You can move a custom domain from one Squarespace site to another.
How you move your domain between sites depends on who hosts your domain:
- Squarespace domains move within our system.
- Third-party domains use a disconnect and reconnect process.
Before you begin
You’ll need to know who hosts your domain. If you aren’t certain of your domain host, visit Who’s my domain’s provider? To learn more about the difference between websites and domains, visit Web hosting vs. domain hosting.
Where a domain can move
The rules for what type of site a domain can move to depend on the domain’s provider:
Site type |
Squarespace domain |
Third-party domain |
A paid site |
|
|
A site on a Mobile Start plan |
|
|
|
|
|
A trial site |
|
|
An expired site |
|
|
If you’re moving a Squarespace domain, keep in mind:
- You can move a domain to a site paid for with a different currency. After moving the domain, its subscription price will be in the new site's currency.
- If you disabled your domain's auto-renew, it will remain disabled even after you moved the domain to a new site. The domain will expire while connected to the new site unless you turn auto-renew back on.
Free domains follow the Squarespace domain guidelines above. Note these details if you're moving a free domain:
- If the site you're moving your domain to is on a monthly plan or already has a free domain, we’ll create a $0 invoice for the domain on its new site.
- If you move your domain to a new site with an annual plan, we won't adjust your balance for the domain you already purchased, but you can register a new Squarespace domain for free.
To learn more about moving a free legacy domain, visit Squarespace domain renewals and expiration.
Move a Squarespace domain
If we host your domain, use the steps and information in this section to move your domain to a different site.
Before you begin, ensure that your Squarespace domain meets these requirements:
- The domain must be active. It's not possible to move an expired domain.
- You must be the site owner or have Administrator permissions on both sites.
- The sites must be on the same Squarespace account. If the site you're moving to isn't on your account, request to be added as a contributor with Administrator permissions. If an error message appears when accepting a contributor invitation, view our troubleshooting steps for help.
Tip: Start with the site where your domain is currently linked.
Step 1 - Find your domain in the Domains panel
- Open the Domains panel. Or:
- If there's a ☰ in the top-left corner, open that menu and click Domains.
- If you're moving a domain from a parking page, start by clicking the domain in your main menu.
- Click the domain you’d like to move.
Step 2 - Scroll down and click Move Domain to Another Site
- In the pop-up window, click the featured image of the site where the domain will move.
- Log into the new site, and click Confirm to complete the process.
Note: If you see a "There are no eligible sites to transfer a domain to on this account" message after clicking the Move Domain to Another Site button, you don’t have another site with an eligible website, domain, or Google Workspace subscription on your account. Review your sites in your account dashboard and upgrade your trial site or switch from your Mobile Start plan to a standard plan, if needed, before moving the domain.
Your domain should connect to the new site within 24-72 hours. After moving your domain, you can cancel service or change the billing plan for your other site, if needed. If you have a Google Workspace subscription attached to your domain, ensure it meets the requirements to move automatically.
Move a third-party domain
If you have a domain from another provider (like Namecheap or Google Domains) connected to a Squarespace site, follow the steps in this section.
If you’re leaving Squarespace, follow our steps for disconnecting the domain instead.
Step 1 - Unlink the domain
Start with the site connected to the domain you want to move.
- Open the Domains panel. Or, if there's a ☰ in the top-left corner, open that menu and click Domains.
- Click the domain you want to move, then click Disconnect Domain.
- Click Yes in the “Are you sure you want to disconnect this domain?” message.
- Click Okay in the confirmation message.
Step 2 - Link the domain to your new site
Log into the site you want to connect to the domain. If you manage multiple sites, you can return to the Home menu and click your account icon at the bottom to switch between sites.
- Open the Domains panel. Or, if there's a ☰ in the top-left corner, open that menu and click Domains.
- Click Use a Domain I Own.
- Enter the full domain name you’re linking in the Domain Name box, then click Continue.
- Click Connect From Provider.
Note: If you see a message that says "This domain is already connected to another Squarespace site," check other Squarespace sites you manage to see where the domain is connected. Then disconnect it from that site. For help logging into the correct site, visit Managing multiple sites.
- Select your domain provider from the drop-down menu. If you don’t see your domain provider, select Other, and click Connect Domain.
- If your domain provider uses an automatic connection process, log into your account and click Connect in the message from your provider.
- You'll see a Connecting in Progress message. Click Okay to continue.
- If your domain uses a manual connection process, a new panel will open showing the records to enter in your domain provider’s account. Since your domain was previously connected to Squarespace, you’ll only need to update the unique CNAME so it connects to the new site.
Step 3 - Update the CNAME Record
Tip: If your domain is hosted by GoDaddy, Google, or Hover, you can skip this step. These providers connect domains to Squarespace automatically.
Use the following steps to finish moving your domain:
- In the first line of your Squarespace DNS settings, copy the unique code that appears directly below the Host column.
- Log into your domain account.
- Find where you manage your DNS settings. Depending on your provider, this may be called Zone File Settings, DNS Manager, or something similar.
- Find the CNAME Record with verify.squarespace.com in the Points To field.
- Replace the text in the Alias field with the new code that you copied from the Domains panel.
- Don't change any other fields or records.
- Save your changes.
If all records are entered correctly, your domain should connect to your site within 24 hours. At times, it can take up to 72 hours. Visit the Domains panel at any time to check your progress.
After moving your domain, you can move your Google Workspace subscription to the new site. You may also want to cancel service or change the billing plan for your other site, if needed.
Move your Google Workspace subscription
When you move your domain to a new site, you can also move over that domain’s linked Google Workspace subscription, as long as the new site doesn’t already have a Google Workspace account. It’s not possible to have two active Google Workspace subscriptions on one site.
If you’re moving a Squarespace domain, your Google Workspace subscription will move over to the new site automatically. To ensure this happens smoothly, confirm that your Google Workspace account is active. If the account is suspended, you can go through all the steps to move your domain, but neither the domain nor the Google Workspace account will actually move.
If you have a third-party domain, you must first complete the steps above to move your domain, and then contact us to request the Google Workspace transfer. Include the following information with your request:
- Current Squarespace site URL
- Squarespace site URL of the site you're moving to
- Custom domain name
- Full name and last four digits of the credit card(s) on file for each site
Other subscriptions
You can't move Email Campaigns, Member Areas, or Scheduling subscriptions to a different site. If you have any of these add-on subscriptions on your old site, you'll need to cancel and repurchase them on the new site.
Troubleshooting
If you have trouble moving your domain, try these steps.
Squarespace domain troubleshooting
If there’s a problem moving your domain, a "Your domain can’t be moved because of an issue on our end” error message appears. To proceed, check the email associated with your site. You'll receive more information and next steps in an email from customercare@squarespace.com with the subject "Error moving your domain." If you can't find this email, contact Customer Support and include the information in the Getting more help section.
Third-party domain troubleshooting
Visit our provider-specific guides for detailed steps on editing CNAME records in popular domain providers.
Review our domain connection troubleshooting steps when updating your CNAME.
More help
If you’re having trouble with any of these steps, email us using the email address listed as the Owner Contact for the domain, and include the following information:
- Current Squarespace site URL (like yoursite.squarespace.com)
- Squarespace site URL of the site you're moving the domain to
- Custom domain name
- How much of the process you’ve completed
After we confirm your information, we'll help you complete the process.
You can also get advice from the community in the Squarespace Forum or hire a Squarespace Expert to move your domain for you.