Enabling advanced zone editor features in cPanel

This guide will walk you through the process of enabling advanced DNS record types (AAAA, CAA, DMARC, SRV, TXT) in the cPanel Zone Editor for accounts on your server. This is accomplished by modifying the package’s feature list within WHM (WebHost Manager).

By default, some cPanel accounts might only have access to basic DNS record types like A, CNAME, and MX. Enabling the “Zone Editor (AAAA, CAA, DMARC, SRV, TXT)” feature grants users the ability to manage a wider range of DNS records, which are often necessary for various services and configurations such as email authentication (DMARC, SPF/TXT), service discovery (SRV), IPv6 addressing (AAAA), and Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA).

Access WHM and navigate to feature manager

First, you’ll need to log into your WHM interface.

Once logged into WHM:

1. In the search bar on the left-hand side, type “Feature Manager“.
2. Click on “Feature Manager” under the “Packages” section.

Edit the feature list

In the Feature Manager interface, you’ll manage feature lists that are assigned to your hosting packages. You’ll most likely want to modify the ‘default’ feature list if you haven’t created custom ones, or select the specific feature list associated with the package(s) you wish to update.

To edit a feature list:

1. From the “Manage feature list” dropdown menu, select the feature list you want to modify. This usually means modifying the default package, unless you’ve created additional custom packages of your own.
2. Click the Edit button.

Enabling the advanced zone editor feature

You will now see a comprehensive list of available cPanel features. Scroll through this list to find the DNS-related features.

Locate the feature named “Zone Editor (AAAA, CAA, DMARC, SRV, TXT)“.

To enable this feature:

1. Ensure the checkbox next to “Zone Editor (AAAA, CAA, DMARC, SRV, TXT)” is selected.
2. It’s also a good practice to ensure “Zone Editor (A, CNAME, MX)” is enabled, as this covers the basic record types. The advanced option often includes these, but it’s best to have both checked for full functionality.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
4. Click the Save button.

Verify the changes in cPanel

To confirm that the feature has been successfully enabled:

1. Log into a cPanel account that is associated with the package using the modified feature list. If you are already logged in, refresh the cPanel page.
2. Navigate to the “Domains” section and click on “Zone Editor“.
3. Click “Manage” next to a domain.
4. You should now see the option to “Add Record” and select types such as AAAA, CAA, DMARC, SRV, and TXT from the dropdown or list of available record types.

By following these steps, you have successfully expanded the DNS management capabilities for your cPanel users, empowering them with greater control over their domain’s DNS configuration.