How to transfer your domain away from Squarespace
Step by step, from Squarespace's own instructions: unlocking the domain, getting the transfer code, the locks that can stop you, and what to copy first so your website and email keep working.
Short answer: first copy your DNS records and turn off DNSSEC. Then, in Squarespace's domains dashboard, open the domain, turn Domain Lock off and click Request transfer code. Squarespace emails the code to the registrant contact within 24 hours.
Start the transfer at the new registrar with that code. It can take up to 15 days. It's blocked for 60 days after the domain is registered, transferred in, or has its contact details changed.
This applies to domains bought from Squarespace and to former Google Domains names: Squarespace acquired Google Domains registrations and their customer accounts on September 7, 2023, so those domains are now managed in Squarespace (Squarespace: about the Google Domains migration). Everything below is from Squarespace's own transfer guide unless another source is linked.
Before you start: three things that prevent a broken site and lost email
- Copy your DNS records. Screenshot or export every record (A, CNAME, MX, TXT) from the domain's DNS settings. Squarespace warns that most providers won't keep them, and you can't edit DNS while a transfer is pending.
- Turn off DNSSEC if it's on. Squarespace can't enable or disable it during a pending transfer.
- Check the registrant contact email is one you can read today. The transfer code and the confirmation emails go there. Note that changing the registrant details starts a 60-day lock, so update the email only if you must.
If you use Google Workspace email through Squarespace, plan to re-add its MX records at the new provider straight after the transfer. You can keep paying for Workspace through Squarespace.
Step by step
- Go to your Squarespace domains dashboard and click the domain.
- Scroll down and turn the Domain Lock toggle off. If you see "Can't unlock domain", a 60-day lock applies (see below).
- Click Request transfer code, re-enter your password or two-factor code, click Continue, then Ok.
- Wait for the email from [email protected] with the subject "Auth code for [your domain]". It arrives within 24 hours. If you request the code twice, only the newest one works.
- At your new registrar, start a transfer-in and enter the code.
- Watch for a confirmation email. Depending on which registrar Squarespace uses for your domain, you may be asked to confirm, or given five days to reject the transfer; doing nothing lets it proceed.
- Once the transfer completes, re-create your DNS records at the new provider and test the website and email.
You can cancel only before you give the code to the new provider. A domain that expired within the last 30 days, with no lock on it, can still be transferred.
Why a transfer gets blocked: the 60-day locks
| Lock | Starts when | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Registration lock | The domain is newly registered | 60 days |
| Contact-update lock | You change the registrant contact details | 60 days |
| Transfer lock | The domain was transferred in to Squarespace | 60 days |
These follow ICANN's Transfer Policy, which lets a registrar refuse a transfer within 60 days of registration or of a previous transfer, and requires a 60-day lock after a change of registrant unless the registrant opted out (ICANN Transfer Policy). In June 2026 ICANN's Board adopted changes that will shorten these windows to 30 days and drop the lock after a registrant change, but they don't have an effective date yet, so 60 days is still the rule (ICANN Board resolution, June 7, 2026).
While a lock runs, you don't have to wait to move your website. You can point the domain at your new site from Squarespace's DNS settings instead (Squarespace: pointing a domain).
Moving to Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap or Shopify
| New registrar | What to know |
|---|---|
| Cloudflare | The domain must already use Cloudflare for DNS (full setup) before you can transfer it. Disable DNSSEC at the old registrar 24 hours before changing nameservers. Pricing is at cost, and the transfer takes up to 10 days (Cloudflare). |
| GoDaddy | Most transfers take 5 to 7 days; you keep the remaining time and get another year added (GoDaddy). |
| Namecheap | Pending transfers auto-confirm within 5 days, plus 24 to 48 hours at the registry (Namecheap). |
| Shopify | Your Shopify account email can't be on the domain you're moving. Shopify doesn't copy custom DNS records, and a transfer can take up to 20 days (Shopify). |
For most domains, such as .com, the transfer adds a year to your existing expiry date, so you don't lose the time you've paid for. If the domain came free with a Squarespace site plan, that free offer doesn't carry over.
Keeping your Squarespace website, or leaving it
Transferring the domain "doesn't move your site hosting to your new provider or cancel your current Squarespace site". If you're keeping the site on Squarespace, connect the domain back to it from the new registrar using Squarespace's third-party domain records. If you're leaving Squarespace, cancel the site subscription separately once the new site is live. Our guide to moving off Squarespace or Wix covers what you can export and the redirects that keep your Google rankings.
Keeping your email working
Email depends on the domain's MX records, and those live wherever the domain's DNS is managed. After the transfer, add the MX records for your email provider at the new registrar. For Google Workspace, Google's admin help says to update the new host's records once the transfer completes (Google Workspace admin help). Re-add your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records too, or mail starts landing in spam: see SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
Sources
- Squarespace: transferring a domain away from Squarespace
- Squarespace: about the Google Domains migration
- ICANN: Transfer Policy and Board resolution of June 7, 2026
- Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap and Shopify transfer guides
- Google Workspace: transfer your domain to another host
Common questions
How do I get my transfer code from Squarespace?
In your Squarespace domains dashboard, open the domain, turn off Domain Lock, then click Request transfer code and confirm with your password. Squarespace emails the code to the domain's registrant contact email within 24 hours.
Why can't I unlock my Squarespace domain?
One of three 60-day locks applies: the domain was registered in the last 60 days, its registrant contact details were changed in the last 60 days, or it was transferred in during the last 60 days. Until it ends, you can point the domain at your new site instead of transferring it.
How long does a Squarespace domain transfer take?
Squarespace says up to 15 days. If nothing has happened after 7 business days, contact the provider you're moving to.
Will transferring my domain take down my Squarespace website?
Moving the domain doesn't move or cancel the Squarespace site, but the domain's DNS moves with it. Re-create your DNS records at the new provider, or the site and email stop working at that address. If you're leaving Squarespace, cancel the site subscription separately.
I had Google Domains. How do I transfer my domain?
Squarespace took over Google Domains registrations on September 7, 2023, so former Google Domains names are now managed in your Squarespace account and transfer out the same way as any other Squarespace domain.
Do I keep the time left on my domain registration?
Yes, for most domains such as .com: transferring to a new registrar adds a year to the current expiry date rather than replacing it, as Cloudflare, GoDaddy and Shopify each state. Some country-code domains, such as .uk, work differently.
Do I need to turn off Whois privacy first?
Squarespace says you don't need to disable Whois privacy to transfer a domain, though some providers' older flows still ask for it. Make sure the registrant email is one you can read, because transfer emails go there.
Rather not risk your email? We move domains, DNS and email for businesses, one domain or a portfolio, and manage them afterwards so renewals and records never lapse. See web development and managed hosting, book a free discovery call or call (914) 222-3310.