You built something in Lovable. The editor shows a finished app or site. Now you need it at a real URL that other people can actually visit. Here's exactly how to do it, with all three options explained and when to use each.
What You Need
- A Lovable account with a completed project
- For a custom domain: a paid Lovable plan and a domain you own
- For GitHub + Netlify deployment: a free GitHub account and a free Netlify account
- About 1-10 minutes depending on which method you choose
Step 1: Publish to a Lovable Subdomain (Fastest)
This is the quickest path. Your site ends up at yourapp.lovable.app with no cost and no DNS setup.
- In the Lovable editor, click the Publish icon in the top-right corner of the screen
- In the modal that opens, you'll see a field for your website address. Type a subdomain name or accept the auto-generated one
- Set access permissions: Anyone makes the site public. Workspace restricts access to authenticated team members (this option requires a Business or Enterprise plan)
- Configure metadata: set a site title, meta description, and favicon if you want them indexed and shared properly
- Click Publish
Your app is live. Lovable shows you the URL immediately after publishing.
One thing people miss: publishing creates a snapshot of your project. Changes you make in the editor after publishing don't go live automatically. When you're ready to update the live site, click the Publish icon again and select Update.
Step 2: Connect a Custom Domain (Paid Plans)
If you want the site at yourname.com instead of a Lovable subdomain, you'll need a paid plan. The process adds a DNS configuration step but it's straightforward.
- Subscribe to a paid Lovable plan
- Go to Settings → Domains inside your project
- Enter your custom domain name
- Connect it using Entri, which is Lovable's guided domain setup tool, or configure DNS records manually through your domain registrar's dashboard
- Wait for DNS propagation, which typically takes 10 to 60 minutes but can occasionally take up to 48 hours
Once DNS propagates, your project is live at your custom domain. The same Publish → Update flow applies for pushing new changes.
Step 3: Export to GitHub, Deploy via Netlify (Most Control)
This method takes longer to set up but gives you the most flexibility: continuous deploys triggered by code changes, preview deployments for testing, and full ownership of your codebase outside of Lovable's platform. This is the right path if you want to keep building on the project long-term.
- In the Lovable editor, click Transfer to GitHub in the top-right area. This exports your project code to a new GitHub repository under your account
- Go to Netlify and click Import from Git
- Authorize Netlify to access your GitHub repositories
- Select the Lovable repository you just created and click Deploy
- In Netlify's domain settings, add your custom domain if you have one
After the initial setup, any changes merged into your main GitHub branch trigger an automatic Netlify redeploy. If you continue editing in Lovable, you can push those changes to GitHub and they'll build automatically. The Lovable editor and Netlify stay in sync through GitHub.
Result
All three methods end at the same place: a publicly accessible URL where your Lovable project runs. Option 1 takes under a minute; Option 2 adds DNS wait time; Option 3 requires more setup upfront but removes your long-term dependency on Lovable's hosting infrastructure.
Common Issues
Changes aren't showing on the live site. Publishing is manual in Lovable. After making changes in the editor, go back to the Publish modal and click Update. Nothing deploys automatically.
DNS propagation seems to be taking forever. This is normal. Most domain connections resolve in under an hour, but up to 48 hours is possible. Log into your domain registrar and confirm the DNS records were saved correctly.
Can't find the GitHub export option. Look for "Transfer to GitHub" in the top-right area of the editor. If it's missing, check whether your plan includes GitHub integration. Not all Lovable plans include this feature.
What's Next
Once your Lovable app is live, you may want a separate marketing landing page: something that describes what the app does and drives signups or downloads. That page doesn't need to live inside Lovable. For a fast option, see How to Deploy a Website for Free, or use the AI website builder to generate and publish a landing page in under two minutes. For publishing directly from a Claude conversation, see How to Publish a Website from Claude.