Managing and setting up domains and subdomains in cPanel

Reviewed on October 27, 2026 4 min read domains cPanel

cPanel's Domains section brings together everything that used to be split between addon domains, aliases (or parked domains) and subdomains. Now they're all created from the same form, and what changes is the folder you assign to them:

You want...	What to do
A separate website on another domain (formerly an addon domain)	Create the domain with its own folder.
Another domain to show the same website (formerly an alias or parked domain)	Create the domain ticking Share document root.
A separate section or website under your domain, such as `blog.yourdomain.com` (subdomain)	Create the subdomain with its own folder.
A domain to send visitors to another website	Create the domain ticking Share document root and then set up a redirect.

The domain has to point to your hosting (with our DNS or with an A record to the server's IP) for the website to load. Adding it in cPanel doesn't change its DNS.

Domain list

When you open Domains you'll see all the domains and subdomains on the account, the folder of each one, whether they have a redirect, and shortcuts to manage them.

Add a domain or subdomain

Click Create a New Domain, at the top right.

In Domain, enter the full domain or subdomain, without http:// or www: for example anotherdomain.com or blog.yourdomain.com.
Choose the folder:
- Tick Share document root to use public_html, the same folder as the main domain.
- Or leave it unticked and enter the domain's own folder, for example anotherdomain.com. It can be a folder that already exists; if it doesn't, cPanel creates it.
Click Submit.

In a few minutes the domain will be working and, if it already points to the hosting, AutoSSL will give it a free SSL certificate.

If the form lets you choose between Registered domain and Temporary domain, choose Registered domain. Adding a domain here doesn't register it: it only sets it up on the hosting.

If you want to put the new domain's website in the root of the account instead of inside public_html, see where to host a new domain.

Managing each domain

Force HTTPS

In the list, next to each domain, there's the Force HTTPS redirect switch. Turn it on so that anyone visiting over http:// is always sent to https://. Do this once the domain already has its SSL certificate installed.

Change the domain's folder

Click Manage on the domain and change the directory. This is useful for reorganising the account's folders or changing the website a domain shows.

The change doesn't move the files: move them to the new folder yourself first, or the domain will show an empty folder.

Create email accounts

Create Email takes you to the email accounts form with the domain already selected. Each domain has its own mailboxes, even if it shares a web folder with another.

Remove a domain

Click Manage on the domain and, at the bottom, Remove domain.

The domain's files, folders and databases aren't deleted: if you no longer need them, delete them by hand. That domain's mailboxes no longer show in cPanel, so back up the email first if you're going to need it. Removing it from the hosting doesn't cancel the domain's registration. The account's main domain can't be removed from here.