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How to transfer a domain to another registrar

SiteSmith · · 4 min read

Transferring a domain name means moving it from the company you pay for it now to a different one. You unlock it at the current registrar, get its authorization code, start the transfer at the new registrar and approve it; the whole thing usually finishes in about a week. A transfer changes who you pay. It does not by itself move your website or your email, and if you do the steps in the right order, neither one goes down.

First, are you sure you need to transfer?

Owners often transfer a domain because they are getting a new website, and that is not necessary. You can leave the domain where it is and point it at the new site by changing a couple of settings. That takes minutes rather than days and carries less risk. Keeping your domain where it is and pointing it explains how.

Good reasons to transfer:

  • The renewal price at your current registrar has crept up far above what others charge.
  • You want all your domains in one account you control.
  • Your current registrar keeps pushing add-ons or makes simple settings hard to find.
  • The domain sits in someone else's account and you want a clean start in your own.

Before you start: four checks

  1. The domain is old enough. A domain usually cannot move within 60 days of being registered or last transferred. Changing the owner's name or email can also trigger a 60-day hold. Domain transfer locks explains each one.
  2. It is not about to expire. If the expiration date is within a couple of weeks, renew first at the current registrar, or start the transfer straight away. Transferring a domain that is already expired gets complicated.
  3. You can read the owner's email. Approval and code emails often go to the registrant email on the domain. If it is an old address, update it first, and say no to any 60-day lock offer while you do.
  4. You know where your DNS is. This is the most important check, and the next section explains why.

Protect your website and email before anything moves

Your website and email work because of DNS records, a short list of settings that tell the internet where your site and your mail live. Those records are kept by whichever company your domain's nameservers point to.

Look up your domain on ICANN's lookup tool and read the nameservers line:

  • If the nameservers belong to another company (Cloudflare, your website builder, your hosting company), your DNS lives there and the transfer will not touch it. Good.
  • If the nameservers belong to the registrar you are leaving, your records may stop being served when the domain leaves. Before you start, copy every record across to the new registrar's DNS, or to another DNS provider, and make sure they match.

Either way, take screenshots of every DNS record now. Pay special attention to the records for email: MX records, and TXT records that start with "v=spf1". If email is what keeps your business running, read why changing your website can break email before going further.

The transfer, step by step

Step 1: Switch off the lock at the current registrar

In your domain's settings, find the setting usually called Domain Lock, Transfer Lock or Registrar Lock, and turn it off. It may take a few minutes to update.

Step 2: Get the authorization code

Also in the domain's settings, look for "Transfer out", "Transfer away" or "Get authorization code". Some registrars show the code on screen, others email it to the owner's address. It is a string of letters, numbers and symbols. What an EPP or authorization code is has more on finding it.

Step 3: Start the transfer at the new registrar

On the new registrar's site, choose "Transfer a domain", type your domain, paste the code and pay. For most endings the price includes one extra year added to your current expiration date, so you lose no time you already paid for.

Step 4: Approve it

Watch the owner's inbox. You may get an email from the new registrar asking you to confirm, and one from the old registrar announcing the transfer. The old registrar's email often includes a link to approve it right away. If you do nothing, most transfers complete automatically after about five days.

Step 5: Check everything once it lands

  • The domain shows in your new account with the right expiration date.
  • The DNS records match your screenshots, record for record.
  • Your website opens, both with and without "www", on your phone with Wi-Fi off.
  • Email arrives: send yourself a test from a personal account and reply to it.
  • Auto-renew is on and the transfer lock is back on.

What does not come with the domain

A transfer moves only the domain registration. These things stay behind:

  • Email mailboxes bought from the old registrar. If your email is a mailbox package from the company you are leaving, it is a separate subscription. Move it to a new email provider before or right after the transfer, or keep paying the old company for it.
  • Website builder or hosting plans with the old company.
  • Paid privacy or protection add-ons. The new registrar has its own, often at no charge.
  • Domain forwarding rules set up at the old registrar.

Once everything works at the new registrar, log in to the old one and cancel anything left that would still renew.

What to do this week

  • Look up your domain: note the registrar, the expiration date and the nameservers.
  • Screenshot every DNS record, especially the email ones.
  • Make sure the owner email on the domain is one you read today.
  • Decide whether you actually need a transfer, or only need to point the domain.
  • If you do transfer, unlock, get the code and start it early in the week so approvals do not sit over a weekend.

If the reason behind all this is a website that no longer represents your business, you can see your site rebuilt first and move or point the domain only once you like what you see.

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