Help… can't access staging subdomain after setup in cPanel?

Hi everyone,

I’m having a problem with accessing a staging subdomain I set up in cPanel for a WordPress site. The subdomain is test.[domain], and every time I try to visit it, I get this error: DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.

I created the subdomain through cPanel, and it’s showing up correctly in the Subdomains section, pointing to the right document root. I also added an A record for the subdomain pointing to the server’s IP address. I’ve checked DNS propagation using tools like whatsmydns.net, but it’s still not resolving properly.

I’ve already cleared my local DNS cache, but the error persists. SSL isn’t needed for this staging site, so I made sure there’s no SSL enforcement or redirection, but that didn’t help. I also checked for an .htaccess file, which wasn’t there, so I created one with default settings, but still no luck.

I even tried placing a test file in the subdomain’s folder and accessing it through the server’s IP, but nothing works.

The main domain is hosted with a standard web hosting provider, and I’m managing it all through cPanel. I’ve tried accessing the subdomain on different networks, incognito mode, and multiple browsers, but I’m still having the same issue.

Has anyone dealt with this kind of issue, especially with the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error on staging subdomains? Could this be a configuration problem with the hosting provider? What should I ask them to check? Any other troubleshooting steps I should try?

Thanks in advance for any help or ideas!

DNS propagation can take some time. Just wait for it to fully propagate.

In the meantime, you can use the virtual host method to start working.

You can either edit your hosts file directly or use a tool like hostsfileeditor.com.

Not sure how it works on a Mac though.

@Kayla
Thanks so much! This helped me access the site with no issues!

Make sure your domain is using the cPanel nameservers, or copy the DNS record (A or AAAA record) for the subdomain to your third-party nameservers.