Connect your custom gallery domain
A custom domain gives your client galleries an address such as galleries.yourdomain.com, while your existing website stays at yourdomain.com.
Custom domains are available with Studio and Pro. Open Settings → Brand & galleries → Your domain in the Galleries web studio. This is separate from editing an individual gallery’s link under Settings → General → Gallery link.
What you need
- A domain you own. FOCL connects it; domain purchase and renewal remain with your domain company.
- Access to its DNS settings. These settings tell the internet where each address goes. The company managing them may be different from your website host or where you bought the domain.
- An eligible Studio or Pro account, including complimentary Studio or Pro. Free, trials and Essentials do not include custom domains. Lifetime by itself does not include them; a separate Studio or Pro subscription does.
One gallery address can be connected per studio. You do not need to move your website, transfer the domain or change its nameservers.
1. Choose your gallery address
In Your website domain, enter the complete domain you own, such as yourdomain.com, without https://, www or a page path. Include its ending, such as .com; a business name alone is not a domain.
Under Choose your gallery address, the editable galleries field sits beside your domain. Keep it, or type photos, clients, or another name to make an address such as photos.yourdomain.com. Use letters, numbers or hyphens, and choose an address you aren’t already using. The full address appears below before you connect. Leave www for your main website.
Choose Connect domain to begin. This starts setup; it does not mean the connection is verified.
2. Verify you own the domain
Open your DNS settings in another tab. In FOCL, select the company whose DNS editor you are using, then confirm the domain shown in that editor. If your editor is not listed, choose the other-provider option and confirm how it handles record names.
Add the TXT record from FOCL. Copy the Name / host and Value / target into their matching fields. Keep TTL on the provider’s default and save the record.
Return to FOCL and choose Verify ownership. These are real checks, not a demo: FOCL advances only after finding the correct record. When the check passes, Ownership verified appears, the first step shows a green check and Complete, and the page moves to the next instructions. Keep this TXT record saved. Use Review or a completed step at the top to see earlier records again; reviewing does not undo verification.
Does the name include my whole domain?
Follow the copy table for your selected provider and confirmed domain. Some editors automatically add the domain; others accept a full name. Namecheap Advanced DNS and a cPanel editor are separate choices, even if you bought the domain at Namecheap.
For example, when editing yourdomain.com in Format:
| Record | Name you enter | Full name after saving |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership TXT | _focl.galleries | _focl.galleries.yourdomain.com |
| Gallery CNAME | galleries | galleries.yourdomain.com |
These are examples, not your verification values. Copy your actual values from FOCL. Open Check the name after saving and compare it with the saved record. If yourdomain.com appears twice, correct that record’s name before checking again.
3. Connect your galleries
Step two in FOCL shows the additional connection records, usually a CNAME. Add exactly the new records shown; keep the ownership TXT you already saved. An extra TXT may also be required for hosting verification.
Copy the target from FOCL—do not substitute your main website address. Save, then choose Check DNS connection. In Cloudflare, use DNS only for the gallery record.
Keep the records for your main website and email in place. If the gallery address already has a conflicting record, choose a different unused gallery address or contact support before replacing anything you still use.
4. Let FOCL verify the secure connection
FOCL prepares and checks HTTPS for your gallery address. No more DNS changes are normally needed at this step. Use Check secure connection when prompted.
Only Connected means ownership, routing and the secure connection have all passed. New gallery links and links in gallery delivery emails then use your address. Until then, FOCL keeps using your existing gallery links.
Saved the records, but still waiting?
DNS changes often appear within minutes, but some providers can take 48–72 hours. Waiting alone will not fix a name or value entered incorrectly.
- Confirm you edited DNS with the company that actually manages it.
- Compare the saved record’s name with FOCL’s expected full name. Check for a repeated domain.
- Compare the value exactly, including the full TXT verification text or CNAME target.
- Keep the records saved and choose Check again. Wait at least 20 seconds between checks.
You do not need to disconnect or create a new connection to retry. Previously completed steps remain visible, and you can revisit them to review records. A cooldown between checks is separate from the limit of 10 new connection setups per day. If checks keep failing, open Settings → Help & support with the gallery address, your DNS provider, and a screenshot of the gallery records and error. Do not send passwords or account access keys.
Start over or disconnect
If setup is still in progress, choose Start over beside your domain at the top. FOCL scrolls to the confirmation. Choose Clear setup to return to Your website domain, or Cancel to keep the current setup. Use this if you entered the wrong address or want to begin again, not just because DNS is taking time to update.
For a connected domain, choose Disconnect domain beside the address, then Disconnect in the confirmation. Links already shared using that custom domain will stop opening. Share your existing FOCL links instead before disconnecting.
Neither action deletes the domain you own or changes records at your DNS provider. If you start a new setup, copy the new verification values from FOCL; do not reuse an old TXT verification value.
Common questions
Does this change my website or email?
The gallery subdomain is separate from your main website. Keep its existing DNS records in place. Custom domains change gallery addresses and the gallery links inside delivery emails; they do not create a branded email mailbox or change the email’s From address. Seeing a FOCL sender address does not mean the custom gallery domain failed.
To test an email link, use Send to client on a published gallery and send a delivery email to yourself. Open its gallery button on your phone or computer and check the browser address. After the domain is Connected, it should show your custom gallery address. Previewing or publishing alone does not send an email.
Does every link use my domain?
Gallery, homepage and shared-set links can use the connected address, including gallery links in delivery emails. Sign-in, account management, direct file/ZIP download links and store receipt links may still use FOCL addresses. Gallery passwords, download PINs and access restrictions still apply.
Do my old gallery links still work?
Your existing FOCL gallery links continue to work. Links already sent are not rewritten. Copy or send a new gallery link after setup to use your custom address.
Is setup automatic?
This release uses guided manual DNS setup. You save the records with your provider; FOCL checks them. The Copy instructions for your AI helper can hand the exact records to an assistant with browser access. Review its changes, then return to FOCL to verify them.
Can clients open the address on a phone?
Yes. Your custom gallery links open in a phone browser, with the same gallery passwords and download permissions. Clients do not need to install an app. Set up and manage the domain in the Galleries web studio.
Why do my settings appear before a fresh check finishes?
When the app already has your domain details for the current signed-in session, reopening Your domain shows that page immediately and refreshes it in the background. A first visit can briefly show a spinner. Reopening settings does not run a new DNS verification; use the check button in the current step, or Recheck connection for a connected address.
What if I disconnect or leave Studio or Pro?
Custom-domain links stop working when you disconnect or lose eligibility. Use your FOCL gallery links instead. Before disconnecting, update links you have shared. Keep DNS records while the connection is in use; follow the disconnect instructions when removing it.
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