# How to create a subdomain in cPanel

> Create a subdomain in cPanel to organise your site into distinct sections or set up a separate test environment.

Source: https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/cpanel-domains/how-to-create-a-subdomain-in-cpanel
Updated: 2026-06-11

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A subdomain is a subsection of your website that works as a separate site, without needing a brand-new domain name. Subdomains are ideal for organising content or for setting up a specific-purpose area such as a blog or a test site.

For example:

- **blog.example.com** - for a blog
- **staging.example.com** - for a test or development site

## Why use subdomains?

- Organise your website into distinct sections
- Create test or staging environments
- Set up memorable URLs for specific areas

## How to create a subdomain

1. [Log in to cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-getting-started/how-to-login-to-cpanel) and open the **Domains** tool, found in the **Domains** section.

2. On the Domains page, click **Create A New Domain**.

   ![The cPanel Domains tool listing your domains, with the Create A New Domain button](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/62/93/6293727c0d04dada189236e36945a415a79eb4f8.png)

3. Make sure **Registered Domain** is selected, then in the **Domain** field type the full subdomain you want - for example `blog.example.com` or `staging.example.com`.

   ![The Create a New Domain form, where you enter your subdomain](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/f8/e1/f8e13ec068d773a162b881ba6099c43ffb9ff106.png)

4. Choose how the subdomain should serve its content:

   - **Its own content (most common for a subdomain):** untick **Share document root**. cPanel then shows a **Document Root** field containing a folder named after the subdomain, which you can keep or change. The subdomain gets its own separate folder.
   - **The same content as your main site:** leave **Share document root** ticked. The subdomain then behaves like an alias and shows your main site's content.

5. Click **Submit**.

## What happens next?

Once the subdomain is created:

- **If the folder does not already exist:** cPanel creates a new folder where you can upload files for the subdomain.
- **If the folder already exists:** the subdomain uses that folder and displays any content already in it.

### Going live

- **If your domain points to Kualo nameservers:** the subdomain will usually start working within a few minutes. If you are not sure whether your domain uses our nameservers, it most likely does - wait a few minutes and check.
- **If your domain does not point to Kualo nameservers:** you need to add an A record with your domain provider pointing the subdomain to your hosting IP address. If you are unsure how to do this, contact us and we will help.

## Adding content to your subdomain

Your subdomain is ready - here are the most common ways to populate it:

- **Upload files:** use cPanel's [File Manager](/knowledgebase/cpanel-files-ftp/how-to-use-file-manager-in-cpanel) or an [FTP client](/knowledgebase/ftp/ftp-getting-started-guide) to upload files to the subdomain's folder.
- **Install WordPress:** use [WP Toolkit](/knowledgebase/wp-toolkit/installing-wordpress-via-wp-toolkit) to install and manage a WordPress site.
- **Install another application:** use [Softaculous](/knowledgebase/softaculous/getting-started-with-softaculous) to install other apps such as Joomla, Drupal or phpBB.
- **Clone an existing site:** duplicate a site you already have using [Softaculous's clone tool](/knowledgebase/softaculous/how-to-clone-a-website-with-softaculous).
- **Use our site builder:** build content from scratch with [ProSite](/knowledgebase/getting-started-with-prosite/getting-started-with-prosite), or [import a backup](/knowledgebase/prosite-web-site-builder/how-to-import-a-site-backup) of an existing ProSite website.

To manage all of your domains - including addon domains and aliases - from one place, see [How to use the Domains tool in cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-domains/how-to-use-the-domains-tool-in-cpanel).



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_Source: Kualo Knowledgebase — https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/cpanel-domains/how-to-create-a-subdomain-in-cpanel · © Kualo Ltd._