How to move your domain to a new provider
Moving a domain means changing which company manages the name for you. Done carefully, your website and email never notice. Done in a rush, you can knock yourself offline for a day. Here's the careful way.
Before you start
- Unlock the domain at your current provider and ask for the transfer code (sometimes called an auth or EPP code).
- Turn off privacy protection temporarily if the transfer needs it — some do.
- Write down your current DNS records first, so nothing is lost. This is the step people skip, and it's the one that causes the outage.
During the move
Start the transfer at the new provider with the code, approve the confirmation email, and wait. A transfer can take a few days by design. Keep your DNS records identical on both ends until it completes, so the site and email keep answering throughout.
After
Confirm every record came across, re-enable privacy protection, and lock the domain again.
We move domains for clients as part of a website build, including copying the DNS so there's no gap. If you'd rather hand it over, just ask.