How to Transfer Your Domain from GoDaddy to Namecheap

When you’re building or growing a business, your first digital touchpoint is your domain name. Getting the right domain is the easy part; choosing the right Domain name registrar is the tricky part.

While GoDaddy is an industry leader, their introductory prices quickly ramp up in following years (often to $70+ per year), and many users never utilize their entire suite of value-added services like email or site builders. In contrast, alternatives like Namecheap cost roughly $35 per year. If you are looking to save money and switch, here is a step-by-step guide to migrating your domain efficiently to prevent massive website downtime.

The 5-Step Domain Transfer Process

Transferring a domain from one registrar to another is easy if you follow the process correctly; otherwise, you face the risk of major downtimes lasting anywhere from 5 to 7 days.

Step 1: Enable (or Unlock) Transfer in the Current Registrar Log into your GoDaddy account. Navigate to the My Domains section, select the domain you wish to move, and toggle the lock setting to “Unlock.”
Step 2: Generate an Authentication Code While still in GoDaddy, open your specific domain settings and click on Transfer domain away from GoDaddy. Review the provided transfer checklist to ensure everything is in order, then click Continue to Transfer. The system will generate an authentication (or authorization) code that you will need later.
Step 3: Add Namecheap Nameservers in GoDaddy By adding the Namecheap nameservers into GoDaddy first, you drastically reduce website downtime and ensure a smooth transition.
- Log into your Namecheap account.
- From the menu, click on Domains -> FreeDNS.
- Add your domain and follow the prompts to generate your free nameserver records. Copy two of them.
- Go back to GoDaddy’s DNS section and create 2 new NS records using the ones you just copied.
Step 4: Add DNS Records in Namecheap In your GoDaddy DNS section, copy or download all of your existing Domain Name System records (including A, CNAME, MX, and TXT records). Next, go to your Namecheap account, navigate to the domains list, and click Manage for your specific domain. Click on Advanced DNS and manually add all of your copied DNS records here.
Step 5: Create a Transfer Request in Namecheap Now, create an official transfer request in Namecheap. You will need to verify two key aspects: that the domain is properly unlocked and that you have inputted the correct authorization code (from Step 2). Once the request is created successfully, Namecheap will process the transfer and update you via email. Finally, select “Standard Nameservers” in Namecheap’s dashboard to complete the process!