Confirm your domain email

What the email looks like

Soon after you buy a domain, an email arrives at the owner address you gave at checkout. It names your domain, says the owner details need confirming and has one button or link to do it. There is nothing to fill in and nothing to pay. One click and you are done.

It can come from an address you have not seen before, because it is sent on behalf of the domain record rather than as a normal message from your account. The subject usually mentions verifying or confirming your contact details.

Why it is sent

The rules for domain names say every domain needs an owner who can actually be reached. A name and an address on a form are not enough on their own, so the email address has to be proven to work. Clicking the link is that proof.

It is not a sign that anything is wrong. Every new owner gets one, and you will get it again whenever the owner email changes.

How long you have

You have about 15 days from the date of purchase. That sounds like plenty, but the email is easy to miss in a busy inbox, so it is worth clicking it the same day. Until you do, your account shows the domain as waiting for confirmation.

The clock starts again whenever the owner email changes, so the same window applies if you update the address later. If you bought several domains at once, you may get one email per domain, or one that covers them all. Either way, each domain shows its own status in your account, so you can see at a glance which ones still need a click.

What happens if you miss it

Once the window closes, the domain can be suspended. A suspended domain stops pointing anywhere: your site will not load at that address, and any email that uses the domain stops arriving. The domain is still yours, it is just switched off.

The fix is the same click. Confirm the address and the domain is switched back on, usually within a few hours while the change spreads across the internet. Nothing is lost along the way: your site, your settings and your email forwarding are all still there.

If you cannot find it

Check spam, junk and any promotions or updates tab. Search your inbox for the domain name itself, since the sender may be unfamiliar. Make sure the owner address is one you can open today, not an old work account or a mailbox that forwards somewhere you never check.

Still nothing? Open the domain in your account and choose Send the email again. If the address was wrong, fix it there first and the new address gets the email instead.

How to spot a fake

Scammers copy this email because new domain owners expect it. A few things give a fake away:

• It asks for a payment, a card number or a password. The real one never does.
• It says your domain will be deleted within hours unless you act now.
• It names a domain you do not own, or arrives months after you bought one.
• The link goes somewhere that has nothing to do with the domain or your account.

When in doubt, do not click. Sign in to your account directly and look at the domain. If it says confirmation is needed, send the email again from there and use that one. Our guide to keeping your domain safe from hijacking covers other tricks to watch for.

Changing the owner email later

Changing the owner's email means confirming again, at the new address. That is on purpose: it stops someone from quietly swapping the contact on your domain and taking over the messages that matter.

If you are not sure which address is on file, open the domain in your account. You can read more about owning a domain with us on the domains page.