Skip to main content

How to Change Your Primary Domain in HostGator

To change your primary domain, you will need to rename the domain linked to the root directory of your hosting account. If you have a Shared hosting plan with cPanel, VPS hosting, or a Dedicated hosting account, HostGator can help change your account's primary domain name. This article discusses important information on how to change your primary domain name. Please review the following details before proceeding with the change.

  • Important Details You Should Know Before Renaming Your Primary Domain ⤵
  • How to Change Your Primary Domain ⤵

Before changing your primary domain, it is recommended that you create a full backup. While changing a domain does not affect your files, updates to your website and its files may still be necessary.

Important Details You Should Know Before Renaming Your Primary Domain​

Here are some important things you must know before changing your primary domain name.

  • The process can take up to 20 minutes to 5 hours, depending on the size of your account.
  • Usernames, passwords, files, and databases will remain unchanged.
  • However, we recommend backing up your websites and databases and then downloading them to your computer.
  • To make the sites work after the rename, move the files for the new primary domain into the public_html directory. Move the files for the old primary domain to a subfolder within public_html. After the rename, you can assign the old domain to that subfolder. Please note that it is your responsibility to handle this, and it might cause some files or applications to break, requiring modifications to work with the new site location.
  • The new primary domain must be pointed to the public_html directory itself, the same way the primary domain does currently.
  • Forwarders on these domains will be deleted.
  • Any custom DNS changes made to either of these domains will be lost and will need to be set up again. Cloudflare will also be deactivated on these domains. This will most likely only take a few minutes, but it could take up to a few hours.
  • If you have logged into Weebly, the rename process will break the ability to publish a Weebly website on the old and new primary domains.
  • Any addon services attached to the primary domain will no longer work after the change. These addons will need to be canceled and repurchased for the new domain. This includes, but is not limited to, SSL certificates, SiteLock, CodeGuard, etc.

How to Change Your Primary Domain​

To change your primary domain, please contact our Support team, so we can assist you. Ensure to prepare the following information to expedite the request.

  • Primary domain
  • New primary domain
  • Last four characters of the cPanel password
  • Confirmation that you read and understand the account rename information. (e.g., "I have read and understand the account rename information, including my username will not change, and I have backed up my files/databases in case there is any data lost during the rename process. ")

Please note that newly registered and renewed domains cannot be canceled for a refund. Secure your brand by registering a variation of your domain name! Please visit https://www.hostgator.com/domains to check if your domain is available. For more information on how to register your domain, please check out the following article.

  • Registering a Domain Name with HostGator