Domain name change

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  dave2041 · Member · Apr 10, 2017 at 2:52 pm

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  Hi there, Our cycling team have had to change their name so i need to change the domain name.

  How can i do this? Thanks in advance.

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  joyinco · Member · Apr 10, 2017 at 5:48 pm

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  Hi Dave2041,

  To map your new domain to your existing WordPress site see the instructions here: https://en.support.wordpress.com/map-existing-domain/

  If you purchased your new domain name from somewhere other than WordPress.com, you will also need to update the DNS settings where you purchased the domain name. (This is also in the instructions, but wanted to point it out because sometimes it can take a couple of days.)

  Once the DNS settings have updated, you can update this new domain to be your primary domain for your site and delete the old domain if you want.

  Hope that helps!

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  thebud15 · Member · Apr 10, 2017 at 5:53 pm

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  Hey @dave2041! It sounds like you’re just wanting to re-name your existing website, yes? In that case, you won’t need to map a new domain elsewhere. You can change the domain name under My Site > Domains. Here are some more detailed step-by-step instructions on doing so!
  Just keep in mind that this will make the original URL permanently unavailable moving forward, by yourself or anybody else. So if you think you may possibly decide to re-use the original URL, you may be better off creating a new blog with the new name. Does this help you out?

  Happy blogging!

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  supernovia · Staff · Apr 11, 2017 at 1:08 am

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  Hi folks, both answers are right here: for a custom domain, you’d add a new one via My Site > Domains. You might want to add it under the account that currently has upgrades, if possible: new domains or mapping require a plan, which you can get here.

  Or if you wanted to just change the base wordpress.com address, you can do that with the steps @thebud15 mentioned.

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  dave2041 · Member · Apr 11, 2017 at 7:31 am

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  Thanks all, i think the problem may lie with another user owning the domain currently (a friend set it up) So i’ll get it transfered and see how i get on. Cheers!

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  supernovia · Staff · Apr 11, 2017 at 7:00 pm

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  Cheers @dave2041 :)

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  dave2041 · Member · Apr 12, 2017 at 9:07 am

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  Ah no, i have re-read your message and obtained ownership of the domain now… However ui do want to change the domain name that i’ve paid for, not the free *.wordpress.com domain. Is this possible or do i need to buy a new domain name?

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  supernovia · Staff · Apr 12, 2017 at 9:23 pm

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  @dave2041 domain registrations go for a full year and can’t be altered. But you can add another domain, or if the domain is less than 2 days old, you can cancel it and get a new refund. Either way, though, the second domain needs to be purchased separately.

  I’d personally recommend keeping both, but setting the new name as primary. That way people who type in the old domain (or click a search engine link to it) will still be able to reach your site.