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[DNS] Create acme-challenge-txt-record #23281

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Merged
merged 4 commits into from
Jul 3, 2025
Merged

[DNS] Create acme-challenge-txt-record #23281

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475f104
[DNS] Create acme-challenge-txt-record
ngayerie Jun 27, 2025
d4c49cf
Add .mdx extension and make frontmatter simpler
RebeccaTamachiro Jul 3, 2025
74e1058
Text review and Style Guide adjustments
RebeccaTamachiro Jul 3, 2025
dacf160
Use GlossaryTooltip to clarify DCV and CA jargon
RebeccaTamachiro Jul 3, 2025
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28 changes: 28 additions & 0 deletions ...ntent/docs/dns/manage-dns-records/troubleshooting/acme-challenge-txt-record.mdx
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---
title: Unexpected _acme-challenge TXT records
pcx_content_type: troubleshooting
sidebar:
order: 11
label: Unexpected TXT records
---

import { GlossaryTooltip } from "~/components"

You might notice TXT records like `_acme-challenge.<hostname>` are returned by your domain but cannot be found on the DNS tab of your Cloudflare dashboard.

## Causes

These records are automatically created to allow Cloudflare edge certificates ([universal](/ssl/edge-certificates/universal-ssl/), [advanced](/ssl/edge-certificates/advanced-certificate-manager/), and [backup](/ssl/edge-certificates/backup-certificates/)) to be provisioned. `_acme-challenge` records are required by <GlossaryTooltip term="Certificate Authority (CA)">certificate authorities (CAs)</GlossaryTooltip> so that they can verify your domain ownership before issuing the SSL/TLS certificate. For details, refer to [Domain control validation (DCV)](/ssl/edge-certificates/changing-dcv-method/).

## Solution

As these records are tied to the certificates, they cannot be deleted from the DNS tab of your Cloudflare dashboard.

If you need more `_acme-challenge.<hostname>` TXT records in order to provision certificates on your side, you can [manually add them](/dns/manage-dns-records/how-to/create-dns-records/) under [DNS records](https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/:zone/dns/records).

If you want to remove these records:

* [Disable Universal SSL](/ssl/edge-certificates/universal-ssl/disable-universal-ssl/) to remove the records related to universal and backup certificates.
* [Delete advanced certificates](/ssl/edge-certificates/advanced-certificate-manager/manage-certificates/#delete-a-certificate) to remove the records related to advanced certificates.


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