How to cancel Squarespace but keep your domain
Your Squarespace site plan and your domain are two separate subscriptions. Here's how to leave without losing the address, and the order to do things in.
Quick answer
They're separate subscriptions — cancelling your site plan does not cancel your domain, and your domain stays registered until you cancel it or it expires. To move it: turn off Domain Lock, request the transfer authorisation code (it's emailed to the domain contact, usually within 24 hours), then start the transfer at your new registrar with that code. Be aware of the 60-day ICANN lock — you can't transfer within 60 days of registering a domain or of changing its contact details.
Do this in order
| Step | Why the order matters |
|---|---|
| 1. Export your content | Easiest while the site is still live |
| 2. Build the replacement | Avoids any window with no website |
| 3. Check the 60-day lock | Blocks transfer if recently registered/edited |
| 4. Unlock + get auth code | Code goes to the domain contact email |
| 5. Start transfer at new registrar | Transfer completes in ~5–7 days |
| 6. Point DNS, then cancel the site plan | Cancel last, never first |
Step-by-step
- 1
Know that the site plan and the domain are separate
This is the fact that removes most of the anxiety. Ending your Squarespace site plan does not automatically cancel your domain — they're billed and managed separately. You can cancel the website and leave the domain registered with Squarespace indefinitely, or move it elsewhere at your own pace. Nothing forces you to do both at once.
- 2
Export your content before you cancel anything
Squarespace offers an export that covers pages, blog posts and some other content, though it does not reproduce your design. Do this while the site is still live and you still have full access. Separately, save your images at full resolution — image assets are what people most often lose, and re-sourcing photography is the expensive part of any migration.
- 3
Check the 60-day lock before planning dates
ICANN rules require a 60-day lock after a domain is registered, and registrars also lock following a change to the registrant contact details. If you registered recently, or updated your name or email on the domain, a transfer will be refused until that window passes. Check first — discovering it mid-migration is how people end up with a gap between two sites.
- 4
Build the replacement before you switch anything over
Get the new site finished and previewable on a temporary address first. There is no reason to have a window where your business has no website, and search engines don't enjoy it either. When the new site is genuinely ready, you're changing where the domain points — a few minutes of work rather than a project.
- 5
Unlock the domain and request the transfer code
In Squarespace's domain settings, switch the Domain Lock toggle off, then click Request transfer code. The authorisation code is emailed to the contact address on the domain, normally within 24 hours. If it doesn't arrive, check that the contact email on the domain is one you can still access — an old address here is the most common blocker.
- 6
Start the transfer at your new registrar
At the registrar you're moving to, choose to transfer in a domain, enter the domain and the authorisation code, and pay the transfer fee — which normally adds a year to the registration rather than being a pure charge. Transfers typically complete within about five to seven days, and you'll get an approval email during the process that you need to act on.
- 7
Point the DNS, verify, then cancel the site plan last
Once the domain is under your control, point it at the new site and check it resolves on both the bare domain and the www version, with HTTPS working. Only after you've confirmed the new site is live on the real domain should you cancel the Squarespace subscription. Cancelling first is the one sequencing mistake that actually costs you downtime.
- 8
Set up redirects if your URLs changed
If page addresses differ between the old and new site, add 301 redirects from the old paths to the new ones. This preserves the search rankings you've already earned and stops customers with bookmarks hitting a 404. It's a short job that's easy to skip and expensive to skip.
Tips & best practices
- ▸Cancelling the site plan never cancels the domain. They're separate subscriptions.
- ▸The 60-day ICANN lock applies after registration and after registrant contact changes — check before you plan dates.
- ▸The auth code goes to the domain's contact email. Confirm you can still access it before starting.
- ▸Cancel the Squarespace plan last, after the new site is verified live on your domain.
- ▸Save full-resolution images separately — the content export doesn't preserve your design or all assets.
Common questions
Does cancelling Squarespace cancel my domain?
+−
No. Your site plan and your domain are separate subscriptions. Ending the site plan leaves the domain registered, and you can keep it with Squarespace or transfer it elsewhere whenever you choose. The domain only lapses if you cancel it specifically or let it expire.
How do I transfer a domain away from Squarespace?
+−
Turn off Domain Lock in your domain settings, click Request transfer code, and wait for the authorisation code to arrive by email at the domain's contact address — usually within 24 hours. Then start a transfer at your new registrar using that code. It typically completes within about five to seven days.
Why can't I transfer my Squarespace domain?
+−
Most often the 60-day lock. ICANN requires a 60-day hold after a domain is registered, and registrars also apply one after the registrant's contact details change. Other common causes are the domain still being locked, or the auth code going to an email address you no longer use.
Will my website go down if I cancel Squarespace?
+−
The Squarespace-hosted site stops being served when the plan ends, so build and verify the replacement first. If you point your domain at the new site and confirm it works before cancelling, there's no downtime at all. Cancelling first is what causes the gap.
Can I export my Squarespace site?
+−
Partially. Squarespace's export covers pages and blog content but not your design, and not everything transfers cleanly. Treat it as a way to recover your words rather than your site. Download full-resolution images separately — those are the assets that are genuinely painful to lose.