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To publish a site made in Hostinger AI Builder’s manual mode, open Websites in your Hostinger dashboard, select Edit website, then click Publish in the editor. The first publication makes the draft live; after later edits, click Publish again. Connecting a custom domain is a separate step, and its DNS changes may take time to become visible.

Publish the site for the first time

  1. Sign in to your Hostinger account and open Websites.
  2. Find the manual-mode site and click Edit website.
  3. In the website editor, click Publish in the top-right corner.
  4. On the success screen, open the site or copy its URL. The screen may also offer a QR code for viewing the site on a mobile device.

Until the first publication, the project is a private draft. Trying to access it before publishing may produce a 404 or SSL protocol error. See Hostinger’s manual-mode publishing instructions.

Preview before launch

In the editor, use Preview to inspect the page content and layout, including its mobile appearance. Preview mode is for testing and some functions are limited; check features that cannot be fully tested there after the site is published. Hostinger’s preview instructions explain the available options.

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Publish later edits

Changes made in the editor do not automatically replace the live version. When you are ready to make edits public, click Publish again. Hostinger advises waiting a few minutes, then checking the site in a private or incognito browser window, or using preview mode to verify the result.

Connect a custom domain

You can publish using the automatically generated preview domain while building or waiting for your custom domain. A domain registered elsewhere can also be connected, but it must be pointed to Hostinger separately from publishing. Follow the account-specific instructions in Hostinger’s domain connection guide.

For manual mode, Hostinger documents two DNS approaches. Choose based on who should manage the domain’s DNS and whether your current DNS provider supports the required records:

Approach Where DNS is managed Considerations
Nameservers Hostinger manages the DNS zone. If the domain uses a separate email provider, check that its MX records are present after the DNS change.
CNAME records Your current DNS provider continues to manage the zone. Hostinger’s example points both @ and www to connect.hostinger.com. Some registrars do not support the required root-domain CNAME behavior; Hostinger suggests transferring the domain or using a DNS provider with CNAME flattening.

Hostinger says A records are not supported for this manual-mode setup. Its instructions say to remove existing root-domain A or AAAA records before adding the specified CNAME records. Use the exact values and steps shown for your domain and account rather than assuming the example applies unchanged. See Hostinger’s domain-pointing instructions.

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Hostinger estimates DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours; this is an estimate, not a guarantee for every registrar, resolver, or site. Your generated preview domain may remain usable while DNS updates. A connected domain still needs the site to be published for your changes to appear there.

If the published site does not appear

  • Check the publication: Return to the editor and confirm you clicked Publish. For later edits, publish again and allow a few minutes before checking.
  • Check the address: Open the URL shown on the success screen. If you recently connected a custom domain, try the preview domain while DNS changes propagate.
  • Check Coming Soon mode: If the site is still unavailable after several hours, check whether Coming Soon is enabled.
  • Allow for DNS changes: If the custom domain was just pointed to Hostinger, remember that visibility may take up to 24 hours according to Hostinger’s estimate.
  • Escalate persistent problems: If the site remains unavailable after these checks and the propagation window, use Hostinger’s publishing troubleshooting guidance or contact Hostinger support.
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Publish a landing page while other pages are unfinished

If the whole site is not ready, Hostinger supports publishing a landing page or homepage while hiding unfinished pages from navigation:

  1. Set the landing page as the homepage.
  2. Move unfinished pages to Hidden from navigation.
  3. Publish the site.

Hidden-from-navigation pages may still be opened through their direct URLs and may appear in search results unless you separately hide them from search engines. This workflow requires at least one active page; it does not provide a way to unpublish the entire site. See Hostinger’s landing-page guidance.

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Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.