How can I Lock or Unlock my domain name?

Domain locking is designed to prevent domains from being transferred without the Domain Owner’s express consent.  It also prevents name server (DNS) changes.

Your Domain Provider can lock and unlock your domain.  Please contact them directly to make any changes.

In some cases the option to lock and unlock a domain is within the Domain Extras section of the Domain Management Interface.

Related Questions

• How do I get my Authorization Code? (also called an “EPP Key” or “Auth Code”)

  Related Topics: Transfer of Expired Domains, Transfer to Another Domain Provider, Transfer to Another Domain Registrar

  Detailed answer
   

  An Authorization Code (also called an Auth Code or EPP Key) is required when transferring domains from one registrar to another.  The transfer Authorization Code is created when the domain is first registered and can be obtained from the current Registrar for your domain.  If you have a .DE domain name, an Authorization Code is only valid for 30 days once it’s created or changed.

  If your domain is currently registered with Tucows through one of our Domain Providers, your transfer Authorization Code can be found in the Domain Extras section of the Domain Management Interface.

  Additionally, your Domain Provider can email the transfer Authorization Code (as well as the domain’s username and password) to the Administrative Contact email address on file.  You can see the current Administrative Contact email address for the domain by performing a WHOIS lookup.

   

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• How can I update my Administrative Contact email address?

  Related Topics: Transfer of Expired Domains, Transfer to Another Domain Provider, Transfer to Another Domain Registrar

  Detailed answer
   
  The Administrative Contact email address is the most powerful email address

  on a domain name.  It is important to keep this up to date at all times.

  The Administrative Contact email can be updated through the Domain Management  Interface.

  If the Admin Contact email address is no longer valid, you should first

  contact your Provider to see if they have a recovery method for your

  username and password.

  If your Provider is unable to assist you, or if you are not able to get in

  touch with them, the Registrant that is listed in the whois data may fax us

  directly, requesting that the address be updated.  Please be sure to check

  who is listed as the registrant by looking up your domain’s contact information using our WHOIS lookup utility.

  The fax requirements are dependent on the type of domain you have, often referred to as the Top Level Domain (TLD) type. The website http://www.adminchange.com provides full details on fax requirements and specific forms that you will need send.

  The Administrative Contact email address is the most powerful email address on a domain name;  it’s important to keep this up to date at all times.  There are two wasy to update the Administrative Contact email address.

  Option 1: Update The Address Online

  The Administrative Contact email can be updated through the Domain Management  Interface.

  If the Administrative Contact email address is no longer valid, you should first contact your Domain Provider to see if they have an alternative recovery method to recover your username and password.

  Option 2: Request Update by a Faxed Request

  If your Domain Provider is unable to assist you, or if you are not able to get in touch with them, the Registrant (the owner of the domain) can may fax Tucows directly, requesting that the address be updated.  You can check who is listed as the Registrant by looking up your domain’s contact information using our WHOIS lookup utility.  In some cases, this may not be you or your Organization.

  The fax requirements depends on the type of domain you have, often referred to as the Top Level Domain (TLD) type.  The website http://www.adminchange.com provides full details on fax requirements and specific forms that you need to send.

   

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• Why can’t I transfer my domain name?

  Related Topics: Transfer Status, Transfer to Another Domain Provider, Transfer to Another Domain Registrar, Transfer to Tucows/OpenSRS

  Detailed answer
   

  If you wish to transfer your domain name to another domain name company, there are some factors which can either delay or prohibit the transfer from happening.  All issues have a solution, but some issues may take some time to resolve.

  Brief list of issues affecting domain name transfers

  1. Domain is 60 days or older: Domains must have existed for 60 days or longer.  New domain registrations cannot be transferred until this time has passed.
  2. Domain Unlocked: The domain name must not have a Lock on it.  You must contact the current domain name registration company for the domain name to have locks removed.
  3. Domain Authorization Code: For most types of domains, you require a specific Authorization Code for the domain name to authorize the transfer.  The current domain name registration company can provide this to you, however it may also be obtained within their web-based interfaces online.  If this domain is with Tucows, you can learn how to obtain the Authorization Code through this page.
  4. Valid Administrative Contact: For most types of domains, you must have a valid and functional Administrative Contact email address to receive the transfer confirmation notification emails.  It’s a good idea to turn off your anti-SPAM email filters while the domain transfers in order to receive these emails.  If this email address is invalid and no longer works, you will need to update it through your current domain name registration company.  If the domain name is with Tucows, the update can be accomplished through this page.

