Website Building » Squarespace » How Long Does It Take to Disconnect Domain From Squarespace?

How Long Does It Take to Disconnect Domain From Squarespace?

Last updated on December 27, 2022 @ 8:06 pm

When you’re ready to move your Squarespace website to another host, you’ll need to disconnect your domain from Squarespace. Disconnecting your domain allows you to keep your Squarespace site as is, without losing any content, while you connect it to another host. You can also transfer your domain away from Squarespace if you’d like to manage it elsewhere.

Before you begin, we recommend exporting your site so you have a backup. Then, follow the instructions below to disconnect your domain:

  1. Log in to your Squarespace account and go to Settings > Domains.

  2. Click the gear icon next to the domain you want to disconnect, then click Disconnect Domain.

  3. In the Disconnect Domain window, select one of the following options:

  • Disconnect only: This option leaves your website content intact on our servers. It’s a good choice if you’re not sure whether you want to transfer or point your domain yet.

  • Disconnect and transfer: This option moves your domain away from Squarespace. Once disconnected, you can’t reconnect it without transferring it back first.

  1. (Optional) If you chose “Disconnect only”, and you want to reconnect this domain later, select the “Enable automatic reconnection” checkbox.

  2. (Optional) If you want to keep using Email Campaigns with this domain after disconnecting it, select the “Keep using Email Campaigns” checkbox.

PRO TIP: If you are considering disconnecting your domain from Squarespace, be aware that it can take up to 72 hours for the process to complete. During this time, your website will be inaccessible and any email associated with your domain will stop working.

OR

  1. (Advanced) If you want more control over DNS records after disconnecting, select the “I’ll update my DNS settings” checkbox and follow the instructions in this article.

Frequently Asked Questions
How will this affect my site?

  • Your website content remains intact on our servers. Any changes made after disconnecting won’t be lost.

  • Your site will continue to work while disconnected. Visitors can still access it, and any changes you make will go live as usual.

Can I reconnect my domain later?

  • If you chose “Disconnect only,” and didn’t select “Enable automatic reconnection,” then yes — you can reconnect your domain later. For more information, visit our reconnection article. If “Enable automatic reconnection” was selected when disconnecting your domain, then it will automatically attempt to reconnect every 72 hours until successful. Automatic reconnection can take up to 48 hours. After that time frame elapses,you can manually reclaim your domain from our Domain Reclaim page within 30 days of disconnection. Visit our manual reclaim instructions for more information about that process.

    Note: If 30 days have passed since disconnecting your domain, we release it back into the wild and reclaim isn’t possible. In that case, you’ll need to register it again as a new purchase. For more information about reclaiming a disconnected domain, visit our reclaim article.

Kathy McFarland

Kathy McFarland

Devops woman in trade, tech explorer and problem navigator.