Resolving the This DNS Record Already Exists Error in Plesk for Windows Print

🖥️ Scope: Plesk Obsidian 18.x (Windows Server 2016/2019/2022) with Microsoft DNS.
📌 Applies to: Adding a domain, sub-domain, or domain alias that fails with:

Unable to create the domain example.com because a DNS record pointing to the host example.com already exists.

🧠 1. Why This Happens

🔎 The Plesk GUI only shows domains under active subscriptions. PSA database entries outside of that still block new domains.
👉 Official Plesk Article

🛡️ 2. Prerequisites & Safety First

✅ Admin access via RDP to the Plesk server
✅ Plesk CLI tools available in PATH (%plesk_bin%) or via full path
✅ Backup the PSA database before making changes:

plesk db dump psa > C:\psa_before_dns_cleanup.sql

🗺️ 3. Fast-Track Flowchart

┌─────────────┐
│ Add domain? │
└─────┬───────┘
      ▼
Check orphaned zone: SELECT id FROM dns_zone...
      ▼
If zone exists → Try: dns.exe --del-all
      ▼
Fails? → DELETE FROM dns_zone...
      ▼
Check dom_aliases
      ▼
Delete alias → Add domain → ✅

💡 Skip to Section 5 for CLI-based removal.

🖱️ 4. Fixing Through the GUI (For Simple Cases)

🔧 Check existing DNS zone records:
Go to Websites & Domains → example.com → DNS Settings → Remove duplicate A/CNAME records.

❌ Check Domain Aliases:
Websites & Domains → Domain Aliases → Find example.com → Remove.

➕ Re-add the domain: Only use apex (example.com). Plesk auto-creates the www alias.

🔁 Still seeing the error? Move on to the CLI cleanup.

🛠️ 5. Deep Dive – Resolve Conflict via CLI

📌 Always use elevated Command Prompt (cmd.exe) and quote paths containing spaces.

🔍 5.1 Check if Zone Exists

plesk db "SELECT id FROM dns_zone WHERE name='example.com';"

If a row is returned, proceed to remove the zone.

❌ 5.2 Attempt to Wipe Records

"%plesk_bin%\dns.exe" --del-all example.com

If successful: ✅ Zone wiped.

If this fails (returns unknown parameter or does nothing), skip to 5.3.

🗑️ 5.3 Delete the Entire Zone via SQL (Guaranteed Fix)

plesk db "DELETE FROM dns_zone WHERE name='example.com';"

🔄 5.4 Refresh DNS Config

"%plesk_bin%\dnsmng.exe" update *

🔁 5.5 Check & Remove Domain Aliases

plesk db "SELECT name FROM dom_aliases WHERE name='example.com';"

"%plesk_bin%\domalias.exe" --delete example.com

➕ 5.6 Re-Add the Domain

Go to Websites & Domains → Add Domain:

• Domain name: example.com

• DNS service: ✅ Enabled

☑️ Confirm DNS Records:

• A → example.com → IP

• CNAME or A → www → example.com

✅ Done!

🧩 6. Special Cases & Troubleshooting

🔗 6.1 External DNS Sync

Disable zone sync temporarily if syncing from a slave server to avoid auto re-creation.

🕵️ 6.2 Check for Hidden Subscriptions

plesk db "SELECT name,id FROM domains WHERE name='example.com';"

If found, remove or rename domain in that subscription.

🛠️ 6.3 Still Failing? Try Plesk Repair Tool

plesk repair dns example.com -y

Or if needed:

plesk repair all -y

💡 7. Best Practices to Prevent This Error

✅ Always add apex domain (example.com) first. Plesk auto-creates www, mail, and related records.
✅ Use the GUI to remove domains & aliases when possible – this clears all dependencies.
✅ Run regular cleanup checks:

"%plesk_bin%\dbclient.exe" --direct-sql --sql="SELECT name FROM dns_zone dz LEFT JOIN domains d ON d.dns_zone_id = dz.id WHERE d.id IS NULL;"

✅ Track subscription ownership to avoid ghost records.

❓ 8. FAQ

Q: Can I reset instead of deleting a zone?
A: dns.exe --reset example.com -ip x.x.x.x only works for zones tied to active domains. For orphans, SQL deletion is required.

Q: Is the process different on Linux?
A: Same logic applies; use plesk bin dns instead of dns.exe, and Linux will use BIND instead of MS DNS.

Q: Will this break DNS temporarily?
A: Yes—only proceed if it's safe to reset or recreate the zone immediately.

📚 9. References

📘 Plesk CLI – dns.exe – Windows DNS zones
📘 Plesk CLI – domalias.exe – Domain Aliases
📘 Plesk Support – DNS record already exists error

💬 Need further help? Submit a support ticket and we’ll assist you right away.