How to transfer a domain to another registrar without losing your website or email

A domain transfer sounds risky, but the paperwork is short. You unlock the domain, copy a code, pay a fee and approve one request.

What goes wrong is rarely the transfer itself. It is the things around it: a lock you did not know about, a privacy plan that blocks release, or DNS records that nobody copied down.

I have not run every transfer below myself. This guide is researched from Cloudflare's developer docs, Namecheap's published GoDaddy walkthrough, registrar help pages and 2026 price trackers. Where sources disagree, I say so.

If you are still choosing where to move, start with our best domain registrar guide and the small business registrar comparison. This article is about the move itself.

The short answer

Check four things before you start: the domain is older than 60 days, you have not changed the registrant name or email in the last 60 days, privacy protection is off, and you have a copy of your DNS records.

Then unlock the domain, request the auth code, enter it at the new registrar and approve the transfer. Expect 5 to 7 days without approval, and about 15 minutes with it.

A .com transfer costs about $10 to $12 at Cloudflare, Porkbun, Namecheap and Hostinger. The fee normally buys one more year of registration.

What a transfer actually does

A transfer moves the registration of your domain from one company to another. It does not move your website, your hosting or your email.

Those three live elsewhere. The registrar holds the name, the DNS host answers lookups for it, and the web host and mail host hold your content and inboxes.

That is why nameservers matter. During a transfer the nameservers stay the same, so a site on hosting DNS or an external DNS provider keeps working.

Namecheap's GoDaddy guide spells out the one exception. If the domain uses GoDaddy's default nameservers, the site goes down after the move until you point it to the new registrar's DNS.

Before you start: the 60-day rules

ICANN's transfer policy lets a registrar refuse a transfer in three situations. The domain is less than 60 days old, it was transferred in the last 60 days, or the registrant details changed recently.

On the third one, registrars read the rule differently. Cloudflare says a change to the registrant name, organization or email triggers a 60-day lock. Namecheap's guide says the same for GoDaddy, and adds that other contact changes should not.

Namecheap suggests two ways to avoid the lock. Update your contact info at the new registrar after the transfer, or change the administrative contact at the old one instead.

If the lock is already on, there is sometimes a way out. GoDaddy lets you opt out by email, but only if Domain Privacy is off first. Not every registrar offers this.

One more item to watch. NiceNIC reported in September 2026 that ICANN's board approved 47 Transfer Policy Review recommendations in June 2026, with implementation still pending. The rules above are current for now, but check ICANN's site if you read this much later.

Step 1: Back up your DNS records

Do this before you touch anything. Open your DNS panel and copy every record into a text file or take screenshots.

The records that break things when they go missing are the email ones. Guides from several registrars name MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and verification TXT records as the ones to keep.

Also copy A and CNAME records for the site, any CAA records, and anything for a CDN or third-party service. A single forgotten MX record is the most common reason email stops after a move.

If you plan to change DNS providers at the same time, lower the TTL on your key records to 300 seconds at least 24 to 48 hours ahead. That is a standard tip from transfer checklists, and it makes any later change take effect faster.

Our registrar-with-email guide has more on how registrar mailboxes behave when a domain leaves. If your mailbox is hosted by the registrar, check that it survives the move before you start.

Step 2: Unlock the domain and turn off privacy

Log in to the current registrar and turn off the registrar lock. The status you are removing is called ClientTransferProhibited.

Then deal with privacy. GoDaddy declines transfers while a privacy plan is active, so you have to switch it off first.

Namecheap's walkthrough gives two routes at GoDaddy. If you pay for a protection plan, downgrade it to Basic Privacy Protection. If it is a Domains By Proxy plan, open the domain settings and set Domain Privacy to Off.

Cancelling Private Registration at GoDaddy cannot be undone. If you stay with GoDaddy later, you would have to buy it again.

Your WHOIS details will be visible to the public until the new registrar turns its own privacy on. Most of the registrars in the table below include free WHOIS privacy, so the gap is short.

Step 3: Get the auth code

The auth code is a case-sensitive password for your domain. It is also called an EPP code, a transfer code or an authorization code.

Request it from the current registrar. At GoDaddy, go to My Account, then Domains, open the domain, choose Transfer to Another Registrar and click to see the authorization code. GoDaddy also emails it to the administrative contact.

Copy and paste the code. Typing it by hand is how people end up with a rejected transfer.

Codes can expire or be invalidated if the domain's information changes after the code was issued. NameSilo's summary of the newer ICANN transfer authorization code standard says a code should typically stay valid for at least 30 days, but you should not sit on one.

Step 4: Start the transfer at the new registrar

Create an account at the destination, enter the domain and paste the code. You pay the transfer fee at this point.

Cloudflare adds a few requirements. You need a verified email and a payment method, and Cloudflare must serve as the authoritative DNS. You also have to disable DNSSEC at the old registrar and wait at least 24 hours before changing nameservers.

Cloudflare also cannot take certain domains directly. Domains from platforms like Shopify that do not allow nameserver changes have to move to another registrar first. Cloudflare's docs describe a 60-day workaround for that case.

Namecheap, Porkbun and Hostinger have simpler flows. You enter the domain and code, and the registrar starts the request with the registry. Namecheap says that usually happens within 20 minutes.

Step 5: Approve the transfer

After the gaining registrar submits the request, the old registrar has five calendar days to approve or deny it. If it does nothing, the transfer goes through on its own.

You do not have to wait. Namecheap's guide says to open the Transfers Out area at GoDaddy, select the domain and click Approve Transfer. The request is then processed within about 15 minutes.

