How to Add an Addon Domain in cPanel and DirectAdmin

An addon domain lets you host an entirely separate website, with its own folder and files, under the same hosting account as your main domain. It's the standard way to run more than one site on a single hosting plan, as long as your plan allows multiple domains.

Before You Add One

The domain you want to add needs to already be registered and its nameservers pointed at your hosting, the same way your primary domain is. If the domain was just registered elsewhere, update its nameservers first and allow time for that to propagate.

In cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel and open Addon Domains under the Domains section.
2. Enter the new domain name in the New Domain Name field.
3. cPanel will suggest a subdomain and document root automatically. You can leave these as suggested or customize the folder name.
4. Set a password if prompted, or leave it blank if you don't need a separate FTP account for this domain.
5. Click Add Domain.

In DirectAdmin

1. Log in to DirectAdmin and go to Domain Setup.
2. Click Add Domain.
3. Enter the domain name and confirm the bandwidth and disk space limits if your plan requires setting them per domain.
4. Leave Domain Pointer unchecked, since that option is for parked or pointer domains, not a full addon domain with its own content.
5. Click Create.

Upload the new domain's website files to the folder created for it, not to your main domain's folder. Mixing files between domains is one of the most common causes of a site showing the wrong content.

Checking It Worked

Once added, the new domain should load its own content within a few minutes if its nameservers already point to your hosting. If it still shows your main site or an error, double-check the nameservers on the domain itself before assuming the addon domain setup is wrong.