How to change nameservers on a .pk domain

Find out who controls your domain panel

Before you change anything, work out where the domain is managed. The nameserver setting lives with whoever manages the registration, not with your web host.

If you registered directly with PKNIC, the change is made through PKNIC. If a reseller or registrar filed the order for you, the change is usually made in their client area. Look for a section called Nameservers or DNS.

• Registered directly: use PKNIC.
• Registered through a reseller: use their client area.
• Not sure: check the email you got when the domain was registered.

Get the right values from your host

Your hosting company, website builder or DNS provider gives you the nameserver names. They look like hostnames, for example ns1.yourhost.com and ns2.yourhost.com. Copy them from the welcome email or ask for them in writing.

Use exactly what your provider shows. Do not guess, shorten or add a number. Most providers give at least two. Enter all of them.

Do not mix nameservers from two different providers. One provider should answer for the whole domain.

• Copy the names, not IP addresses, unless your host says otherwise.
• Remove old nameservers you no longer use.
• Keep a screenshot of the old values so you can go back.

Make the change step by step

PKNIC's public pages do not give a nameserver walkthrough, and its services page says it does not provide technical tutorials on setting up nameservers. Menu names can therefore differ. Check the exact labels after you log in or open the page.

The general path is the same everywhere.

• Open the account or page that controls the domain.
• Go to the section for changing details of that domain.
• Find the nameserver or DNS section.
• Replace the old entries with the new ones from your host.
• Save, and keep the confirmation.
• If you cannot find the option, ask your reseller or contact PKNIC through the details on its website.

How long before it works

PKNIC says its zone files update every few hours. That is the first step only. Other networks keep older answers in a cache, and neither you nor PKNIC controls how fast they let go.

Cached answers can last up to a day or longer, so some visitors may see the old site while others see the new one. This is normal and not a fault.

If you plan ahead, lower the TTL on your old DNS records a day before the switch. Raise it again afterwards. Do not change nameservers again during the wait, as that only prolongs the confusion.

Common mistakes that take a site down

Most failed changes come from small slips. Check these before you ask for help.

Also remember that moving nameservers moves your DNS records. If your new host has no email records, your email can stop. Rebuild A, MX and TXT records at the new provider before you switch.

• Typing a nameserver with a space or a missing letter.
• Changing nameservers before the DNS zone exists at the new host.
• Forgetting MX records, so business email stops.
• Editing DNS at the old host after the switch, where it no longer applies.
• Letting the domain expire. PKNIC bills in two-year periods, so note your renewal date.

If you need a .pk name first

Nameservers only matter once you own the domain. If you are still choosing, search any extension at /domains/ or read about registration at /register-pk-domain/. For costs and terms, see /pk-domain-price/.

PKNIC's fee is Rs 2,100 per year for Pakistan-based registrants (from 1 Aug 2026) and USD 15.99 per year for overseas ones, with a two-year minimum term. We are a small Pakistani company, not a registrar. We check availability live and register the name in your own name through PKNIC or a registrar. Start at /order/ and we reply on WhatsApp.

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