How to Transfer Your Domain - GoDaddy to Squarespace [2023]

Over the years I have helped many clients transfer their domains from GoDaddy to Squarespace. GoDaddy is a common domain provider that small business owners will often use to reserve their domain while they search for a Squarespace website designer. The process is fairly straight forward, but there are a few steps that can get confusing, especially if you have domain protection turned on.

Learn more about the difference between transferring your GoDaddy domain to Squarespace, vs just “connecting” it. I’ll cover when you might want to utilize one option verse the other. I’ll also cover the exact step-by-step process I use to transfer client domains from GoDaddy to Squarespace so you can avoid common transfer errors!

Table of Contents

Why transfer your domain from GoDaddy to Squarespace instead of connecting it?

Transferring a Domain

When you transfer a domain, you move the domain registration from one registrar to another. The main benefit of transferring your domain is you can renew hosting and domain under one roof. This is the recommended method.

Take note: It can take up to a week to transfer your domain and the domain has to be registered for at least 2 months before you can move it.

Connecting a Domain

Connecting a domain is when you simply “point” it towards your Squarespace website, but the registration remains on GoDaddy or the current registrar. The only downside to this method is that you have to renew your domain in GoDaddy each year (instead of in Squarespace).

If your domain is brand new (under two months), you can connect it for now and transfer it later. Connecting usually takes place in 24 hours or less, so it is a quicker method, if needed.

You can learn more about transferring a domain in Squarespace’s support article here.

How to Move Your Domain from GoDaddy to Squarespace

This visual tutorial will take you through all the necessary steps. You can review this in real time, or look at it ahead of time to see what is involved. I’ve transferred many domains from GoDaddy to Squarespace and there are a couple settings that must be turned off in order for the transfer to complete.

1) Log into your GoDaddy account and choose “products” from the upper right-hand menu

2) Choose “manage” to find the product settings

3) Click on “Domain” from the left-hand menu

4) Click on “Domain Settings”

5) Turn off “Full Domain Protection” by choosing the “edit plan” button.

This setting MUST be turned off in order for your domain to transfer. It may take a couple hours to reflect in your account, so make sure this page reflects the changes before you transfer the domain in Squarespace. If you don’t have Full Domain Protection turned on, you can skip this step.

6) Turn off Domain Lock and click “Transfer to Another Registrar”. Copy the authorization code.

GoDaddy will also email you the authorization code. You can keep the window open or copy it from your email in the next step.

Now let’s move your domain to Squarespace!

1) Go to your Squarespace account and click “Settings” and then “Domains”. Click, “Use a Domain I Own”.

You can always click the slash key ( / ) and type in the word “domains” to find the settings.

2) Enter the custom domain you already own and hit the “arrow” to continue

3) Choose “Transfer Domain”

You can also connect your domain from this area. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, you can “point” your domain instead of transferring it. If your domain is less then 2 months old, you’ll have to connect it first and transfer it later.

4) Put in Authorization Code

Grab the authorization code GoDaddy emailed you. It is recommended that you highlight the code and press Command + C to copy it and Command + V to paste it. This will be more accurate then typing it in manually.

5) Add billing and registration information

This is used to register the domain and provide billing details. If you are launching your website for the first time, you receive a free domain for a year! Squarespace will carry over the current registration too. You’ll keep any time you’ve paid for, plus an additional year for free, before they charge the annual registration fee of $20.

6) Almost there! Confirm payment details.

This will be $0 for the first year if it’s a new website.

7) Track your transfer status

If the transfer fails with GoDaddy, you’ll almost immediately get an email notifying you of the issue. As long as you turn off Full Domain Protection and Domain Lock, you should be fine! If the transfer fails, you can fix the issue with GoDaddy and simply press the “try again” button under “domains”.

You’ll receive two emails from Squarespace: One letting you know the transfer has begun, and two, letting you know when the transfer is complete.

With GoDaddy, you don’t need to confirm the transfer via email, but you’ll receive an email notifying you of the transfer and giving you time to cancel the request.

Need more help? Check out Squarespace’s support article on transferring your domain to Squarespace.

Stuck getting your domain to transfer?

If you get stuck, reach out for some Squarespace help!