How to create an additional domain in cPanel
An addon domain is a separate domain from the main account using the space available in your hosting, giving you multiple accounts in the same space. This tutorial will assume that you are logged into your cPanel.
Scroll down to the Domains section and click on the Addon Domains link. Important update: Addon Domains (along with subdomain creation and such) has been replaced by "Domains". Go to Domains > Domains to create all your subdomains, addon domains, and domains.
This takes you to the Domains screen. Choose whether you'd like a Registered Domain (a permanent website) or a Temporary Domain for a staging website. If it's a Registered Domain (which is the usual choice), follow the below.
In the field, enter the new domain or subdomain name. Make sure the name you give it doesn't have a folder already named that name. If it does, you will not be able to create it.
Here's a domain example: example.com.
Here's a subdomain example: help.example.com
Tick the box for Share document root to store your new domain inside public_html, where your main site is or will be located. (For example: your domain is example.com, and you make a domain called example123.com. The website files would then be uploaded to the example.com/example123.com (or basically public_html/example123.com directory.)
Or, untick Share document root to store it outside of public_html. If you untick it (which is recommended for extra domains that are not subfolders but separate from your main site, including subdomains), you'll see Document Root appear. We recommend leaving that as is to prevent confusion, but feel free to change the folder name where your new files will reside. Some notes about this: If your domain is example.com but your document root is set as example123.com, then visiting example.com in a browser will load files from the example123.com folder but visitors will still navigate to and see example.com and not example123.com. It does not make your site load as example123.com. It does not change your domain name. It only changes the folder path where the domain looks for its website files.
Next, you'll also see a Subdomain field. Leave it as is, unless you want a different subdomain. Some more information about this. Internally, addon domains are implemented as subdomains of your main domain. Even if you add a completely separate domain like mywebsite.net and your main domain is example.com, cPanel still creates a subdomain like this: mywebsite.net.example.com (internal only and not used publicly). In this case, you may want to change the subdomain to a cleaner name. Something like mywebsite.example.com is cleaner than mywebsite.net.example.com, but you may have to adjust the DNS in Zone Editor afterward (it is usually created correctly by cPanel, however). Visiting that Subdomain link does load the same website as entered in the Domain field, if the DNS is correctly configured.
Click Submit.
Summary: We recommend simply entering a domain/subdomain name in Domain and choosing if you want it placed in public_html or not, and then clicking Submit.
You will then be taken back to the Domains page with a success message, confirming that it has been created.
How to Manage that domain/subdomain
In cPanel > Domains, click Manage next to the domain to manage it. This includes removing it by clicking the Remove Domain button (a confirmation will appear).
What to do after setting up a domain or subdomain
A folder has been created in your account, which you can access to upload your files for your new website. This folder is located inside or outside the public_html directory, depending on how you set up Share document root, and can be accessed through File Manager or any FTP program like WinSCP and FileZilla.
You can create an FTP account for your new domain/subdomain in FTP Accounts in cPanel.
To quickly install a content management system (CMS) without having to use FTP/File Manager, you can use our 1-click installation tool called Softaculous.
This is the end of the tutorial. You now know how to setup and remove additional domains in your account.
You can now exit cPanel by closing your browser, or by using the Logout button in the upper right corner. Remember, if you are using a public computer, ALWAYS log out of cPanel before closing due to security reasons.
