WordPress.com locks domain transfers behind a mapping and a paid privacy setting you'll need to adjust first. Once the domain is unlocked and you have the transfer code, the move into Flashcloud takes a few minutes: go to Marketplace > Domains > Transfer one in, type the domain, and click Check eligibility. If it's eligible, we add a free year to the remaining registration and include WHOIS privacy at no cost.
Before you start: unlock the domain at WordPress.com
WordPress.com domains are managed a bit differently than a typical registrar. The unlock and transfer-code controls live under your site's domain settings, not a general "Domain Manager." In your WordPress.com dashboard:
- Go to your site's Upgrades or Domains section and select the domain you want to move.
- Find the domain's transfer settings, sometimes labeled "Transfer domain" or listed under a domain's individual settings page.
- Disable transfer lock if it's shown as enabled.
- Request the transfer/auth code. Naming and delivery of this code vary by registrar, so check WordPress.com's own help docs for where to find yours.
Two things trip people up here. First, a domain bought or moved recently may not be eligible for transfer yet, so check WordPress.com's current transfer-eligibility window before you start. Second, if the domain is on a paid plan bundled with hosting, cancelling or downgrading that plan can affect the domain separately from the transfer, so read WordPress.com's cancellation terms before you touch plan settings, not just the domain settings.
If your registrant email on file is out of date, update it before requesting the code. Transfer confirmations go to that address, and you can't complete the transfer without receiving them.
Starting the transfer on Flashcloud
Once you have the code in hand:
- Sign in to portal.flashcloud.com.
- Go to Marketplace > Domains and choose Transfer one in (also reachable from Domains > Transfer).
- Type the full domain name and click Check eligibility.
- If it passes, follow the prompts; keep the authorization code handy, since every registrar transfer needs it.
Assuming the domain clears eligibility, we add a free year to whatever registration time remains, and WHOIS privacy is included automatically going forward. For background on what that privacy setting actually hides (and which TLDs don't support it), see WHOIS privacy.
This is the same standard flow described in Unlocking a domain for transfer and Transferring a domain away from Flashcloud, run from the receiving side. The registry-level mechanics, including confirmation emails sent to your WHOIS contact, apply the same way regardless of which registrar you're leaving.
What happens to your site and email
A domain transfer only moves registration, not hosting or content. Your WordPress.com site itself doesn't move as part of this process, and neither does any email tied to the domain unless you set that up separately. If you're also moving your site to Flashcloud hosting, that's a separate step: point the domain at your new hosting once both the transfer and hosting are ready, using the nameserver or A record method described in Pointing your domain to your hosting account. To help avoid downtime, set up DNS at Flashcloud before the transfer finishes so the domain has somewhere to resolve to as soon as it lands in your account.
If you were relying on WordPress.com's built-in email forwarding, plan to recreate that on the new DNS setup. It won't carry over automatically.
If the transfer stalls
If it doesn't move:
- Confirm you received and used the current authorization code. Codes can expire or get regenerated if requested more than once.
- Check that the domain wasn't re-locked after you disabled the lock. Some platforms re-lock automatically if too much time passes before the transfer is initiated.
- Verify the domain meets WordPress.com's transfer-eligibility window.
If none of that resolves it, open a ticket from Support in the portal. It's a real person on the other end, not a bot.