Domains » Domain Management

Contents

• Domain Manager Login
• Update Nameservers
• Transfer to Another Registrar
• Update Contact Information
• Cancel private registration
• Additional Information

Related

• Add Email
  • Add Email through GoDaddy email hosting
  • Add Email through Google Apps
  • Add Email through Network Solutions email hosting
  • Add Email through other providers
  • Add Email through Outlook.com
  • Add Email through Yahoo! Small Business
  • Add Email through Zoho Mail
• All About Domains
• Cancel Domain
• Change name servers
• Custom DNS
• DNS Zone Records
• Domain Expiration
• Domains Settings
• Map a Subdomain
• Map an Existing Domain
• Move your domain to another host
• Register a New Domain
• Transfer a domain to another registrar

If you’ve registered your domain through WordPress.com and now want it to point to a blog or website hosted elsewhere then you can do this by updating the nameservers. Follow the Update Nameservers instructions below.

Domain Manager Login

1. Go to Store → Domains in your blog’s Dashboard.
2. Look for Domain Administration, select “Make Changes to DNS” and change the password.
   
3. Copy or write down your Customer Number.
4. Select “Make Changes to DNS” again.
5. Click the Manage Your Domains link
   
6. Login with your Customer Number and password. If it’s your first time logging in, you will be prompted to create a PIN number.
   You should now be logged in and see a list of your domains.

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Update Nameservers

The nameservers control where traffic for the domain goes using DNS. If you are moving from WordPress.com to a self-hosted WordPress.org blog, you can enter the nameservers provided by your web hosting company to switch your domain to their hosting service.

See the support page Change Name Servers for detailed instructions.

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Transfer to Another Registrar

Note: You may not transfer a domain name for 60 days after its purchase or for 60 days after you change any registrant contact information. This is a rule set by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and standard across all registrars. You can still transfer if you update nameservers or the admin email address.

You should only transfer a domain if you want to completely move the ownership of the domain from WordPress.com to another registrar. Note that you can often just update the nameservers instead if you don’t want to do a full transfer.

Note: A domain with a private registration cannot be transferred. If you wish to transfer a privately registered domain, you will first need to unsubscribe the private registration.

A domain transfer must be initiated at the new registrar. You will be asked for your Authorization Code when transferring.

See the support page Transfer Domain to Another Registrar for detailed instructions.

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Update Contact Information

To make changes to the contact information for your domain:

1. Login using the Domain Manager Login instructions.
2. Click on your domain.
   
3. Click the Contact button, and click Set Contacts.
   
4. A Contact Information form will pop up, and you can edit your information.

Note: If you update the Organization field for the registrant contact, or update the First name and Last name fields for the registrant contact if an organization is not the legal registrant for your domain name, your domain will be locked for 60 days (meaning you will be unable to transfer it to another registrar during that period).

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Cancel private registration

To cancel private registration, go to Store -> My Upgrades in your WordPress.com blog dashboard where the domain is registered, then “Cancel Private Registration”.

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Additional Information

Why can’t I find feature X or link Y that is mentioned in the domain management help system?

The help system at the domain management site is for domains registered directly through Wild West Domains. We have a limited domain reseller account which does not have all of the options.

Can I create CNAME entries or MX records for my domain?

Yes. You can add Custom DNS records for A, CNAME, MX, and TXT records using the Custom DNS feature.

Can I create subdomains?

To map a subdomain for a domain you purchased through a third party registrar, you should first add a CNAME record that points to your example.wordpress.com blog name and then purchase a domain mapping upgrade through your WordPress.com blog dashboard. See the subdomain mapping help page for detailed instructions. Note: It is not possible to setup a “www” subdomain and map it to a WordPress.com blog–the www subdomain is not used here.

If you purchased your domain name through WordPress.com, then you can also purchase subdomains for other WordPress.com blogs through the Store → Domains page without extra DNS changes first but you must purchase the subdomain as the same username that owns the root level domain name here at WordPress.com.

If you have a WordPress.com-mapped domain (any domain with nameservers pointing to us), then you can use the Edit DNS feature to add subdomains that point to outside services.

All of my personal details are visible when someone does a WHOIS lookup on my domain. Can I change to a private domain registration?

Yes! We offer a private registration option that can be selected at registration time or added after the fact.

How do I get FTP access to my domain?

Registering a domain does not get you FTP access to your blog or domain. Domains registered at WordPress.com do not get a hosting account like you might get at other registrars or hosting companies. You should use the Media Library in your blog to manage files instead.