How to Transfer a Domain from Squarespace to Cloudflare

Why Squarespace domains need extra care

Squarespace became one of the largest domain sellers when it completed its purchase of the Google Domains business assets on September 7, 2023, according to its press release. Many people now hold domains at Squarespace that they never chose to register there.

Cloudflare's own nameserver docs list Squarespace as a reseller rather than a registrar. In practice, the registrar behind your domain may be Squarespace Domains LLC, Squarespace Domains II LLC, Tucows or Key-Systems. Squarespace's transfer article says the approval and cancel steps differ by which one holds your name.

Squarespace's article asks you to identify your registrar before starting. Note it down, because it changes how approval works later.

If you are still deciding whether to stay with Squarespace at all, our comparison of Google Domains and Squarespace lays out what changed after the move.

Pre-transfer checklist

Work through this list before you change anything. Each item comes from Squarespace's or Cloudflare's published help pages.

Checked Oct 30, 2026. Country-code domains such as .uk, .de and .fr follow different lock rules at Squarespace.

The 60-day locks

Squarespace's domain-locks page describes three. There is a lock after a new registration, a lock after a transfer in, and a lock after registrant data changes. Turning off the everyday Domain Lock toggle does not remove any of them.

If you hit one, our guide to transferring a locked domain explains what can and cannot be waited out.

Stage 1: Rebuild DNS in Cloudflare

Cloudflare's registrar FAQ says all domains it registers use Cloudflare nameservers. Its transfer guide adds that you cannot enter an auth code until the domain is Active on Cloudflare. So the DNS move happens while Squarespace still holds the registration.

1. Add the domain to Cloudflare. Choose the full DNS setup. Let Cloudflare scan for records, then compare its list to your Squarespace screenshot. Cloudflare says its scan may miss records.
2. Recreate your Squarespace site records, if you are keeping the site. Squarespace's guide for third-party domains lists four root A records (198.185.159.144, 198.185.159.145, 198.49.23.144, 198.49.23.145) and a www CNAME to ext-cust.squarespace.com.
3. Add the verification record. Squarespace's guide also calls for a CNAME using a unique code from your Squarespace DNS panel, pointing to verify.squarespace.com. Without it, Squarespace says the domain unlinks from your site after 15 days.
4. Recreate email records. Copy MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC exactly. Cloudflare says mail records should be set to DNS only.
5. Switch nameservers at Squarespace. Open the domain, then DNS, then Domain Nameservers, and select Use Custom Nameservers. Confirm your password or two-factor code, accept the prompt to disable DNSSEC, enter Cloudflare's two nameservers, and save.
6. Wait for Active in Cloudflare. Squarespace says new nameservers can take up to 48 hours to work properly. Cloudflare says activation can take up to 24 hours once your registrar updates.

Squarespace's page also advises using custom nameservers only if you have experience managing domains. If DNS is new to you, do the record comparison slowly, one row at a time.

Keep email working

Email is the most common casualty. Once nameservers change, only the records in Cloudflare exist. Squarespace states that records in its DNS settings stop applying, so MX or DKIM records must be re-added at the new provider.

Google Workspace bought through Squarespace

Squarespace's transfer article says Google Workspace stays managed through Squarespace unless you cancel it. It advises adjusting MX records with your new provider to avoid disruption. Moving the domain does not move or cancel the Workspace subscription.

A safe order for email

1. Copy every MX, TXT and CNAME record from Squarespace DNS before switching nameservers.
2. Add them to the Cloudflare zone, with proxying off for mail hostnames.
3. Switch nameservers and send a test message to and from the domain.
4. Check your mail provider's admin console for any DNS warnings.

For more detail on avoiding gaps in delivery, see our guide to preventing email downtime during a domain transfer.

Stage 2: Transfer the registration

With Cloudflare showing the zone as Active, move the registration itself.

1. Turn off Domain Lock. In the Squarespace domains dashboard, open the domain and switch the Domain Lock toggle off. A "Can't unlock domain" message means a 60-day lock is still running.
2. Request the transfer code. Click Request transfer code, then confirm with your password or two-factor code.
3. Watch the registrant inbox. Squarespace says the code should arrive within 24 hours from no-reply@squarespace.com, with a subject naming your domain. Check spam if it is late.
4. Enter the code at Cloudflare. Open Transfer Domains in the dashboard, enter the code, and confirm payment. Check your payment method first; Cloudflare warns a failed charge can leave the transfer partly started.
5. Confirm contact details. Cloudflare redacts them from public WHOIS by default but needs them to be accurate. Select Confirm transfer.
6. Respond to the approval email. For Squarespace Domains LLC or II LLC, an email titled "New domain transfer request" gives you up to 5 days to reject. Doing nothing lets it proceed. Tucows may send a confirmation link that speeds things up.

Common snags

• Invalid code. Each request creates a new code. Squarespace says only the most recent one works.
• No code after 24 hours. Check the registrant email in Registration information, fix it if needed, and request again. A contact change can trigger a lock, so check the address first.
• Asked to turn off WHOIS privacy. Squarespace says this is not needed to transfer. Cloudflare's process does not ask for it.
• DNS locked. Squarespace blocks DNS, nameserver and DNSSEC changes during a pending transfer. That is why DNS moves first.

After the transfer: cost and cleanup

Cloudflare charges the registry and ICANN list price with no markup, according to its FAQ. Most transfers add one year to the current expiry date.

For .com, that price is set upstream. Verisign raised its .com fee from $10.26 to $10.97 effective November 1, 2026, and ICANN charges $0.20 per transaction-year. That makes the at-cost floor $11.17 a year from November 1. The Squarespace .com page we opened did not show a .com price, so we cannot make a direct comparison here.

Cleanup checklist

• Squarespace site. The transfer does not cancel your site subscription. Cancel it separately if you are leaving, or keep the A and CNAME records in Cloudflare if you are staying.
• Google Workspace. Still billed through Squarespace until you cancel or move it.
• DNSSEC. Re-enable it in Cloudflare once the domain is active there.
• Auto-renew. Cloudflare's FAQ says renewals are final and not refunded, so set auto-renew deliberately.
• Next transfer. ICANN's 60-day rule applies again after the domain lands at Cloudflare.

Free first-year domains bundled with a site plan are worth watching. Once the free year ends, the domain renews at whatever the registrar charges, so check that price before it bills.