What Auth code means
You request it from your current registrar and give it to the new one. Unlocking the domain and keeping your contact email current make transfers go smoothly.
Why it matters for your website
Your domain is the address customers know, and whoever controls it controls your website and often your email. If you cannot get the auth code, you may be stuck with a registrar or a former vendor. Knowing how it works keeps you in control of a key business asset.
Example
A salon owner wants to move her domain from the registrar her old web designer set up. She turns off the transfer lock, requests the auth code and enters it at her new registrar to start the transfer.
Tips
- Register domains in an account under your own business name and email.
- Turn off the transfer lock and check the admin email before starting a transfer.
- Treat the auth code like a password and share it only with the receiving registrar.
Common mistakes
- Letting a web designer or agency own the domain account instead of your business.
- Trying to transfer a domain right after registering or transferring it, when registrars often lock it.
Questions about Auth code
What is Auth code?
A code, also called an EPP code, needed to transfer a domain from one registrar to another.
Where do I find my domain's auth code?
Log into your current registrar and look in the domain's management or transfer settings. Some registrars show it on screen, while others email it to the domain's contact address.
Will transferring my domain take my website offline?
Usually not, as long as your DNS settings carry over or are set up the same way at the new provider. Review your DNS records before the transfer to be safe.
