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You are in the process of creating a Shopify store, and you already bought a domain from GoDaddy, or another domain provider?
In the process of creating your store, you realized that you should transfer a domain from GoDaddy to Shopify.
Shopify domain transfer might give you better management of your store, and you would also be under Shopify’s security umbrella.
However, there are reasons why you should reconsider doing this, and we will be transparent about it in this guide. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
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- The Bloggle team is made up of professionals who worked with enterprise Shopify merchants for years, and we conducted this process hundreds of times.
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Things to know before transferring a domain to Shopify
There are several things to consider before transferring a domain to Shopify:
- Review the requirements for transferring a domain to Shopify
- Check your domain provider’s transfer policy
- Make sure your domain is eligible for transfer to Shopify
- Problems that might occur if your domain is transferred to Shopify
Most of these requirements are easy to fulfill. Most of the domain registrars are allowing domain migration, and the process is really simple, and almost any domain is eligible for transfer.
However, there are some potentially annoying things that may occur during the process, for example, it can take up to 20 days to transfer your domain, although the process is usually shorter.
Also, Shopify won’t make a copy of any additional custom DNS records, so you need to save a copy of your custom DNS records so you can add them to your domain after the transfer is complete.
The most important thing to remember is that only apex domains like “powergym.com” can be transferred to Shopify. Subdomains such as “shops.powergym.com” can’t be transferred.
Problems that might occur if you transfer the domain to Shopify can seriously affect your business. Firstly, Shopify is not an email domain provider, so it can’t serve you in a way Namecheap or GoDaddy can.
Secondly, if you ever decide to cancel your Shopify subscription, you will have to transfer your domain from Shopify to somewhere else, or you will lose it.
Connecting the domain to Shopify is the step you need to take in order to transfer the domain to Shopify, but only connecting it is sufficient, and your store will function just fine.
Make sure to connect your domain to Shopify
After you check and prepare everything for the transfer, there are several more additional steps to take. In order to avoid any interruptions and errors during the process, you should connect your domain to Shopify.
There are two ways to do it, manual and automatic. Unless you need to set up specific DNS addresses and make other custom adjustments, we recommend using the automatic connection, since it is way easier and faster. Here is how to do it:
1. From your Shopify admin, go to “Settings”, and then “Domains”
2. Click “Connect existing domain”
3. Enter your domain, such as “powergym.com”, and then click “Next”
4. Click “Connect automatically”
And, that’s it! You may need to log in to your domain registrar account as well, and you will see the pending connection from Shopify. In that case, you just need to click on the “Connect” button there, and after that, you are all set.
Bear in mind that it might take up to 48 hours for your domain to be connected, although it should be faster. When the process is finished, you will see the domain listed in the third-party domain section of the “Domains” page, with the status “Connected”.
Unlock your domain
The last thing you need to do before transferring your domain to Shopify is to unlock your domain.
The process of unlocking is basically getting a transfer authorization code from your domain provider.
Comparing domain providers, unlocking domains is very similar in each of them. Here, we will cover the process for the most popular ones.
Unlock your domain at GoDaddy
1. Sign in to the GoDaddy domain portfolio using your username and password
2. Select the checkbox next to the domain you wish to update
3. Unlock the domain by clicking “Turn Lock Off”
4. Verify the domain, and then select “Continue”
If your domain has domain protection, you will have to verify your identity in order to proceed. You can do that via a code that you receive through SMS, or via the authenticator app.
After you complete all the steps, you will see a Success confirmation.
Unlock your domain at Namecheap
1. Sign in to your Namecheap account
2. Select “Domain List” from the left sidebar, and then click on the “Manage” button
3. Click on the “Sharing & Transfer” card from the top menu
4. Scroll down and click the “Unlock” for the “Domain Lock” option
After you do all this, you’ll get the notification that your domain has been successfully unlocked. Unlike GoDaddy, you won’t have any additional steps.
Unlock your domain at Squarespace
1. Sign in to Squarespace
2. Open the domain dashboard
3. Click on the domain you wish to unlock
4. Scroll down and switch the “Domain Lock” toggle off
You can also request a transfer code from this registrar, but we recommend only unlocking the domain, and transferring it through a simple process provided by Shopify.
Unlock your domain at Google Domains
1. Sign in to Google Domains
2. Select the name of the domain you wish to unlock
3. From the menu, select “Registration settings”
4. Scroll down to “Domain lock” and toggle “Unlock domain”
After you complete these actions, your domain will be automatically unlocked, without any extra steps.
Transfer your domain to Shopify
After you have unlocked and prepared your domain, you can start with the transfer. Here are the steps you need to take:
1. In Shopify admin, click “Settings”, and then “Domains”
2. Since we already connected the domain, click on “Transfer domain”
3. Enter the domain you wish to transfer, without including “www” at the beginning, and click “Next”
4. In the “Authorization code” field, enter the code provided by the domain registrar
5. Click “Verify domain”
6. On the “Approve charge” page, select “Auto-renew” if you want your domain automatically renewed before it expires
7. Click “Approve” in the “Charge Summary” section
It takes up to 20 days for your domain to be transferred. Usually, it will be a lot faster. After the process is done, you will get a confirmation email from Shopify.
FAQ
How do I transfer my domain to Shopify?
To transfer your domain to Shopify, unlock the domain from your current registrar and obtain the authorization code, then follow Shopify's domain transfer instructions.
How long does it take to transfer a domain to Shopify?
The domain transfer process to Shopify typically takes up to 20 days, but it can be faster depending on your current domain provider.
Will my website experience downtime during the domain transfer?
Your website should not experience significant downtime during the domain transfer if you follow Shopify's instructions and keep your current site live until the transfer is complete.
Summing all up
In this article, we showed you how to transfer your domain to Shopify from any registrar.
If you follow the process we provided here, you shouldn’t have any problems with the transfer.
Make sure you don’t skip any steps and good luck with starting your Shopify adventure!
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