Fix www not working on Vercel: when this repair path applies
Add both intended hostnames to the project and point DNS according to Vercel’s current domain instructions. Use these steps when one hostname is not attached or does not resolve to Vercel, but first run the embedded diagnostic so the TLS, certificate and HTTPS evidence supports this provider-specific path rather than a neighboring DNS, TLS, application or mail cause.
Find the authoritative setting before editing
Vercel Project Settings > Domains together with the DNS provider that publishes the domain records. For Fix www not working on Vercel, confirm the active nameservers and exact service owner before changing add root/www in project. A DNS-looking screen at vercel has no public effect when another provider is authoritative for the zone.
Evidence to save for Fix www not working on Vercel
Record the current public state for add root/www in project, set DNS, choose redirect/canonical preference. This gives the repair a before/after comparison and prevents a cached answer or a separate working service from being confused with the configuration that produced the symptom.
- Add root/www in project — Verify add root/www in project from the public Internet and compare it with the value the responsible provider says should be live.
- Set DNS — Verify set DNS from the public Internet and compare it with the value the responsible provider says should be live.
- Choose redirect/canonical preference — Follow every hop rather than checking only the final page. The conflicting rule is usually visible where the chain changes scheme, hostname or destination repeatedly.
- Retest certificate — Test the hostname actually requested, its certificate dates and SAN coverage, and the TLS handshake. Root and www can serve different certificates.
Repair steps in vercel
Add both intended hostnames to the project and point DNS according to Vercel’s current domain instructions.
- 1. Add root/www in project. After this step, check the public value tied to add root/www in project before changing another unrelated setting.
- 2. Set DNS. After this step, check the public value tied to set dns before changing another unrelated setting.
- 3. Choose redirect/canonical preference. After this step, check the public value tied to choose redirect/canonical preference before changing another unrelated setting.
- 4. Retest certificate. After this step, check the public value tied to retest certificate before changing another unrelated setting.
Why this order matters for vercel
The sequence begins with the provider/authority decision, then moves through add root/www in project, set DNS, choose redirect/canonical preference. That keeps the change scoped to the failed TLS, certificate and HTTPS path and avoids replacing nameservers, mail authentication or another healthy service just to make a provider dashboard indicator change.
Verify Fix www not working on Vercel
HTTPS should complete for the exact hostname, the certificate should be valid for that hostname, and root/www should follow the intended canonical redirect without a TLS error. Compare the same add root/www in project and set DNS evidence used before the change; a repair is complete when the public result agrees, not merely when the vercel interface reports that a save succeeded.
If vercel and the public result disagree
Check whether the edited zone is authoritative, whether the exact root/www/subdomain was changed, whether a proxy state alters the visible endpoint, and whether a prior TTL can still exist in recursive caches. Do not add a second conflicting add root/www in project value to force validation.
Mistakes to avoid for this repair
Do not copy tenant-specific or region-specific values from another account, delete working email records during a website repair, change nameservers as a shortcut, or alter SSL/proxy modes without evidence from the origin. Fix www not working on Vercel should change only the settings required by this diagnosis.
Technical references
These primary standards and provider documents are used to verify the behavior described on this page. Provider dashboards can change, so use the current official value for tenant-specific DNS records rather than copying an example from another account.