  This list applies to .COM, .NET, and .ORG domain names but also apply to many other types of domain names.   Specific issues for other types of domain names are contained within the Transfer of Domain Registrations section of this website.

  Please note that it takes some time for a domain name to transfer.  This is outlined further in the article titled How can I speed up my domain name transfer?

   

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• How can I speed up my domain name transfer?

  Related Topics: Transfer to Another Domain Provider, Transfer to Another Domain Registrar, Transfer to Tucows/OpenSRS

  Detailed answer
   

  All transfers that are approved by the “gaining Registrar” (the new Registrar who submitted the transfer for the domain) will auto-approve (“AUTO-ACK”) itself after 5 days for most types of domain names.

  In some cases the “losing Registrar” (the Registrar the domain is transferring-away from)  will send an email to the Administrative Contact for the domain name allowing them to approve the transfer-away.  Once the confirmation with the “losing Registrar” is approved, the domain name will have officially transferred to the new “gaining Registrar” who started the transfer.

  Due to delays involved in processing completed domain name transfers, the final approval may not be recognized by the “gaining Registrar” until 24 hours have passed.

   

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• What is the Domain Management Interface?

  Detailed answer
   

  You may modify your domain information using a Domain Management Interface.  In this interface you can edit your contact information for the domain, change DNS settings and other options.  With some domain names you can lock or unlock the domain name as well.

  You need your username and password to log in to the Domain Management Interface.  If you do not have the username and password for your domain name, you can obtain this information from the Provider you use.

  IMPORTANT: When I attempt to log in to the Domain Management Interface, why am I redirected to another website?

  The password is case-sensitive.  If you are get an authentication error, copy and paste the password directly from the email sent by your Domain Provider.  As well, do not include “WWW.” as part of the domain name when attempting to log in.

  If your Domain Provider does not have their own Domain Management Interface, you can use the generic Domain Management Interface located here.

  The Domain Management Interface looks similar to this:

  

  Domain Management Interface

  You can click the  Manage Your Domain link located at the top to return to this screen.  Below the Manage Your Domain link, you will see the domain name, when it expires, and whether a change is in progress.

  If you have more than one domain in this profile, you will see a link called: Manage Another Domain.  Click on the Manage Another Domain link to list the other domains that have been grouped together in a profile.

  You will be able to update the following:

  Manage Profile
  This is a section allows you to change Domain login and password information, create sub users, and group multiple domains into different profiles.

  Organization Contact
  This is information about the company or entity that owns the domain name you are managing.  You can change company information here.  This field is shown at the top of WHOIS lookups and is also called the Registrant field.

  NOTE: Nominet, the registry for *.UK domain names, does not allow Registrants to modify the Organization name in this section.  Accordingly, this section does not appear for *.UK names.  To modify the Organization name for your .UK domain please refer to your Nominet Registration Certificate.

  Admin Contact
  This is the only person allowed to make changes to the domain.  Ensure this email address is always kept up-to-date.

  Billing Contact
  This is the contact responsible for billing issues with regard to this domain’s registration.  All renewal information will be sent to this address.  The Billing Contact is not shown in the WHOIS database.

  Technical Contact
  This is the person who is usually responsible for Web hosting, mail, and other DNS issues.  However, unless they are granted access by the Administrative Contact, they have no authority to make any changes.  Sometimes this is your Provider’s contact information.

  Manage Name Servers
  This is where you modify the name server (DNS) information as well as create name server hosts based on the domain.

  Domain Extras
  This is the are that contains additional settings that is unique to your domain name type, for example, the domain Authorization Code (sometimes called an “EPP Key”), the forwarding email address for .NAME domains, and Nexus data for .US domains.

  Provider Contact
  This is information about the Domain Provider that is responsible for the domain name registration, and that is tasked with providing you technical and customer support for your domain name registration.

  Domain Locking
  This is the section which allows the domain to be ‘locked’ to prevent transfers and Name Server (also called DNS) changes.  By locking the domain, transfers will automatically be rejected, and name servers (DNS) cannot be modified.  If you are unable to change the Lock setting, contact your Domain Provider to have it changed.

   

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