How to Fix Cloudflare Error 1018 (Could Not Find Host)

By ErrorFix · Updated October 21, 2026 · 5 min read

What Error 1018 means

Cloudflare's 1xxx error family covers DNS and proxy configuration problems, and Error 1018 is the one that says "Could not find host." It means the domain's DNS points at a hostname that Cloudflare cannot resolve to any server. Since there is no destination to connect to, Cloudflare serves the Error 1018 page instead of the website.

This is purely a configuration mistake, and it lives entirely in the site's DNS settings. Nothing about your computer, browser, or internet connection causes it, and nothing on the visitor's side can resolve it. The page is only ever shown for domains that are already on Cloudflare — which is why the fix always belongs to the site owner or their hosting provider. It helps to distinguish 1018 from its neighbors: Error 1001 means Cloudflare has no DNS record for the domain at all, while Error 1014 means a CNAME was set up across Cloudflare accounts, which Cloudflare does not allow by default.

Common causes

• A CNAME pointing at a deleted hostname: the most common trigger. The target was a trial hosting subdomain that expired, a staging domain that was taken down, or a page-builder account that was closed — and the CNAME was never updated, so it now points at nothing.
• A typo in the CNAME target: a misspelled hostname, a missing subdomain level, or the wrong top-level domain in the target field. One wrong character is enough to make the whole hostname unresolvable.
• A hosting migration that forgot the DNS: the site moved to a new host with a new server hostname, but the old CNAME target was left in place. The old host's hostname no longer resolves, so Cloudflare cannot find the origin.
• A third-party service that was discontinued: the record points at a service endpoint — a newsletter platform, a funnel builder, a white-label dashboard — whose hostname stopped resolving when the service shut down or the subscription ended.
• A CNAME to a hostname outside the owner's control: pointing at a partner's or client's hostname that they changed or removed without notice. The record looks fine in the dashboard, but the other end no longer answers.

How to fix Error 1018 — step by step

Steps 1 through 5 are for the site owner. Step 6 is for visitors.

1. Recognize that Error 1018 is an owner-side DNS problem. Error 1018 is served by Cloudflare only for domains already using Cloudflare, and it means the site's DNS configuration points visitors at a hostname that cannot be resolved. No browser setting, VPN, or device change can fix it — only the site owner (or their hosting provider) can correct the DNS record. Visitors should skip to step 6; the middle steps are for the site owner.
2. Site owner: open the domain's DNS records in Cloudflare. Log in to the Cloudflare dashboard, select the domain, then go to DNS, then Records. Look for CNAME records, especially the ones for the failing hostname — often www, shop, or the apex record flattened to a target. Note each record's target hostname before changing anything, so you can undo a mistake.
3. Site owner: test the target hostname to confirm it does not resolve. Take the hostname your CNAME points at and test it independently: run nslookup or dig on it, or use an online DNS checker. If it returns no IP address, or the host no longer exists, you have found the cause. Common cases: the target was a trial hosting subdomain that expired, a staging domain that was deleted, a service like a page builder whose account was closed, or a simple typo in the target hostname.
4. Site owner: repoint the CNAME at a hostname that actually resolves. Edit the broken CNAME record in Cloudflare and change its target to a hostname that resolves — your current hosting provider's server hostname, a CDN endpoint you control, or the correct service URL. If the host no longer exists anywhere, switch the record type to A and point it directly at your origin server's real IP address, which you can find in your hosting control panel. Keep the proxy status (orange cloud) enabled unless your host specifically says otherwise, then save.
5. Site owner: verify propagation, then purge the Cloudflare cache. DNS changes propagate within minutes to a few hours. Check with a global DNS checker that the domain now resolves through Cloudflare and loads. Once it looks right everywhere, go to Caching, then Configuration in the Cloudflare dashboard and click Purge Everything — this clears any cached copies of the Error 1018 page so visitors see the working site immediately instead of a stale error.
6. Visitor: report it to the owner and retry later. As a visitor you cannot fix Error 1018 — the broken setting lives in the site owner's DNS. Reload the page once to rule out a cached error, then reach the owner through their other channels: social media accounts, a contact email, or their support system. Tell them you are seeing Cloudflare Error 1018 (could not find host), which means a DNS record points at a hostname that does not resolve — that phrase tells them exactly what to fix. Try the site again after a few hours; once the owner repoints the record and purges the cache, the site loads normally.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The CNAME target hostname resolves to an IP address in an independent DNS check
• There is no typo in the target hostname (watch subdomain levels and the top-level domain)
• If the old host is gone, the record points at a working A record or a current service hostname
• After purging the Cloudflare cache, visitors load the site instead of the Error 1018 page

If you are the owner and the error persists after the record looks right, double-check that you edited the record for the hostname visitors are actually hitting — www and the apex are often separate records, and one of them may still point at the dead hostname. Also confirm you edited the DNS zone that is actually active for the domain: if nameservers still point at the old host or registrar, your Cloudflare edits change nothing until the nameserver switch completes.