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How to transfer a domain away from Shopify (and the 60-day rule)

Step-by-step: unlock the domain, get the authorisation code, avoid the 60-day lock and keep your site and email running while the transfer completes.

By Orvexa TeamUpdated 3 min read
Vendors and shoppers at the flower market in Salem, Tamil Nadu
Photo: Abinayasekar357, CC0 · All photo credits
Key takeaways
  • A transfer needs an unlocked domain and an authorisation (EPP) code
  • Domains registered or transferred in the last 60 days cannot be transferred yet
  • Note your DNS and email records first so nothing breaks after the move

If you bought your domain through Shopify, you are not stuck with it. You can move the registration to another registrar, or leave it where it is and just point it elsewhere. This guide covers the transfer.

Which guide do you need? This is the step-by-step for moving a domain off Shopify. Not sure you need to move it at all? Start with Connect vs transfer: two ways to bring your domain to a new platform.

First, do you need to transfer at all?

Often not. If you only want your new store to use the domain, you can keep it registered with Shopify and change its DNS records to point to the new platform. A transfer is only needed if you want the registration, billing and renewals to move too. Compare both in connect vs transfer.

The rules that apply to every transfer

  • The 60-day rule. Under ICANN policy, a domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of being registered or transferred, and changes to registrant contact details can trigger the same lock. If yours is new, wait.
  • Unlock. The domain must be unlocked at the current registrar.
  • Authorisation code. Also called an EPP code or transfer key, it proves you own the domain. Keep it private.
  • Valid contact email. Confirmation emails go to the registrant address, so make sure it works.

The steps

  1. Back up your DNS records. Write down every record: A, CNAME, MX (email), TXT. You will need to recreate them.
  2. Unlock the domain in your Shopify admin's domain settings.
  3. Request the authorisation code. It is usually emailed to the registrant.
  4. Choose the new registrar and start an inbound transfer there. Enter the domain and code.
  5. Approve the transfer when you receive the confirmation email.
  6. Recreate your DNS records at the new registrar and point the domain to your new store.
  7. Check the site and email from a few devices.

Menu names change over time, so use Shopify's current help pages for the exact buttons.

How long it takes

Transfers can take several days, depending on the registrars and whether you approve quickly. Do not make other DNS changes in the middle unless you have to. DNS updates can take up to 48 hours to spread.

Protect your email

Business email depends on MX and related records. If you forget to copy them, mail can stop. See DNS basics for what each record does.

Cost

A transfer usually includes an extra year of registration, charged by the new registrar. Compare renewal prices, not just the first-year price.

If the transfer is refused

Common reasons: the domain is still locked, the code is wrong or expired, the 60-day rule applies, or the email confirmation was ignored. Fix the cause and try again.

What to do next

Check today when your domain was registered, and whether it is locked. If it is under 60 days old, simply point it to your new store with DNS and transfer later.

Frequently asked questions

Will my website go down during a transfer?

Not if DNS records stay in place and are recreated correctly. The transfer changes who manages the registration, not necessarily where the site points.

Can I transfer a .in domain?

Country-code domains follow their own registry rules, which may differ from the usual 60-day rule. Check with the registrar and the registry's policy.

Do I need to cancel Shopify first?

No. Finish the transfer and the DNS move first, check that the site and email work, and only then cancel Shopify. Cancelling early can take your store offline while the domain is still in transit.

Topics:domain transfershopifyepp codeicanndns

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