Connect a WordPress.com domain

Setup type: One-click (OAuth). You sign in to WordPress.com in a popup and approve the change. No records to copy; no password is shared with the app.

WordPress.com supports native OAuth plus a public REST DNS API, so connecting a WordPress.com-managed domain is a one-click sign-in-and-approve flow. WordPress.com is also on the Domain Connect list, but it has not onboarded our one-click templates, so sign-in is the way in; adding the records by hand works too.

What you'll need

• A domain whose DNS is managed at WordPress.com.
• Access to your app's CustomDomain™ dashboard (it shows the exact target for your account).

The records

CustomDomain™ gives you the authoritative records for your account in the dashboard, typically a CNAME (or apex A/ALIAS) pointing your domain at the edge. Use the values shown there; the shape is always the same, the target is per-account. There is no separate ownership TXT to add on this path: control is proven by the rail itself, or by the records appearing in your own authoritative DNS. See Setup types.

Setting it up on WordPress.com

1. Enter the domain in the connect flow (the console, or the widget inside the product you're connecting to). It detects WordPress.com and offers to sign in with WordPress.com.
2. A WordPress.com sign-in window opens. Approve the requested DNS change.
3. The records apply automatically; you're returned to the app, which usually verifies them within seconds and goes live.

WordPress.com specifics

• The OAuth token uses the global scope because DNS on WordPress.com is account-wide rather than per-site.
• The DNS write is diff-based (add/remove), so it changes only the records the connection needs.
• TXT records longer than 255 characters are not supported.
• A Tumblr domain is served by WordPress.com's nameservers but edited in Tumblr's own domain settings; detection names Tumblr when the root points at Tumblr, and a WordPress.com sign-in cannot reach it.

How you know it worked

CustomDomain™ polls public DNS and issues the TLS certificate automatically. When the dashboard shows the domain live, HTTPS is serving. Drift monitoring then watches the records so a later change at the provider doesn't silently break the domain.

FAQ

Does this work for a wordpress.com subdomain like myblog.wordpress.com?

No, a custom domain means a domain you own (example.com). This connects that domain; a free wordpress.com subdomain isn't something you point elsewhere.

Related

• All DNS providers, the full connection catalog.
• How custom domains work