Transfer your hosting to us

This page describes how to transfer both domain registration and website hosting from your old provider to DreamHost.

Do this first!

You must make sure you have not purchased or renewed your registration within the last 60 days. If you have, you cannot transfer your registration.

Once you have confirmed that you can transfer your registrations, then:

1. Unlock your registration. (You can check if your registration is locked here: http://www.internic.net/whois.html or http://www.iana.org/cgi-bin/whois)
2. Update your e-mail address on the whois information page.
3. Turn off any privacy protection.
4. Obtain a valid Auth Code (or, epp code) from your current registrar.

After you complete these steps, proceed to the following section.

Transferring your site to DreamHost

Select the topic that fits your needs:

• I have my registration and hosting at the same company and just want to sign up for a new account
• I have my registration and hosting at the same company but want to set up the site here before I transfer it
• I have my registration at one company and my hosting at another company
• I have my registration at another company but my hosting is here at DreamHost
• I have my hosting at another company but my registration is here at DreamHost

I have my registration and hosting at the same company and just want to sign up for a new account

1. Sign up for any DreamHost plan [here].
2. Create an account and click Continue.

   The Configure a Domain page appears.

   

3. Select I already own this domain and click Continue.
4. Finish the sign-up process.

   Note: DreamHost will send you a request to transfer the registration after you complete the sign up, as well as information on how to access your FTP account. Please allow 1-2 days to receive this information.

   

5. Back up all of your website files, databases, and emails from your old host via FTP or wget.
6. Log in to your DreamHost FTP account using your server's name (i.e., servername.dreamhost.com), which should now be set up with your Domain (Hosting).

   

7. Upload the website files to us.

   

8. Return to your old host and set the nameservers for your domain registration to point to using these names:

   • ns1.dreamhost.com
   • ns2.dreamhost.com
   • ns3.dreamhost.com

   Note: This modification takes about 1-3 days to propagate across the Internet, after which your new name servers will direct visitors to your account here with DreamHost. A registration transfer, on the other hand, takes about 7-14 days.

   

   Note: As stated above, you will receive an approval e-mail from DreamHost asking if it is OK to transfer the registration to us.

9. Click on the link in that e-mail to approve it.

   The transfer starts, and should complete in 7-14 days.

   Note: If you have not received the approval e-mail in 1-2 days, please contact support.

   

10. Once the registration has transferred, cancel the hosting plan with your old hosting company.

I have my registration and hosting at the same company but want to set up the site here before I transfer it

1. Sign up for any DreamHost plan.

   

2. Select I already own this domain.

   After you sign up, you will have a hosting plan with a domain set with no registration pointing to it yet. You won't be able see it through a browser, but you can access it via FTP using your server name as the host name (servername.dreamhost.com). If you don't know your server name, then contact support for more information.

   

3. Log in to your account on the WebPanel.
4. Go to the Domains > Manage Domains section.
5. Click [+ Add New Domain / Sub-Domain].
6. Create the sub-domain Dreamhosters.com

   The sub-domain is no charge, and appears as name.dreamhosters.com.

Mirroring a domain

The Mirror Domain is a server alias that allows you to access the content of your DreamHost site before the domain itself has become accessible. Follow these steps to set it to mirror your existing domain that you already have in your account.

1. Open the Mirrored panel.
2. Enter the mirror address.

   

3. Click Mirror this domain.

   It usually takes between 4 and 8 hours for the sub-domain to start working. After that, the name.dreamhosters.com that you created allows you to view your account in the interim period before the domain becomes available.

   

4. Once you upload and set up your website, return to your old host and change the nameservers for your registration to point to DreamHost using the following names:

   • ns1.dreamhost.com
   • ns2.dreamhost.com
   • ns3.dreamhost.com

   This allows your files to be viewed on our server while the name is being transferred to us. Visitors are able to access your site as the registration points them to your account at DreamHost.

   Note: Please allow 1-3 days to change the nameservers; Registration, on the other hand, takes 7-14 days.

