How do I change the primary domain on my account?
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Our support department will be happy to change the primary domain on your account. Please keep in mind that changing your Primary Domain will have other effects on the account, which have been outlined below:
- Email - All of the email accounts created for domainA.com will turn into @domainB.com accounts. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. will now be This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . If you still needed This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. then you will need to add domainA.com to your CPanel again as either a parked or addon domain name and recreate the email account.
- Files - If domainB.com was an addon domain name and all of the files were located in public_html/domainB, you will need to re-upload or move the files to public_html.
- Subdomains - All of your subdomains.domainA.com will turn into subdomains.domainB.com.
- Search Engine Results impact - When you are changing the main domain on your account, be aware that you can affect the search engine rankings of the website. You can take this into account by creating 301 re-directs and also by updating the preferred domain setting in the search engine (as per Google's article under Webmaster Tools: 301 redirects).
Prerequisites for primary domain change
The previous main domain name on the account will be removed from cPanel. If you plan to continue using the previous primary domain, you can re-add it as an Addon Domain or a Parked Domain once the change is completed.
Please note, before the this change can be made, you will first need to register the new domain you want for your primary domain name.
Steps to change your primary domain
Your Main/Primary domain can be changed through your AMP panel.
- Log into AMP.
From your AMP home, click on Change Primary Domain.
Next, read over the details on this page to ensure that you know how a primary domain change will affect your account, then click the link at the bottom stating that you wish to proceed.
You will now be presented with a dropdown in which you can select an existing domain to set as the primary, or add a new one. If you would like to add a new domain here, enter the domain in the Other field and press Submit.
Log into your cPanel to see the new domain in your stats.
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Comments
3 Points
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2013-05-19 6:22 pm
Wow! seriously? will an admin please remove this poor, ignorant persons information from the initial comment on this page!?
azizkarim, never ever ever ever post information like this on the web. You are just begging for your account to be stolen. Granted this was posted last year so I wouldn't be surprised if your account has already been hacked. |
Staff 2,132 Points
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2013-05-20 6:57 pm
Thank you for telling us pssnyder! We deleted that comment.
Best Regards, James R |
62 Points
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2013-09-13 3:18 pm
1. What about subfolders? They will stay with their domain right?
For example, if I have wordpress on burgers.com/blog and I make a former add on domain, say fries.net, my primary domain, will my subfolders stay with burger.com or will it be fries.com/blog? 2. Does this change happen quickly, or does it take some time? Thanks. |
Staff 2,342 Points
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2013-09-16 7:56 pm
When changing the primary domain on your account, everything that was previously under that primary domain will now be under the new domain. Using the analogy your provided, it burgers.com/blog would then be fries.com/blog if you changed the primary domain to fries.com. When a primary domain change is made, those changes are made instantly, however, it can take up to 24 hours for domains to propagate depending on what information your DNS provider had previously. If it were an addon domain and is being removed and re-added as the primary domain, in most cases the changes would be instant.
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n/a Points
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2015-08-21 2:09 am
If I were to change my domain name, would my payment be unaffected? I am abandoning my old domain which I was paying 15 a year for in return for a new one. Does that mean I have to pay an extra 15? Or do I still pay 15 a year.
Thanks! |
Staff 12,339 Points
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2015-08-21 2:17 am
Hello BruceL,
Thank you for contacting us. When you purchase a domain, you are paying for the full year. I recommend purchasing your new domain via AMP, and canceling your domain registration for your old domain. Then, going forward you will only be charged for your new domain. Thank you, John-Paul |
n/a Points
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2015-12-10 6:30 pm
Thanks
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n/a Points
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2016-01-14 5:23 pm
So I've done this, but when I go to my new primary site I get "currently under maintainence." Is this supposed to take a while to fully "happen"? Everything In Cpanal seems correct but site still down. |
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Staff 12,339 Points
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2016-01-15 1:30 am
Hello Chris,
Thank you for contacting us. A Primary domain change should not cause your site to go into "Maintenance mode." We are happy to help troubleshoot further but will need some additional information. How did you build your website? For example, are you using WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Concrete5, etc. Thank you, John-Paul |
n/a Points
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2016-02-23 7:01 pm
Before I change my primary domain do I need to back up the files? I am afraid I will mess something up. What if I get an email at the old domain, will I get it at the new one? Will it be redirected? I am using wordpress so any help would be appreciated. |
Staff 1,348 Points
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2016-02-23 10:23 pm
It is always good to have a backup of your files. Changing the primary domain will affect your account in critical ways. But if you are prepared for the change you'll be fine. Make sure that you update your database to reflect the domain change For email, no the messages will not be redirected. They may bounce back to the sender. Changing the primary domain as mentioned in this article will basically replace every instance of the former domain.
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n/a Points
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2016-09-20 10:05 pm
Hi Iv'e just switched over my primary domain, but now when I try to access my site I recieve a 'server not found' found and my orginal primary domain name url?Any help would be appreciated |
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Staff 1,348 Points
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2016-09-20 11:22 pm
This could depend on the structure of your site. I advise contacting Live Support so they can take a look at your site and see if they can find a cause.
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