// transfer guide
how to transfer a domain away from Squarespace Domains.
The actual steps, the gotchas that stop people halfway, and an honest answer on whether moving is worth it for your domains.
read these first
- Squarespace acquired Google Domains in 2023 and the registrations migrated automatically. a lot of those owners never chose Squarespace and don't realise they're free to leave — you are, and the domain is yours regardless of where it's parked.
- a domain that came free with a Squarespace site plan usually can't be transferred out during its first year. check that restriction before planning around a move.
- transferring the registration away doesn't cancel your Squarespace site, but the domain stops resolving to it unless you recreate the DNS records at the new registrar.
step by step.
- sign in to the Squarespace domains dashboard, open the Domains panel and select the domain.
- open the domain's settings and look for the transfer controls — Squarespace keeps the lock and the auth code request on the domain's own detail page rather than in account-level settings.
- switch off the transfer lock (you may see it labelled "Domain lock" or "Transfer lock" depending on the view).
- if the auth code email doesn't arrive, turn WHOIS privacy off — privacy masks the registrant address the code is sent to.
- confirm the registrant contact email is current and reachable.
- request the auth code and check the registrant inbox.
- if the domain currently points at a Squarespace site, write down the DNS records you need and recreate them at the new registrar before the transfer completes, so nothing drops.
- enter the code at the gaining registrar and approve Squarespace's release email.
is it worth it?.
prices verified 10 August 2026 · methodology
Here is where Squarespace Domains sits against the cheapest registrar we track, on the TLDs where the gap is widest. If none of your domains are on this list, the transfer probably is not worth your afternoon.
| TLD | Squarespace Domains | cheapest we track | saving / yr | over 5 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .ai | £95.00 | Cloudflare £58.00 | £37.00 | £185.00 |
| .io | £52.00 | Dynadot £32.00 | £20.00 | £100.00 |
| .co | £30.00 | Cloudflare £11.49 | £18.51 | £92.55 |
| .me | £24.00 | Porkbun £13.64 | £10.36 | £51.80 |
| .app | £16.00 | Cloudflare £8.57 | £7.43 | £37.15 |
| .dev | £14.00 | Cloudflare £8.57 | £5.43 | £27.15 |
| .org | £14.00 | Porkbun £9.35 | £4.65 | £23.25 |
| .net | £14.00 | Porkbun £9.89 | £4.11 | £20.55 |
where to move it
There is no single right answer, because registrars price per TLD — the cheapest place for a .com is often not the cheapest for a .io. The honest approach is to check the TLD you are actually moving: browse renewal prices by TLD, or use the free price check on the exact domain.
One more thing worth doing before you transfer anything: confirm which registrar the domain is really at. Reseller and wholesale arrangements mean the name in a WHOIS record is often not the company billing you. The registrar lookup reads it straight from the registry.
questions people actually ask.
How long does a transfer away from Squarespace Domains take?
Usually five to seven days. Once you submit the auth code at the new registrar, the losing registrar has five days to release the domain — approving the confirmation email yourself skips most of that wait. The domain keeps resolving throughout, provided you do not change nameservers mid-transfer.
Does transferring away from Squarespace Domains cost money?
The gaining registrar charges one year's renewal to accept the transfer, and that year is added to your existing expiry rather than replacing it. So you are prepaying a year you were going to buy anyway, at the new registrar's price. Most registrars, including this one, do not charge a separate outbound fee.
Will my website or email go down during the transfer?
No, as long as you leave the nameservers alone. A registrar transfer moves who bills you and who manages the registration; it does not touch DNS records by itself. Change nameservers before or well after the transfer, never during it.
Why can't I transfer my domain yet?
ICANN blocks transfers for 60 days after a domain is registered, after a previous transfer, and after a change to the registrant contact details. If you have just edited the registrant name or email, that clock has probably restarted. There is no way to shorten it — you wait it out.
// stop checking one at a time
find every domain worth moving, in one pass.
Doing this domain by domain is how people give up halfway. Owndle imports your whole portfolio, works out the gap on each one, and ranks them by how much moving would actually save — then alerts you before each renewal so nothing lapses in the meantime.
start free — 10 domains →// no card · magic-link sign-in · alerts at 90/30/7/1 days