If you want to transfer your domain in from an external registrar to ZEIT, you can do that painlessly without worrying about domain and DNS configuration. This document will walk you through how to transfer your domain in with Now in a few steps.

Step 1: Unlock your Domain

To transfer your domain, the first step is to unlock your domain from your registrar's domain management area. Most domains are usually locked by default to prevent unauthorized changes.

Unlocking a domain on Godaddy

The domain lock feature appears in different forms across registrars. Sign into the host where your domain is registered and look for a Domain Lock or similar option to unlock your domain.

After unlocking, request for an authorization code. The code will be sent to the email address associated with your domain by your registrar. In some cases, your authorization code simply pops up on your dashboard.

Note: A domain can't be transferred to another registrar within 60 days of the date they were registered or transferred to a new registrar.

Step 2: Transfer In your Domain

When transferring a domain, you will have two options to choose from. Either using the Now CLI or doing an inward transfer via our dashboard.

Option 1: Using Now CLI

With Now CLI, you can run the following command from your terminal.

now domains transfer-in <your-domain>

You will be requested to provide an authorization code from your registrar after running this command. Once you get the authorization code from your registrar, paste it into the prompt and the transfer will begin.

Option 2: Using ZEIT Dashboard

Using the Zeit dashboard, you can perform a domain transfer by entering the domain you want to transfer in, and the respective authorization code from the domain registrar via the UI like so:

Transfer in Domain via ZEIT dashboard

Note: In a case where your domain can't be transferred, check if it's not up to 60 days since the domain has been registered, or if the domain had previously been transferred within the past 60 days. If none of that checks out, contact your registrar.

DNS Transfer

After activating a domain transfer-in, you will be informed that the DNS settings for your domain will not be transferred along with the domain. Instead, you will need to download a zone file from your registrar and upload it to ZEIT.

You can import the zone file to ZEIT DNS by running the following command:

now dns import <your-domain> <zonefile>
Note: Your domain will automatically be transferred in and use ZEIT's DNS out of the box if you don't upload the zone file from your previous registrar. Furthermore, In a case where the dns import fails, check that you have a valid zone file. If it's valid and import still fails, contact support.

Deploying and Aliasing

You can deploy your app with Now once the domain has been successfully added to your account.

Using the alias property inside of a now.json file, you can automatically alias a deployment to your domain by using the following Now CLI command in your terminal:

now --target production

Deploying an aliasing a deployment with Now CLI.

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