How to transfer or point a .co.uk or .com domain name

Transfer or point: two different jobs

When people say they want to "move their domain", they usually mean one of two things, and mixing them up causes most of the problems.

• Pointing the domain means leaving it registered where it is and changing its DNS records so that visitors reach your new website. The domain stays with your current registrar and you keep paying them for renewal.
• Transferring the domain means moving the registration itself to a different registrar, so they handle the renewal and the settings from then on.

To launch a new website on an existing domain you nearly always only need to point it. A transfer is worth doing when your current registrar is hard to use, expensive to renew with, or tied to an old supplier you want to leave behind. You can point first and transfer later, or never.

Before you touch anything: find out what you have

Ten minutes of checking now saves a lot of stress.

1. Who is the registrar? Search your email for the renewal reminder, or use a WHOIS lookup. For .co.uk domains the registry is Nominet, and the record shows the registrar.
2. Who controls the login? If a former web designer registered it in their own account or name, get it moved into yours first. The domain should be registered to you or your business.
3. Where is the DNS hosted? Sometimes DNS is managed at the registrar, sometimes at your old web host or a separate service. Changes have to be made wherever the DNS actually lives.
4. What else uses the domain? Email is the big one. Also check for records used by online booking tools, email marketing services or Microsoft or Google verification.
5. When does it expire? Do not start a transfer days before expiry. Renew first if it is close.

Take a screenshot or export of every existing DNS record before you change anything. If something breaks, you can put it back.

How to point a domain at a new website

Your new website provider will tell you which records to set. It is usually one of these:

• An A record for the bare domain (yourbusiness.co.uk) pointing to an IP address.
• A CNAME record for the www version pointing to a host name.
• Or, less often, a change of nameservers, which hands the whole DNS zone to the new provider.

Changing individual records is the safer option for most small businesses, because your email records stay exactly where they are. Changing nameservers moves everything, so any email records must be recreated at the new provider first or your email will stop arriving.

After the change, allow time for it to spread. Some visitors may see the old site and some the new one for a while. Do not cancel your old hosting until the new site is showing everywhere and you have tested the contact form.

How to transfer the registration itself

If you have decided a full transfer is worth it, the process depends on the ending of the domain.

Transferring a .co.uk domain

.co.uk domains do not use the transfer codes that .com domains use. Instead, each registrar has an identifier called an IPS tag.

1. Ask your new registrar for their IPS tag.
2. Log in to your current registrar and change the domain's IPS tag to the new one. Some registrars let you do this yourself; others need you to ask support.
3. The new registrar accepts the domain into their account. Depending on the registrar, there may be no fee for the move itself, but renewal terms apply from then on.

Nominet's own site explains the process. Because the DNS settings may or may not travel with the domain, check the records after the move.

Transferring a .com domain

1. At your current registrar, unlock the domain (often called registrar lock or transfer lock).
2. Request the authorisation code, sometimes called an EPP or auth code.
3. Make sure the contact email on the domain is one you can read, because approval emails go there.
4. Start the transfer at the new registrar and enter the code. A transfer often includes a year's renewal, so check the new registrar's current pricing.
5. Approve any confirmation emails. The transfer can take several days to complete.

Domains are commonly locked against transfer for a period after registration or a previous transfer. If you are refused, ask your registrar when the domain becomes eligible.

Pitfalls that catch people out

Pitfall	What happens	How to avoid it
Changing nameservers without copying MX records	Email stops arriving	Recreate every email record at the new DNS host first
Domain registered to an old designer	You cannot approve the move	Get ownership moved to you before anything else
Cancelling old hosting too early	Site or email goes offline	Wait until the new setup is confirmed working
Forgetting the www version	One address works, the other does not	Test both, with and without www
Starting a transfer near expiry	Risk of lapse during the move	Renew first, then transfer

A specific trap with all-in-one website builders: if you bought your domain through the builder, cancelling your plan can sometimes affect the domain too. Read their terms or check their help pages before you cancel, and move the domain out first if needed.

Keeping your email working

Email is handled by MX records, plus SPF, DKIM and DMARC records that help your messages avoid spam folders. None of these need to change when you move a website, as long as you only edit the A and CNAME records for the site. If you have been using a free email address and want to set up a proper one on your domain at the same time, see our guide to a business email address. If you have not chosen your domain yet, start with .co.uk or .com.

Moving from a website builder

If you are leaving Wix, Squarespace, WordPress or GoDaddy, the same principles apply: keep the domain yours, point it at the new site, then decide about a transfer once everything works. Site Shifter keeps your .co.uk or .com domain in your name and gives set-up help with pointing it, and our move your website page walks through the switch from each platform.

Frequently asked