   

Transferring your registration to DreamHost

To request a transfer:

1. Log in to your WebPanel.
2. Go to Domains > Registration Transfer.
3. Enter the name of your registration.

   You should receive an approval email requesting if it is OK to transfer the registration to DreamHost. Please allow 1-3 days.

   Note: It's no charge as long as you have not used up your free registration. Otherwise, it costs $9.95.

   

4. Click the link in the email to approve it and the transfer starts.

   Please allow 7-14 days for the transfer to complete.

   Note: If you do not receive the approval email, contact support for help.

   

5. Once the registration has transferred, return to your old hosting company and cancel the hosting plan with them. Be sure to also delete the free Dreamhosters.com sub-domain.

   Important: Remember to fix any links directed to Dreamhosters.com before you delete this sub-domain.

I have my registration at one company and my hosting at another company

Follow this procedure to transfer your registration and create a new hosting plan here with DreamHost.

1. Sign up for any plan.

   

2. Select I already own this domain and complete the sign up process.
3. Log in to your account on the WebPanel.
4. Go to the Domains > Manage Domains section.
5. Click [Add New Domain / Sub-Domain].
6. Create a free "Dreamhosters.com" sub-domain, which appears as name.dreamhosters.com.

Mirroring a domain

Follow these steps to mirror your existing domain.

1. Open the Mirrored panel.
2. Enter the mirror address.

   

3. Click Mirror this domain.

   It usually takes between 4 and 8 hours for the sub-domain to start working. After that, the name.dreamhosters.com that you created allows you to view your account in the interim period before the domain becomes available.

   

4. Once you upload and set up your website, return to your old host and change the nameservers for your registration to point to DreamHost using the following names:

   • ns1.dreamhost.com
   • ns2.dreamhost.com
   • ns3.dreamhost.com

   This allows your files to be viewed on our server while the name is being transferred to us. Visitors are able to access your site as the registration points them to your account at DreamHost.

   Note: Please allow 1-3 days to change the nameservers.

   

5. Once your domain is transferred, you can cancel your hosting plan with your old host.

Transferring your registration to DreamHost

In 1-3 days after signing up with DreamHost, you should receive an approval e-mail which asks if it is OK to transfer the registration to to us.

1. Click on the link in the e-mail to approve it and the transfer starts.

   

   Please allow 7-14 days for the transfer to complete.

   Note: If you do not receive the approval e-mail, contact support for more information.

   

2. Once the Registration has transferred, return to your old registrar company and cancel the plan you have with them.

I have my registration at another company but my hosting is here at DreamHost

1. Make sure that your registration is unlocked and that your whois information is up to date.

   

2. Go to your registrationssection in the WebPanel.

   

3. Select to have the registration transferred to us.

   You should receive an approval e-mail in 1-3 days asking if it is OK to transfer the registration to us. If you do not receive the approval e-mail, contact support for help.

   Note: If you have not used up your free registration, it's no charge; otherwise, it's $9.95.

4. Click the link in the email to approve it and the transfer starts.

The transfer should complete in 7-14 days.

I have my hosting at another company but my registration is here at DreamHost

If your registration is at DreamHost and your hosting is at another company, you probably can't host any domains on it. Follow this procedure to set up your DreamHost account to allow hosting.

Note: If you already have a hosting plan, then proceed to the transferring section.

1. Log in to your WebPanel and go to the Billing > Manage Accounts section.
2. Click [add a plan].
3. Choose any plan that you would like.

   After you have paid for your new hosting plan, you are ready to go to the next section.

Transferring your hosting

1. Go to your WebPanel and select Domains > Manage Domains.
2. Click [Add New Domain / Sub-Domain].
3. Create a domain for your registration.

   This gives you a place to upload your files and for your registration to point (most folks choose Fully Hosted).

   

4. After your account is set up, transfer your website files, databases, and so on to your new DreamHost domain using your servername as the FTP host name:

   servername.dreamhost.com

   Note: If you don't know your server name, contact support for further information.

   

5. After you have transferred over your data, cancel your hosting plan at your old host.