Customer Portal - Change Primary Domain

• Checklist
• Important Notes
• Change Domain

Depending on the hosting package you have, here are the steps to change the primary domain in your account.

Please click the links below to jump to a section.

• Prechecks ⤵
• Shared and Reseller accounts ⤵
• Windows Shared accounts ⤵
• VPS and Dedicated accounts ⤵
• Changing Addon and Subdomain names ⤵
  • How to change an addon domain name and keep the content

Prechecks

Before changing your primary domain, be sure you know what to expect by reading:

• Change Primary Domain - Pre-Change Checklist
• Important Notes About Changing Your Primary Domain Name

Shared and Reseller accounts

To change your primary domain name:

1. Log in to Customer Portal.

   

2. Select Hosting from the left-side menu.

   

3. Select Manage on the shared package you wish to update. 

   

4. Click on the Settings tab.

   

5. On the right-hand side, click Change Domain.

   

6. Enter the New Domain name you wish to use.

   

   This step will only change the domain setup on the server and will not register your new domain. You can always register a new domain name with HostGator at hostgator.com/domains.

7. Click Update Domain.
8. You will receive a notification indicating that your domain change was successful.
   Warning
   Domain update successful! This change will be reflected in your cPanel immediately.

Error Message - Addon Issues

The notification above indicates that you have an additional service tied to your packages, such as SiteLock. You will not be able to change the primary domain name of the associated package from within your Customer Portal. This error occurs because the additional service is directly configured to work on a specific domain name.

Windows Shared accounts

To change the primary domain of your Windows Shared hosting plan, please reach out to us via phone or Live Chat for assistance.

VPS and Dedicated accounts

VPS and Dedicated hosting packages are initially provisioned with the domain name chosen during your sign-up. This domain name gets assigned as your hostname, and updating this requires complex modifications to your server's configuration.

If you have purchased VPS or Dedicated hosting with HostGator, you will need to check your hosting Package ID to confirm what options are available for changing the primary domain on your hosting account. Please check out the article How to Tell if You Are on a New or Legacy Hosting Package for more information on where to find your Package ID in your Customer Portal.

• If your Package ID starts with VH or DH, follow the new KVM VPS and Dedicated hosting instructions below.
   
• If your Package ID starts with VPS or DC, please contact us via phone or Live Chat so we can change your legacy hosting's primary domain for you. There is no charge for this service.

To update the primary domain (for Package ID VH or DH):

1. Log in to your Customer Portal.

   

2. Navigate to the Hosting section.

   

3. Locate your VPS or Dedicated hosting, then click Manage.

   

4. On the next page, you will see your Package ID just below your current domain name. Under the Settings tab, click the Change Domain button.

   

5. Enter your new domain name in the text box. You can also review the pre-checklists for changing primary domains by clicking the Change Primary domain checklist link.

   

6. Click the Update Domain button.
7. A confirmation prompt will be displayed, notifying you of the successful update.

Changing Addon and Subdomain names

You will not need HostGator's billing tool to create or change your subdomains, addon domains, or parked domains for packages using cPanel. 

Please note that an addon domain is different from the primary domain in the account. For more information on managing subdomains, addon domains, and parked domains, see the following article:

• What is the Difference between Parked, Addon, and Subdomains?

How to change an addon domain name and keep the content

1. Register your new domain name through our front-of-site hostgator.com/domains.
   • Please check the article, Registering a Domain Name with HostGator, for more details.
2. Log in to your cPanel.
3. In the Domains section, click the Addon Domains icon.

   

4. Enter your new domain name.
5. In the Document Root box, enter the document root of the old addon domain. This path is the location where the website files for the domain are stored. You can see this under the Modify Addon Domain section.

   

   For additional information on document root folders, please refer to the following article:

   • What is a Document Root Folder?
6. Click the Add Domain button to add the new domain in cPanel using the old document root you entered as the new document root value.
7. Remove the old addon domain. 

   

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