example the apex
@when it should beorder).
You set all of this at your registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare and so on), not in MenuDock. The full walkthrough with screenshots of each record is in Connect a custom domain.
Give DNS time to propagate
DNS changes don't take effect instantly. The domain page checks on its own every few seconds, so you can leave it open and watch it flip to active. This usually happens within a few minutes, but it can take up to an hour. If you don't want to wait for the next automatic check, use the Refresh now link.
If an hour has passed and it's still waiting, treat that as a sign the records don't match rather than slow propagation, and go back through the checks above.
Security or SSL warnings
You don't set up HTTPS yourself. MenuDock issues and manages the certificate automatically, but only once the domain has verified. So if the browser shows a security or certificate warning, the domain almost certainly hasn't gone active yet. Wait for the page to show "Your domain is active", then reload the site. The warning clears on its own once the certificate is in place.
It was working and then stopped
If the domain went live before and has now broken, the cause is usually at the registrar rather than in MenuDock:
- Check the DNS records are still there. People sometimes delete or overwrite them while editing other records, or when switching registrar.
- Check the domain itself hasn't expired. An expired domain stops resolving regardless of the records.
Once the records are back in place, the page picks the domain up again on its own.
You're on Starter
Custom domains are a Pro and Business feature. On Starter the domain settings show an upgrade prompt instead of the add-domain option, so you can't connect a domain until you upgrade. See Compare plans.
Whatever state your custom domain is in, your storefront stays reachable on the free .menudock.co.uk address, so customers can keep ordering while you sort it out.
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Need a hand?
Still stuck after checking the records and waiting the hour? Email support@menudock.co.uk with the exact domain you're connecting and a screenshot of the DNS records in your registrar, and we'll compare them against what the page is expecting.