Watch your email during this window. You get a notice when the transfer starts, another from the losing registrar saying a transfer was requested, and a third when it finishes.

Those notices are also your safety net. If you receive a transfer request you did not start, cancel it from the old registrar's dashboard right away.

Step 6: Check everything after the move

When the status shows complete, run through a short checklist. Load the website, send and receive a test email, and confirm your DNS records match the file you saved.

Then set the things the transfer may have reset. Turn on auto-renew, turn WHOIS privacy on, re-enable DNSSEC if you use it, and enable two-factor authentication on the new account.

Finally, update the registrant contact if you wanted to change it. Do it now, after the transfer, so it does not trigger a lock on the way out.

What a transfer costs: four destinations

Here is a rough 3-year cost for a .com, assuming the transfer fee adds one year and you pay two renewals after that. Figures come from price trackers dated May to July 2026 and Cloudflare's documentation.

Destination	Transfer fee (.com)	Renewal (.com)	3-year total
Cloudflare	about $10.46 to $11.17	same, at cost	about $31 to $34
Porkbun	$10.08	$11.08	about $32
Namecheap	$10.91 to $11.68	$14.78	about $40 to $41
Hostinger	$9.99	$19.99	about $50

Cloudflare's price is at cost with no markup, and its docs confirm most transfers add one year. The $10.46 figure comes from comparison sites, and one says a $0.20 ICANN fee pushes the at-cost number to $11.17.

Porkbun's $10.08 figure is a May 2026 tracker listing that comes with a promo code limited to three per customer. Its regular .com renewal is listed at $11.08.

Namecheap's two sources disagree. tldes.com lists $11.68 and domainoffer.net lists $10.91, a difference of about $0.77. Its renewal is listed at $14.78.

Hostinger's transfer is the cheapest on paper at $9.99, but its renewal is listed at $19.99. Over three years it is the most expensive of the four.

None of the trackers confirmed whether every registrar bundles a year with the .com transfer. Cloudflare's own docs do. Check the checkout summary for the others before you pay.

Our Namecheap vs GoDaddy comparison covers what the two charge for renewals, which is where most transfers start.

Special cases worth knowing

Domains on site builders and storefront platforms are the awkward ones. Cloudflare's docs say platforms like Shopify and Block do not allow nameserver changes, so you cannot move straight to Cloudflare Registrar.

The workaround is slow but it works. Move the domain to an ordinary registrar first, point it at Cloudflare DNS, wait 60 days, then transfer it to Cloudflare Registrar.

Country-code domains follow their own rules. Cloudflare says some of them, such as .uk, have no transfer fee, and a few take up to 10 days instead of 5. Check the registry's terms before you plan around a date.

If you hold several domains, move them in batches rather than all at once. Cloudflare suggests warning your bank, since multiple charges in a row can trigger a fraud alert and stall the payment.

Buying a domain for a store: why timing matters

If you run an online store, avoid transferring during a sale or a launch. A mistake with DNS or email costs more on a busy week than any renewal saving.

Pick a quiet stretch, give yourself a week of margin, and keep the old registrar account open until the transfer shows complete.

Common failures and how to fix them

Most rejected transfers trace back to a short list of causes. Here is what each looks like and what to do.

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Transfer refused immediately	Registrar lock still on	Turn off the lock at the old registrar
"Invalid auth code"	Typo, expired or reissued code	Request a new code and paste it
Declined at GoDaddy	Privacy plan is active	Downgrade or switch off privacy first
Blocked for 60 days	New domain, recent transfer or registrant change	Wait, or ask the registrar about an opt-out
Domain placed on hold	Registrant email not verified with ICANN	Verify the email, then retry
Site down after transfer	Default nameservers at old registrar	Point nameservers to the new DNS
Email stops	MX, SPF or DKIM records missing	Re-add the records from your backup

The email verification issue is easy to miss. Cloudflare's docs warn that an unverified registrant email can put a domain on hold with parking nameservers, which takes the site offline.

Who should transfer, and who should wait

Transfer if you pay a high renewal and a cheaper registrar exists. The gap adds up: Hostinger's listed $19.99 renewal against Porkbun's $11.08 is almost $9 a year per domain.

Transfer if you want everything in one place, such as DNS, registration and mail at one company. Cloudflare in particular suits people who want DNS and registration together.

Wait if the domain is inside the 60-day window. Wait if it expires within days, because an expired domain must be renewed before it can move.

Wait, or move carefully, if the domain carries a business email. Copy the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records first, and do not change nameservers during the transfer.

Do not transfer in a hurry if you only need a lower price this year. Many registrars have first-year sales that make a new registration cheaper than a transfer, but the renewal can jump later, so compare the renewal rate too.

If you are not sure you need to move at all, the simpler fix is to stay put and turn off auto-renew on extras you do not use. A transfer is worth doing when the savings are real and the domain is stable.

A short pre-flight checklist

Before you click submit, run through this list. It takes about five minutes and catches most failures.

• The domain is more than 60 days old and was not transferred in the last 60 days
• The registrant name, organization and email have not changed in the last 60 days
• The registrant email is verified and you can open it
• The registrar lock is off and any privacy plan is cancelled
• You have the auth code, copied and not retyped
• You saved a full copy of your DNS records, including MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC
• DNSSEC is off if you are moving to Cloudflare
• You know whether your domain uses default nameservers or external DNS

If every box is ticked, the transfer is mostly waiting. The work is the 15 minutes at the start and the five-minute check at the end.