Reference

Documentation

Everything you need to know about claiming and managing your ad.ms subdomain.

Getting started

Claiming a subdomain takes under a minute. Here is how it works:

  1. 1

    Search for a name

    Go to ad.ms, type the name you want, and click Claim it. The search will tell you immediately whether the name is available.

  2. 2

    Sign in with your email

    We will send a magic link to your email address — no password needed. Click the link to authenticate.

  3. 3

    Your subdomain is created

    Once signed in, your subdomain is provisioned automatically. You can manage its DNS records immediately from the dashboard.

DNS records

From the dashboard you can add, edit, and delete DNS records for your subdomain. The following record types are supported:

APoints your subdomain to an IPv4 address. Use this to direct traffic to your server.
AAAAPoints your subdomain to an IPv6 address.
CNAMEAliases your subdomain to another hostname — for example, your GitHub Pages domain or a CDN endpoint.
TXTStores arbitrary text. Commonly used to verify ownership of your subdomain with other services such as Google Search Console or Let's Encrypt.

MX records are not supported. To prevent the service from being used for email abuse (spam and phishing), ad.ms does not allow MX records on any subdomain.

DNS changes typically propagate within a few minutes, though propagation across all resolvers worldwide can take up to 48 hours in rare cases.

Limits

The following limits apply to all accounts. They exist to ensure fair use and prevent abuse of the free service.

Subdomains per account5
DNS records per subdomain10
Subdomain name length2–63 characters
Allowed charactersa–z, 0–9, hyphens
Leading or trailing hyphenNot allowed

Subdomain names are case-insensitive. Uppercase input is normalised to lowercase automatically.

Export your data

You own your configuration data and can export it at any time. From the dashboard you can download a JSON file containing your account information, all registered subdomains, and all associated DNS records.

This is useful if you are migrating to another DNS provider or want a personal backup of your configuration.

You may also delete your account from the dashboard at any time. Deletion is permanent and removes all associated data.

Service terms

Subdomains are provided as a service, not sold. A few things to keep in mind:

  • You do not own the subdomain. ad.ms retains full control over the ad.ms domain at all times.
  • Subdomains may be reclaimed for violations, abuse, or if the service changes. See the Terms of Service for the full list.
  • The service is free and provided as-is, with no uptime guarantee.
  • MX records are never permitted, to protect against mail abuse.

For the full legal text, read the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Something missing from the docs? Let us know.