Custom domain name "is taken" by someone else!

[c-dacanay]

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I made the mistake of setting my github pages repo to private temporarily and lost connection with my custom domain: www.cdacanay.com

• I visited my website and noticed that the domain is being HOSTED.
• I got this error: The custom domain cdacanay.com is already taken. If you are the owner of this domain, check out https://docs.github.com/pages/configuring-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site/verifying-your-custom-domain-for-github-pages for information about how to verify and release this domain.

Can I have some help releasing this?

[Dev-axay18]

Hey! This happens when GitHub Pages still thinks your domain is connected to another repo, probably because of the previous private setting.

1. Go to your repo settings > Pages, and re-add your custom domain www.cdacanay.com.

2. Then, create a file named CNAME in your repo root (if it’s not already there) with just this line inside:

   www.cdacanay.com
   

3. If GitHub says the domain is already taken, you’ll need to verify ownership by adding a special DNS TXT record to your domain’s DNS settings.

Follow this doc to do that:
👉 https://docs.github.com/en/pages/configuring-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site/verifying-your-custom-domain-for-github-pages

Once verified, GitHub will allow you to reassign it.

[vitorboccio]

This is also happening to me. How do I know which DNS config do I need to add on my provider? The error happens as soon as I try to add my custom domain. I already have a CNAME file.

[V-Kisielius]

TL;DR: GitHub “locks” your custom domain to the old repo, and the only way to “release” it is to prove you own the domain via a TXT DNS record. Once verified, GitHub will let you reassign the domain to your repo.

⸻

Step-by-step fix (concrete details):
1. Check your repo Pages settings
• Go to your repository → Settings → Pages.
• Try re-adding www.cdacanay.com under the Custom Domain box.
2. Ensure the CNAME file exists
• In the root of your repo (main branch), create a file called CNAME.
• The file should contain exactly one line:

www.cdacanay.com

3.	If GitHub says “domain already taken” → this is where verification comes in.
•	GitHub gives you a unique TXT record (something like _github-challenge-<username>) that you need to add to your DNS.
•	Log into your DNS provider (where cdacanay.com is managed).
•	Add a TXT record with:
•	Host/Name: _github-challenge-cdacanay (GitHub tells you the exact string).
•	Value/Content: the long code GitHub provides.
•	TTL: leave default (e.g., 3600).
4.	Wait for propagation
•	DNS can take a few minutes to an hour. You can check with:

dig TXT _github-challenge-cdacanay.cdacanay.com

If it shows the value you added, it’s live.

5.	Retry the Pages settings
•	Go back to GitHub → Settings → Pages → Custom Domain → re-enter www.cdacanay.com.
•	This time GitHub should verify ownership and let you reattach it.
6.	Optional (for best practice)
•	In your DNS, make sure www is a CNAME pointing to <username>.github.io.
•	Add an A record for the root (@) pointing to GitHub’s IPs if you want cdacanay.com (without www) to also work.

👉 In short: GitHub is holding the domain because it thinks it’s still linked elsewhere. Adding that TXT record tells GitHub “yes, I own this domain,” and it frees it up for you.