Renewing your domain and turning on auto-renew
How to check when your domain expires, renew it, and turn on auto-renew at the most common registrars so it never lapses by accident.
Your domain name isn't something you buy once and keep forever. You register it for a fixed term (ICANN says that's typically between one and ten years), and if you forget to renew it, you risk losing your domain, and with it your website and email.
One of the most important things you can do for your domain is turn on auto-renew. It takes two minutes and prevents one of the most common (and avoidable) disasters in web management: accidentally losing your domain because you forgot to renew it.
Has your domain already expired?
Log in to your registrar and renew it now. See What happens when a domain expires for the recovery timeline and steps.
When does your domain expire?
Every domain has an expiry date, set when it was first registered. You can see this date in your registrar account, or by looking the domain up with ICANN Lookup. Expiry dates stay public even when your contact details are hidden. See How to find where your domain is registered.
ICANN requires registrars to send at least two renewal reminders: one about a month before expiry and one about a week before. If the registrar then deletes the domain, it must send one more notice within five days of expiry, with instructions for restoring it. All of these go to the registrant email address on the domain's contact record, so if that address is out of date, you won't get them. Don't rely on reminders alone.
What you'll need
- Access to your registrar account (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.)
- A current credit or debit card saved to your account
How to turn on auto-renew
The exact steps vary by registrar, but the general process is the same everywhere.
Log in to your Namecheap account at namecheap.com.
Go to your Account Dashboard and select Domain List in the left sidebar.
Find your domain and click Manage next to it.
Toggle Auto-Renew on for the domain (and for Domain Privacy, if you use it).
Set up the payment. Go to Profile > Billing > Payment Cards > Manage, open your card's Edit Defaults, then tick Use for auto-renewal and save. Namecheap says auto-renewal won't happen unless you do this, and that only cards or your account balance work: PayPal isn't supported for recurring domain payments.
Renewing manually
If you'd rather renew by hand, or want to add years now:
Log in to your registrar account. This is where your domain is registered (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.).
Find your domain in your account's domain management area.
Click Renew (or the equivalent button in your registrar's interface).
Choose the renewal period. Registrars generally let you add years one at a time, up to a total registration term of ten years. Renewing for two or more years at a time means one less thing to remember each year.
Complete payment. Check the price on your registrar's own renewal page before you commit. Renewal prices differ from registrar to registrar, and from the first-year price you originally paid.
After turning on auto-renew
Once auto-renew is enabled, make sure:
- Your payment method is current. If your card expires or is cancelled, the auto-renewal charge will fail and your domain could lapse.
- Your registrant contact email is one you check regularly. ICANN requires renewal notices to go to the registrant email address in the domain's official contact information, so an old address means you never see the warnings.
- You have access to your account. Save your login details in a password manager.
Auto-renew isn't 100% guaranteed
Cloudflare puts it plainly in its own docs: there is no guarantee that a renewal will succeed, and renewals can fail for reasons including billing failures and registry downtime. Registrars usually retry and email you, but if you don't act the domain will still expire. Check your payment method every year.
Common questions
What if I want to let the domain expire on purpose?
Turn off auto-renew in your registrar settings so it won't renew, then let the domain reach its expiry date. ICANN's own guidance is that in many cases a domain expires on its own if you don't pay the renewal fee, so you usually don't need to cancel anything. Do it well ahead of the date, though: Cloudflare charges about 30 days before expiry and says to disable auto-renew at least 30 days out, and Squarespace asks for at least one day before its renewal date.
Will auto-renew work if I transfer to a new registrar?
Check the setting at the new registrar once the transfer completes. Don't assume it carried over. Some registrars enrol every domain in auto-renew by default (Cloudflare and Squarespace both do), and others leave it to you. See How to transfer a domain.
How far in advance does auto-renew charge me?
It varies by registrar, so check yours. Namecheap and Cloudflare both make their first renewal attempt about 30 days before the expiry date; Squarespace charges the card on file 15 days before the renewal date. ICANN also requires registrars to email you renewal reminders roughly one month and one week before a domain expires.
How much does renewal cost?
That's set by your registrar, and ICANN requires registrars to publish their renewal fees, post-expiry renewal fees, and redemption or restore fees clearly on their website. Some registrars offer a lower first-year price and charge more at renewal, so look up the renewal price before you register, not after.
Should I renew for 1 year or longer?
Longer is safer. Renewing for several years at once reduces the risk of an accidental expiry, and some registrars discount longer terms. The total registration term can't exceed ten years.
I turned on auto-renew: do I still need to do anything?
Not much. Just keep your payment method current and check in on your domain once a year to make sure everything looks correct.
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