Can I change my hosting domain name?

You can switch your hosting to a new domain name by simply adding a new domain name and canceling the old one. Because we don’t charge hosting cancellation or signup fees, it doesn’t cost you anything to switch.

The drawback is that you will have to recreate any mail addresses and copy any email you want to keep. If you use WordPress, you’ll need to copy your site to the new location, or have us do it. Or, if you use raw HTML files and databases, you’ll need to re-publish your website files to the new site, copy any databases, edit any URLs defined in your website's configuration files, and so on.

If you prefer not to do that, and you're willing to keep the old domain name indefinitely as well, it's much easier to add the new domain name as a domain name alias for the existing site, making your existing content also available under the new domain name. This costs as little as $13.92 per year, and has the advantage that people who have bookmarked your old domain name, or added your old address to their address book, will still be able to reach you. In addition, links to your website from other sites and search engines will keep working.

We always recommend keeping both domain names working indefinitely if you can afford the small extra cost. You’ll have far fewer problems, and everything on the Internet that “knows about” your existing domain name will continue to work. By adding a redirect or changing the domain name in any software you use, you can make either domain name be the main one that other people see.

How to add a second domain name using an alias

Our alias page has full instructions on how to add an additional alias domain name.

How to switch entirely to a new domain name and cancel the original one

You should add the new domain name first, because that allows you to add it to your existing account with the same password:

  • Login to the “My Account” control panel (having trouble?)
  • Click Add Domain Names and follow the instructions to add the new domain name with hosting service.

Then set up your new domain name content, copying as much as you want to keep from the original one. When you're finished, cancel the old domain name:

  • Login to the “My Account” control panel
  • Make sure you're managing the domain name you want to cancel (not the new one) by choosing it from the drop-down menu in the top-right of the page
  • Click Billing and Contact Information
  • Click Cancel Hosting Service

You'll be given the choice of what to do with your existing domain name. You can choose to abandon it entirely if you don't want it to keep working.