I’m no more able to connect my site, getting a 502 Gateway error message

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  stewierz · Member · Sep 26, 2025 at 12:37 pm

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  Hello,

  Hope I will get some help here from a moderator or any WordPress.com sysadmin.

  I’m right now blocked and I cannot access my site anymore. When trying to connect the WP Admin (or even opening the site), I’m getting a 502 Gateway error message.

  How did I get into this situation?

  • setup my site back to the original wordpress.com domain (set as primary)
  • removed the previously external connected domain (i’m having issue managing my DNS records there, specially on “sub-domains”)
  • reset my site
  • added a new “free one year” domain provided by WordPress.com (it will ease my DNS mnangement).

  After a few hours, my site is still in “Activating hosting features…” status (with the 502 Gateway error message)

  In the mean time I have created a new site, without an active subscription (free plan).

  How can I move my current site subscription and associated free domain from the broken site to the new site I have just created ? I really don’t care about my current site data and settings.

  Thanks

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

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  mukeshoad · Member · Sep 26, 2025 at 1:58 pm

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  Hi Stephane,

  It sounds like your staging site (wpcomstaging.com) got stuck during domain/hosting changes, causing the 502 Gateway error. Since you don’t need the current site data and want to move the subscription and free domain, here’s what you can do:

  1. Wait for Staging Cleanup (Optional) – Sometimes wpcomstaging.com resolves itself after a few hours, but since you don’t need the data, you can skip recovery.
  2. Contact WordPress.com Billing Support – To transfer your active subscription and free domain to a new site, you need human support, because the free AI assistant cannot perform transfers. Provide them:
     • Your broken site URL (stephanewierzbicki-adwyh.wpcomstaging.com)Your new site URLSubscription details
     Contact: WordPress.com Support
  3. Alternative Temporary Workaround – If human support is delayed, you can create a new site with a free plan, and once the subscription transfer is approved, they’ll migrate the domain and plan to it.

  Notes:

  • Free domains and paid plans are linked to accounts, so only WordPress.com support can reassign them.
  • Avoid making further domain/DNS changes on the broken site to prevent conflicts.

  Reference: Transferring Domains Between WordPress.com Sites

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  stewierz · Member · Sep 26, 2025 at 2:29 pm

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  Hi Mukeshoad,

  Thanks for your reply. You helped me a lot, I was able to contact WordPress.com Billing Support – they are working right now on fixing this incident.

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  mukeshoad · Member · Sep 27, 2025 at 12:25 am

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  Glad I could help! Great to hear that support is working on your issue.