Transfer a Domain to Another Registrar

This guide explains how to transfer a domain registered with WordPress.com to another provider (known as a registrar), such as GoDaddy or 1&1.

In this guide

1. Before You Get Started
2. Step 1: Prepare the Domain Transfer
3. Step 2: Initiate the Transfer With Your New Registrar
4. Step 3: Wait for the Transfer to Complete
5. Cancel Your Domain Transfer
6. Domain Transfers and Privacy

Before You Get Started

Domain transfers can take anywhere from five to seven days to complete. If you would like your domain to start working with your new provider sooner than that, you can first change the name servers to the new host before starting with the transfer. Once the transfer is initiated, name servers, DNS records, and domain contact details can only be edited when the transfer is finished.

As per industry-wide domain regulations, it must be at least 60 days since the domain was registered or last transferred before you can transfer it. If it has been fewer than 60 days, you can change the name servers to connect your domain to another service until it is eligible for transfer.

Step 1: Prepare the Domain Transfer

Follow these steps to prepare your domain for transfer:

1. Visit your site’s dashboard.
2. Navigate to Upgrades → Domains to find a list of all domains associated with your site.
3. Click on the registered domain that you wish to transfer.
4. Click on the Transfer button.
   • If you don’t have this option, ensure the domain is owned by you and not by another admin on the site. Only the owner can transfer their domain.
5. Under the Advanced Options section, click on the toggle option for Transfer lock on to disable the transfer lock:

Here, the transfer lock is on. Click the toggle to turn it off.

6. Click the Get authorization code button. This code may be referred to as an “auth code” or “EPP code” by your new registrar.
7. A banner message at the top of the screen confirms that the transfer code has been sent to your email. Please allow up to 15 minutes for the email with the code to arrive.
   • The code is sent to the email address you have provided in the domain contact details, which may differ from the email address you use for your WordPress.com account.
   • If you no longer have access to this email address, follow these instructions to update the contact information for your domain, then re-send yourself the code.

⚠️

Certain country-specific domain extensions require a longer wait time to receive your code. Codes for .com.br and .net.br domains (Brazil) are sent within 72 hours. Codes for .nl domains (The Netherlands) are typically sent within a week.

Step 2: Initiate the Transfer With Your New Registrar

Once you have the authorization code, visit your new registrar’s website to provide them with the code and start the transfer.

We’ve listed instructions from popular domain providers below.

Instructions for common domain providers (click to reveal)

• 1&1
• BlueHost
• DreamHost
• GoDaddy

• inMotion
• Namecheap
• Register.com
• Squarespace

Once the new registrar accepts the authorization code, you cannot make any changes to the domain, such as editing DNS records. If you need to make any changes, cancel the transfer, make the changes, and then restart the transfer.

Step 3: Wait for the Transfer to Complete

Once you confirm the transfer, most TLDs have a five-day waiting period until the transfer processes and your domain is moved to your new provider. Shortly after you initiate the transfer, we will send an email to the registrant’s email address with a link to confirm or cancel the transfer. By confirming the transfer, the transfer will be processed sooner than 5 days (and often within the same day.)

⚠️

Do not cancel your domain at any point in this process. If you cancel the domain, you will immediately cease to be the owner and the transfer will fail. Once the transfer completes, the domain will automatically be removed from your WordPress.com account.

Cancel Your Domain Transfer

If you wish to stop the domain transfer, check for the email sent to the registrant’s email address which will include an option to cancel the transfer. You may also cancel the transfer via your new provider’s website or by contacting their support team.

In addition, prevent an unwanted transfer by re-locking the domain you unlocked in Step 1:

Here, the transfer lock is off. Click the toggle to turn it on.

Domain Transfers and Privacy

Most domain names registered at WordPress.com have GDPR protection, which means registrant contact information is not visible publicly, regardless of whether or not the domain has Privacy Protection in place. For these domains, disabling privacy will not result in contact info being publicly published.

For some domains, contact information for non-EU owners will be publicly accessible with privacy disabled.

You can see our Register a domain support document for more details on GDPR and private registration, including information on how your domain’s registrant contact information will be presented in public WHOIS.