A domain name is the address people type to visit your website, like yourgroovydomain.com. Use this guide to find the right next step for any domain name task on WordPress.com.
In this guide
Have a question?
Ask our AI assistantManage your domain names from your site’s dashboard:
- Go to your site’s dashboard.
- Navigate to Upgrades → Domains.
If you registered a domain name but cannot find it, check Upgrades → Domains on each of your sites. Domain names register against the site they were purchased on, not at the account level. If the domain name was registered without a site, find it under Upgrades → Domains on wordpress.com/me/purchases.
A domain name tells web browsers where to find your site. Adding a custom domain name gives your site a professional, memorable address.
With an annual, two-year, or three-year plan, you can register a new domain name free for one year or transfer a domain name you already own to WordPress.com. You can also connect a domain name from another provider for free with any paid plan.
If you’re not ready to add a custom domain name, your site includes a .wordpress.com address (or .wpcomstaging.com on plugin-enabled sites) that you can use until you’re ready.
- Register a new domain name
- Register a domain name without creating a site
- Domain name pricing and available extensions
Connect or transfer—which one do I need? Connecting points your existing domain name at WordPress.com while it stays registered with your current provider. Transferring moves the domain name’s registration to WordPress.com so you manage it here. Connect to keep your current registrar; transfer to consolidate everything in one place.
- Connect a domain name to WordPress.com
- Transfer a domain name to WordPress.com
- Connect a subdomain to WordPress.com
- Connect a domain name (alternative method)
Instructions for connecting a domain name from specific providers like GoDaddy, Wix, and more:
- Set your site’s primary domain name
- Add an email address to your domain name
- Verify your domain name contact information
- Understand domain name privacy and data sharing
- Enable or disable privacy protection
- Manage your purchases, payment methods, and renewals
- Renew a domain name
- Cancel and refund a domain name
- Recover an expired or cancelled domain name
- Change a domain name address
Move within WordPress.com:
- Transfer a domain name to another site
- Transfer a domain name to another account
- Detach a domain name from a site
- Attach a domain name to a site
- Transfer an already-connected domain name to WordPress.com
Move away from WordPress.com:
- Transfer a domain name to another registrar
- Point a domain name to an external IP address
- Forward a domain name
- Domain name shows as “not secure”: see When does SSL activate after I connect a domain name? below.
- Domain name not appearing in your dashboard: check Upgrades → Domains on each site you own.
- Unsure whether to connect or transfer: see Use a domain name I already own above.
- Login or account access issues: see Account recovery.
SSL activates within 24 to 72 hours after you connect or transfer a domain name. During this window, browsers may show a “not secure” warning or display a certificate error. This is normal during SSL provisioning—wait up to 72 hours, then check your SSL status. If the warning persists after 72 hours, contact support.
Your primary domain name is the main address visitors see in their browser when they visit your site. If you have more than one domain name connected to a site, only one can be the primary domain name—the others redirect to it. Change your primary domain name from Upgrades → Domains. For full instructions, see Set your site’s primary domain name.
Removing a domain name detaches it from your site but keeps your registration active. Canceling a domain name ends your ownership of the domain name itself. To use a domain name on a different site, detach it. To stop paying for and owning the domain name, cancel it.
No. WordPress.com handles both yourgroovydomain.com and www.yourgroovydomain.com automatically—visitors reach your site either way. Your primary domain name setting decides which version visitors see in their browser. For details, see Set your site’s primary domain name.
