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How to temporarily pause Cloudflare

Category: General Updated: December 21, 2025

This article explains how to temporarily pause Cloudflare for your site and what to do if you do not see the Advanced Actions section on the Overview page. It also covers alternative methods such as disabling the proxy on DNS records and using Development Mode.

Before you start

  • You must be logged in to your Cloudflare account.
  • Make sure you select the correct domain from your Cloudflare dashboard.

Method 1: Pause Cloudflare from the Overview page

If the Advanced Actions panel is available for your domain, use this method:

  1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard.
  2. Select the domain you want to pause.
  3. Go to the Overview tab.
  4. Scroll to the bottom-right side of the page and locate the Advanced Actions section.
  5. Click Pause Cloudflare on Site.
  6. Confirm when prompted. Cloudflare will then stop proxying traffic and send requests directly to your origin server.

Method 2: Disable Cloudflare proxy on DNS records

If you do not see Advanced Actions on the Overview page, or you want to pause Cloudflare only for specific records, you can turn off the proxy per DNS record:

  1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard.
  2. Select the domain you want to modify.
  3. Click the DNS tab.
  4. For each record you want to bypass Cloudflare (typically A or CNAME records for your site):
    • Click Edit or the record line.
    • Toggle Proxy status from Proxied (orange cloud) to DNS only (grey cloud).
  5. Save your changes.

When a record is set to DNS only, Cloudflare no longer accelerates or protects that hostname; traffic goes directly to your server’s IP.

Method 3: Use Development Mode (cache only)

If you only need to bypass caching (for example, while testing changes) but still want Cloudflare security and SSL, use Development Mode:

  1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard.
  2. Select the domain.
  3. Go to the Caching section.
  4. Locate Development Mode and switch it On.

Development Mode temporarily bypasses Cloudflare’s cache (usually for a few hours), but keeps Cloudflare’s protection and SSL active.

When you should NOT change nameservers

Avoid changing your domain’s nameservers just to pause Cloudflare. DNS changes may take hours to propagate, whereas pausing Cloudflare or disabling the proxy works within a few minutes and is easier to reverse.

Questions?

If you are unsure which method to use (global pause vs. DNS-only vs. Development Mode), contact your hosting provider or Cloudflare support for guidance, and include your domain name and what you are trying to test or troubleshoot.