---
schema_version: "1"
id: 3a9e8ca38f5faa27c94bb5e92a80ab377238b363ba48c64840120cf47d604778
title: Activate a Sandbox Custom Domain in Production
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/domain_mgmt_sandbox_custom_domains_activate.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_sandbox_custom_domains_activate.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 712c5f46bc076ceb1456b10854b3047a5f3f5f5379d0a8f9f7f1527eb649d465
description: After you test a custom domain that serves your Experience Cloud sites or Salesforce Sites in a sandbox, move any updates to your sites and the custom URLs for your domain to production. Then activate the custom domain in production.
products:
  - Salesforce Platform
  - Security
release: "264"
---
# Activate a Sandbox Custom Domain in Production

After you test a custom domain that serves your Experience Cloud sites or Salesforce Sites in a sandbox, move any updates to your sites and the custom URLs for your domain to production. Then activate the custom domain in production.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, and <strong>Unlimited</strong> Editions.</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Applies to: Salesforce Sites and <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_basics_glossary.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">LWR, Aura, and Visualforce sites</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:50%">
          <col style="width:50%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d67348e78">User
              Permissions Needed</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d67348e78 ">To view a domain:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d67348e78 ">
              <p>Manage Custom Domains</p>
              <p>OR</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">View Setup and Configuration</p>
            </td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d67348e78 ">To edit a domain:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d67348e78 ">Manage Custom Domains</td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

Before you activate your custom domain in production, [set up a custom domain for testing in sandbox](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_sandbox_custom_domains_setup.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Test a new domain before you activate it in production, or test changes to your custom domain or to your sites. Create a custom domain in production that points to your sandbox. That domain serves the Experience Cloud sites or Salesforce Sites in your sandbox with the custom URLs in the sandbox."), and complete testing. Then move the Experience Cloud site and custom URLs that the sandbox custom domain serves to production. For example, move your Experience Cloud sites and the custom URLs associated with the domain via a change set.

1. If your domain serves content from a site in your sandbox, validate that the content that the domain serves exists in production.
    
    Check for the Experience Cloud site or Salesforce Site, the relevant site pages and content, and the custom URLs for the domain.
2. Validate that your DNS record points to your production org. See [Point Your Custom Domain to Your Salesforce Org](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_update_dns.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Before you add a domain in Salesforce, point your domain to your Salesforce org in Domain Name Service (DNS). If your custom domain uses your HTTPS Certificate or the Salesforce content delivery network (CDN) partner, add a canonical domain name (CNAME) record for your fully qualified domain (FQDN) to DNS. The CNAME record references your Salesforce org ID and your FQDN. Then, if you plan to use the Salesforce CDN to serve your Experience Cloud site on your custom domain, add a second CNAME record that our CDN partner requires.").
    
    If your custom domain points to your sandbox or another production org in DNS, point the custom domain to your production org, and test in your sandbox again.
3. Update the custom domain in Salesforce.
    
    1. From Setup in production, in the Quick Find box, enter Domains, and then select **Domains**.
    2. For your existing custom domain, select **Edit**.
    3. Update the value in the Associated Org field from your sandbox to **Production**, and save your changes.
    
    After you save your changes, Salesforce provisions the domain or gets it ready for use. When the provisioning process is complete, you receive an email and the domain status changes to Awaiting Activation.
4. To activate your domain, on the Domains Setup page, click **Activate** next to your custom domain.
    
    Your site can be unavailable for 5–10 minutes, so activate your custom domain when your site traffic is low. When your site is active, the status changes from Awaiting Activation to Completed and the Current Domain Configuration Option changes to reflect your selected domain configuration option.

#### See Also

- [Custom Domains](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Provide a branded experience for users who access your external-facing Salesforce content by serving your Digital Experiences or Salesforce Sites on a domain that you own, such as https://www.example.com.")
- [Test Your Custom Domains in a Sandbox](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.domain_mgmt_sandbox_custom_domains.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Develop and test your custom domains that serve content from your Experience Cloud sites and Salesforce Sites in a sandbox before you activate the domain in production.")
- [Set Up and Configure Your Org for Experience Cloud Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_setup_maintain_communities.htm&type=5&language=en_US)