How to Transfer a Domain from Network Solutions to Static.app

To transfer a domain from Network Solutions to Static.app, switch off the domain lock, request the auth code, and wait for it in the registrant's inbox, which Network Solutions says takes up to 24 hours. Then start the transfer at Static.app with that code. Network Solutions completes the transfer within five days of it entering Pending Transfer, and does not describe a way to approve it sooner. The one thing to do first is set up your DNS somewhere that will keep answering, because DNS changes are frozen during the transfer.

Before you start

• Check the dates. A domain cannot move within 60 days of its first purchase, and Network Solutions says there is no way around this. Changing your name or email can add the 60-day change of registrant lock. Some account changes made within seven days of a password reset, such as a new primary contact email, add a 30-day transfer lock. Avoid account and contact changes until the domain has moved.
• Check who can do it. Only the account's Primary Contact can switch off the lock and request the code, but the code goes to the Registrant's email on the domain. If those are different people or inboxes, line them both up first.
• Check the expiry. A domain in redemption cannot be transferred, so do not leave the move until after it has expired.
• Set up your DNS before the move. Network Solutions warns that transferring out may disrupt your website, email and other connected services, that no DNS changes can be made while the transfer runs, and that you must update your DNS with the new provider afterwards. Network Solutions does not say its DNS keeps answering, so plan as if it will not. Write down every record, especially the MX and TXT records your email depends on.
• Check the ending. For some country endings, including .ca, .de, .es, .eu, .io and .nl, Network Solutions requires the Primary Contact to call support instead of using the button.

Step 1: Switch off the domain lock

1. Sign in to Network Solutions and choose Domains in the left menu.
2. Open the domain: in Summary View, choose Settings on it. In Advanced View, open its menu and choose Manage.
3. Open the Security tab.
4. Switch Domain Lock off.

Step 2: Request the auth code

1. On the same tab, choose Request Auth Code.
2. In the Request Authorization Code window, choose the reason for the transfer and choose Continue.
3. Read the instructions, which depend on the reason. You can then choose Setup host records, which opens the DNS tab, or Contact chat/phone support.

Network Solutions emails the code to the Registrant's email on the domain within 24 hours. It is not shown on screen. The code is case-sensitive, so copy and paste it from the email instead of typing it.

Step 3: Start the transfer at Static.app

Sign in to Static.app, open Domains, and choose Transfer Domain. The form has three parts:

1. Which domain are you moving? Type the whole name, such as yourbusiness.com. Static.app checks at once whether it can move, what the transfer costs, and which company holds it now.
2. Authorization code: paste the code from Network Solutions. Copy it exactly, with no space before or after.
3. Owner contact: the registry records these details against the domain, so use an email address you read.

Tick the terms box and choose Continue to Payment. A transfer is charged like a registration and adds a year to the domain (two years on a .ai name, which is sold two years at a time). The transfer is sent to the registry once the payment goes through.

Static.app keeps the domain on the nameservers it uses today, so the transfer changes who you pay for the name and nothing else. Your website and email keep working, as long as the DNS behind those nameservers keeps answering.

Not every ending can move here yet. Country endings such as .uk, .de and .eu are not supported, and the form tells you as soon as you type the name.

Step 4: Wait for Network Solutions to release the domain

Once the domain shows as Pending Transfer at Network Solutions, the Registrant gets an email asking whether the transfer is legitimate. If it is, you do not need to do anything. The link in the email is for cancelling a transfer you did not ask for. Network Solutions completes the transfer within five days of the domain entering Pending Transfer. While it waits, Request Auth Code is greyed out and the domain cannot be changed.

Step 5: Finish setting up the domain at Static.app

When the domain shows as Active in your Domains list, it is registered with Static.app. If the transfer does not go through, the domain stays where it was, the payment is refunded, and the domain page says why and offers Try the Transfer Again. The usual causes are a lock that is still on, a wrong or expired code, or a domain that changed hands in the last 60 days.

What is left depends on where your DNS lives:

• Your DNS is with a company you are keeping, such as Cloudflare or your hosting company: nothing changes. To open a Static.app website on the domain, add its records there, or move DNS here as below.
• Your DNS was at Network Solutions: move it to Static.app the moment the domain shows Active, since that DNS may stop answering once the domain has left. The steps are in the next point.
• You want Static.app to run the DNS: open the domain, choose Edit beside Nameservers, then Reset to Default and Update Nameservers. Static.app writes the records for any website connected to the domain. Add everything else, such as your email records, in Manage DNS or Email & Forwarding right away, using the copy you made before the transfer.

To open one of your websites on the domain, choose Assign beside Website on the domain page and pick the website. With the DNS here, the records and the SSL certificate are set up for you. A paid plan is needed to publish a website on your own domain.

Moving a domain from another company? See every transfer guide.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a transfer from Network Solutions take?

Up to a day for the code to arrive, then up to five days once the domain is in Pending Transfer. Network Solutions does not offer a way to finish it sooner.

Do I lose the time I already paid Network Solutions for?

No. For .com and the other common endings, the time left on the domain comes with it and the transfer adds a year on top. Network Solutions' transfer guide does not mention a fee for leaving. Its refund rules give nothing back after three days on a new purchase or 30 days on a yearly renewal.

Will my website or email stop working?

Not because of the transfer itself: Static.app keeps your nameservers as they are. The risk is DNS that lived at Network Solutions, which you cannot edit while the transfer runs. If it stops answering after the move, your website and email stop with it until the records are set up again, which is why the copy you saved matters. Moving DNS to Static.app as soon as the domain arrives takes a few minutes.

Why did the code go to someone else?

Network Solutions sends it to the Registrant's email on the domain, not to the Primary Contact who asked for it. If that inbox belongs to a former employee or a web agency, ask them for the email, or contact Network Solutions support. Changing the contact details now can add a transfer lock, so it is usually the slower fix.